Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

English Proficiency Or Post-School Success? The Miseducation Of English Learners, Jatnna Acosta

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

English learners in the U.S. are academically unprepared at the secondary level, ad such systemic barriers lead to limited opportunities for post-school success (Umansky, 2016). Additional research is necessary to examine the correlation between the impact of a school’s ethnic diversity on the academic achievement of students identified as ELs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the educational outcomes of ELs at the high school level as a result of the school’s ethnic diversity. This study provides quantitative data from the Ed-Data Education Data Partnership. The data is disaggregated by the ethnic diversity index, percentage of enrolled ELs …

“It Was Time For Us To Take A Stand”: An Ethnic Studies Classroom And The Power Of Student Voice, Jorge F. Rodriguez, Carah Reed, Karen Garcia

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"In this chapter, we invite you to join us—a high school graduate, an Ethnic Studies teacher, and a university ally—as we reflect on a story of student mobilization for change. Some of us will share firsthand narratives while others, such as the university ally, will contribute an interpretive analysis. We all grew up in the region where our story takes place. This affords us a personal understanding of the cultural and political dynamics described in our story. To protect identities, we use pseudonyms for students and teachers."

Spanish Language And Culture In Buenos Aires And Córdoba, Argentina, Sarah Eidt

Capstone Collection

The Spanish Language and Culture in Buenos Aires and Córdoba, Argentina program is a theoretical faculty-led multi-site semester-long program that is designed for Boston University students for the fall semester of 2022. The purpose of the program is to give student participants the opportunity to learn Argentine history and culture at two distinct locations with different sets of host families and speaking partners, while visiting contrasting regions around Argentina in order to obtain a more complete understanding of the country. Students will become more proficient in the Spanish language and gain a greater understanding of Argentine culture by immersing in …

Investigando Los Éxitos Y Las Dificultades De Implementar Un Programa De Inmersión Dual A Través De Las Perspectivas De Tres Administradores, Victoria E. Slaybaugh

World Languages and Cultures

This Modern Languages and Literatures senior project investigates and analyses the successes and struggles of implementing a dual immersion program through interviews with three dual immersion principles. In interviewing three highly experienced administrators, ample information was collected on why some programs are prosperous while others see little success. Each individual principal had unique and valuable input, especially with regard to why their respective schools changed programs from 50/50 to 90/10, why they implemented K-12, and even why they chose to eliminate the program entirely. Using supplemental studies to more thoroughly examine the historical and social context of dual immersion, this …

Self-Directed Learning Practices In Esl: How Beginning Adult Latinx English Language Learners Can Increase Learning Outcomes, Jessica Parisi

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project investigates the self-directed learning (SDL) practices that could increase learner outcomes in English language acquisition for beginning adult English language learners (ELLs), and presents on a website designed for the learner, the practices and local resources to engage them. Non-credit English as a second language (ESL) courses in community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area have high enrollment and low levels of advancement, especially beginning levels. Latinx adult ELLs face unique challenges that contribute to their low rates of advancement, including linguistic isolation, and work and home duties that often prevent learners from attending classes the …

Community College Student Organizations And Hispanic Students' Gpa, Retention, And Graduation Rates, Joanne Alvarez

Ed.D. Dissertations

Although the Hispanic population continues to grow throughout the United States, Hispanic students still have some of the lowest college retention and graduation rates. Administrators at post-secondary institutions need evidence for effective strategies to recruit, retain, and graduate Hispanic students. The current study was created to determine if there was a difference in grade point averages (GPA), retention, and graduation rates between two specific groups. The first group consisted of 506 self-identified Hispanic students engaged in at least one community college student organization versus 506 self-identified Hispanic students not engaged in any campus organization. A quantitative study was conducted to …

Global Citizenship Education In Homeschooling Practices And Experiences In Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, And Pennsylvania, Bethany Shackelford

Capstone Collection

Global citizenship education (GCED) has moved to the forefront of U.S. education policy. The core tenets of GCED are knowledge, skills, behaviors, actions, attitudes, and values. Through these tenets, GCED strives to prepare students to be contributing members of society through making positive change. In this study, I examined the extent to which GCED was integrated in homeschooling education in eight families located in four Northeastern states, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The findings derived from individual interviews and surveys with homeschooling parents and their adult children as well as document analysis demonstrate that seven of the eight …

Don’T Be Fooled, Trauma Is A Systemic Problem: Trauma As A Case Of Weaponized Educational Innovation, Debi Khasnabis, Simona Goldin

Occasional Paper Series

We examine the dangers and affordances of trauma-informed practice, focusing specifically on how this approach can be misused to cause harm. Further, we elaborate how teacher educators can support teachers in developing systemically trauma-informed teaching practice. We analyze and share detailed educational designs showing how counter story can support educators to recognize and contend with racist interpretations of trauma-informed practice. These lenses are frequently used to injure, blame and pathologize, in particular, poor children and families of color.

Change-Makers: A Grassroots Approach To Culturally Responsive Leadership And Teaching, Abigail Amoako Kayser, Angel Miles Nash, Brian Kayser

Education Faculty Articles and Research

While achievement and opportunity gaps and systemic racism exist in the majority of school districts across the United States, not every school district authentically acknowledges and addresses these issues. In this case study, researchers examine a PreK–12 school district situated in a racially and economically diverse mid-Atlantic city in which race- and class-based discrimination have been well documented and recent episodes of extreme racial violence have affected the community. The school district, which employs 1,300 teachers and serves over 14,000 students, developed and implemented a grassroots approach by forming a district-wide culturally responsive leadership team. Through interviews with 10 culturally …

Self-Acceptance Of Adolescent Latino Students With Disabilities, Diane Rodríguez, Kenneth J. Luterbach, Sara B. Woolf, Sabino Peralta Rivera

Educational Considerations

This study examines the relationship of 165 adolescent students who self-identity as Latino and have been identified as having a disability. The participants completed the Perceived Stigma in People with Disabilities (PSPID) and Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH) questionnaires to examine factors that may affect the academic engagement of adolescent Latino students with disabilities. The researchers investigated self-acceptance as a factor that may positively predict the academic engagement of adolescent Latino students with disabilities

Homeschooling, Mercedes Palos

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Without knowledge how would our brains be able to grasp the meaning of any given concept? Education is a very powerful tool that a child needs to know in order to succeed in life. Knowledge can be developed through different processes whether it be home based or in a public school setting. My research focuses on the pros and cons of both sides, and looks into what parents consider when deciding how their child is being taught. Parents should take into account their child's personal qualities, psychological and physical abilities, and their behavioral patterns to understand what would best fit …

The Failure Of The Foster Care System, Victor Machado Berrios

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

On paper, the foster care system is a very noble concept. It is a place where unlucky children can lead better lives than what they had before being taken in. Too bad that is not the case. Involvement in the foster care system often results in children with mental health issues, trauma from abusive foster placements, and no support system in place once they age out of the system. For the sake of these kids, it is important that the government increases its funding for foster care as soon as possible.

Same Sex Classes, Carlos Diaz

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Same sex classes has been a topic argued by researchers for generations. Developed in the 18th century, this trend began gaining popularity in private schools since the late 1990s.In the current generation same sex classes are mostly only in private schools. Research shows, while there are some benefits, implementing same sex education in public schools would be expensive, timely and a risk to the system.

Mass Incarceration In America, Angelica Aranda Fregoso

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Mass incarceration is describing how the U.S. continues to incarcerate parts of its population into jails and federal prisons. This is important because it not only affects one person, but it could and will eventually affect a whole community as a whole. It has been found that single parent households, families living in poverty, and minorities have a higher possibility of being victims to mass incarceration.

Psychology In Gothic Literature, Alan Acosta Copas

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca feature abusive tactics such as belittlement, control, and gaslighting which ultimately takes a mental toll toward the main characters which is noted by using the environment to express their mental thoughts. Although many people are able to overcome the abuse and start off on a clean slate similarly to Wuthering Heights, abuse can also be traumatizing and can linger in a person’s thoughts for an eternity like in Rebecca. In the end, more research on the ways men cope with abuse in comparison to women, as some of the male characters …

Struggles Of Female Immigrants, Karina Pedroza Sotelo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain both that immigrating women face gender oppression, poverty, and historical problems in the hopes of a better life. Being at the bottom of the social hierarchy, immigrant women know more than anyone else the desire for the American Dream and the hope of a prosperous family. Though sticking out until the very end for some immigrant women, thanks to social prejudice, the American Dream will stay out of reach. Further research should be done to analyze the consequences of hindering women and their children from the American Dream

Christian Connections, Adrian Melgoza

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This project explored the many different ways Christianity connects to various topics and how Christianity is doing in the modern times. The main topics included how Christianity connects to science, America, and the modern day. Research has shown that Christianity had significant impact on the early days of modern science, with many great scientists being Christian themselves. America’s foundation was heavily based on Christianity, such as laws and the society at the time. But, now that Christian influence that once was, has decreased a considerable amount and worldwide Christian persecution is at an all time high.

Child Reinforcement, Duncan Howser

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Children are positively and negatively affected by their peers and adults. From both being able to reinforce positive stimulus making the children be more open, to the the negative stimulus causing the children to become anxious.

Schizophrenia, Malaki Mileg

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore the in and outs of a mental disorder known as Schizophrenia, its effects on the mind, relationship with people, and possible treatments to lessen symptoms. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that causes people to not understand the difference between reality and delusion.

Effects Of Athletics On Youth Development, Kevin Fierro-Chavez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Many new parents can be indecisive when it comes to allowing their kids to participate in sports. Allowing kids to take part in athletics can be very beneficial to their childhood but also as they grow and become young adults. But, youth sports can also have some negative effects.

Stress Among Teens, Raul Ramirez-Galindo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Stress is something a majority of people go through. Teens however have to deal with finding their “identity” and struggling to prove to themselves that they are good enough. Teens don’t have much of a clue on how to “fix” or manage their stress which can be changed. The stress teens experience can impact them emotionally, mentally and socially, leading to greater effects in their lives.

Intelligent Design And Darwinian Evolution, Raul Sanchez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Darwinian Evolution has many fundamental flaws that are only being discussed in the technical papers and yet it’s portrayed as an unequivocal theory. Intelligent Design is being censored In Academia and represented poorly in public media. Even with leading scientists at the forefront of discovery and logical reasoning Intelligent Design is portrayed as a religious way of infiltrating the science classroom but in reality its far from it. Ultimately it comes down to what the evidence points to and if it points to God then let it be so.

The Failure Of The Foster Care System, Victor Machado Berrios

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

On paper, the foster care system is a very noble concept. It is a place where unlucky children can lead better lives than what they had before being taken in. Too bad that is not the case. Involvement in the foster care system often results in children with mental health issues, trauma from abusive foster placements, and no support system in place once they age out of the system. For the sake of these kids, it is important that the government increases its funding for foster care as soon as possible.

Societal Disadvantages Of The Lgbtq Community, Mia Kennedy

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

In the United States, homosexual students face an increased rate of hardships that contribute to becoming homeless more often than their heterosexual counterparts which starts their disadvantages in society. These disadvantages include the lack of access to education, counseling, and of course a set home. LGBTQ students are at higher suicide rates, dropout rates, and less successful compared to heterosexuals which is all compared with the fact that they were homeless at one point in their life. The best way to battle this stigma against homosexuals would be to help spread awareness of the situation and from there begin to …

Journalism: Developing Students Into Global Citizens, Caitlin Pieters

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This research project discusses high school journalism classes and the long-lasting effects those classes have on students. Journalism class can provide a student with helpful skills that are useful throughout their careers and lives. It also offers real life examples from students who have taken these journalism classes. Research done for this project illustrates how journalism can impact the information literacy skills of students when searching for and evaluating information. Overall, findings of this research shows significant evidence that completing a journalism class can positively effect students and should be a mandatory class or at least be a highly suggested …

Child Abuse Doesn't Just Affect Them Now, Christopher Nguyen

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Child abuse has lasting effects that can lead up and into adulthood, leaving scars mentally and physically on their bodies and mind. More than six- hundred thousand cases are reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and people need to know what abuse can affect and alter a person for the rest of their life. According to McQueen multiple forms of child abuse can lead to many behavioral issues such as depression, anxiety, and disassociation in both childhood and adulthood. I believe that it is important for people to know that abuse isn't some type of punishment, …

Immigration, Fatima Jaramillo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Immigrants want nothing but the best, not only for themselves, but for their families. Immigrants are those who choose to take the greatest risks and put their sweat and tears into everything they do because they keep reaching for the happy ending, instead of worrying about the obstacles that come with immigrating.

In the United States the true definition that government gives an immigrant is: “An alien who has been granted the right by United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to reside permanently in the United States and to work without restrictions in the United States.”

Immigrants struggle with …

Effects Of Discrimination On Society, Elizabeth Miller

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Discrimination is the idea of treating an individual differently because of a specific bias that is felt against them. This acts as a theory of grouping based on the party, class, or category in which everyone is judged. Prejudice however, refers to the negative attitudes or opinions aimed at a person over something out of their control. Discrimination and prejudice may take place in different forms. Today, both discrimination and prejudice are still ongoing issues that many individuals experience daily.

Toxic Masculinity, Carlos Tavira

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Toxic Masculinity negatively affects men, women, children and all of society. The main focus of toxic masculinity is how men have been made to behave in a way that is acceptable to society in connection with traditional male stereotypes, which include the restriction of emotions, dominance, misogyny and homophobia. It is important to understand what this behavior encompasses, so that it is not portrayed and not taught.

Human Trafficking, Hady Santos Cotom

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Human trafficking is not just the traffic of people but also sex trafficking, organ harvesting, and modern-day slavery. Human trafficking has taken the lives of many adults and children over the years. It can happen to anyone no matter the place. It is important to be aware and attentive. Trafficking can be the kidnapping of people and sending them around the world for prostitution or unpaid labor work against their will and rights. Human trafficking can also be the trafficking of organs, also known as the black market.