Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Association Of Neighborhood Schools Assignment Plan With Economic, Racial And Academic Outcomes In One North Carolina District, Theodore Kaniuka

Journal of Research Initiatives

When unified status was granted to numerous school districts, school boards developed redistricting plans to implement neighborhood schools. Social justice advocates decried these plans as they reversed over 40 years of progress, as many of these efforts resulted in resegregating schools homogenously grouped by race and wealth. Using piecewise and Difference in Difference regression with publicly facing data, this study assessed the association between neighborhood school attendance plans, school racial and economic balance, and student reading achievement. The results indicate that in one North Carolina school district over 15 years, (a) schools became more racially segregated, and (b) the achievement …

How Do They See Me? Examining The Experiences Of Faculty In The Context Of Classroom Whiteness Factors, Papia Bawa, Diantha Watts Dr.

Journal of Research Initiatives

Today polarized attitudes and aptitudes have created a subtle but steady paradigm shift in the way equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) issues are seen by stakeholders. As a result, focusing on critical aspects of equity relationships and the fallout from discriminatory attitudes towards marginalized groups has become ever more needed. While diversity issues exist in all societal, professional, and personal realms, its impact within educational institutions is perhaps the most deeply profound. This Hermeneutic Phenomenology study examines the experiences of six higher education faculty who teach predominantly white student classrooms to identify issues and recommendations with respect to their relationship …

Dismantling Institutional Whiteness: Emerging Forms Of Leadership In Higher Education, M. Cristina Alcalde, Mangala Subramaniam

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

Dismantling Institutional Whiteness: Emerging Forms of Leadership in Higher Education focuses on the experiences of women of color in leadership roles in higher education. Top roles historically have gone to white men, and leadership has not reflected the range of identities and people who make up higher education. Why? And why does this problem continue to this day? Most importantly, what can be done to bring about meaningful change?

Dismantling Institutional Whiteness gathers a range of first-person narratives from women of color and examines the challenges they face not only at a systemic level, but also at a deeply personal …

Does Race Still Matter? An Exploration Of Race And Mentoring Relationships From The Perspective Of Early Career Teachers Of Color And Mentors, Franchesca R. Ho Sang

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been attributed to lowering attrition rates of teachers. At present, the majority of teachers in the United States are White and female. The national teacher workforce does not represent the student body. Although there have been recent initiatives to improve the diversity within the teacher workforce, by explicitly recruiting teachers of color (TOC), the attrition rates of these teachers are negating the effects of recruitment efforts. Previous research has pointed to the need to consider race in novice TOC mentee and mentor matches, as cultural capital theory suggests common knowledge and experience may lead to stronger mentor relationships …

Developing Culturally Proficient Leaders Through Graduate Coursework: Examining Student Perspectives, Jean F. Ruffin, Marsha E. Simon

School Leadership Review

The racial and ethnic demographic shifts occurring in the United States had increased the need for educational leaders capable of obtaining the cultural proficiency needed to effectively lead diverse schools. Graduate coursework focused on developing cultural competence provides a unique opportunity for school leaders to explore issues related to identity, bias, and diversity in a scholarly setting. Course design, materials, and assignments should work together seamlessly to provide students a rich opportunity to explore diversity issues. The present study examines the perspectives of students enrolled in a doctoral diversity course in Spring 2021 and how the course contributed to the …

Culturally Relevant Practices And Community: Increasing Minority Leadership In School Administration To Improve School Climate, Cassandra Suggs, Joy N. Rogers

Dissertations

This dissertation and research looks into the area of Culturally Relevant Practices and Leadership in K-12 schools and the potential effect on all students in having minority leadership present. The research dives into interviews of teachers, hiring leaders, district leaders and building leaders. It also uses survey results from over 700 students, with the central theme of the questions around school safety, climate, culture, support, academics and a sense of belonging. The research purpose was to look into the potential positive effect on students and staff, if Culturally Relevant Practices and hiring of minority leadership was in place within school …

Writing Through Whiteness: Utilizing Personal Narratives To Strengthen The Racial Competency Of White Teachers, Paul F. Walsh

Education Doctorate Dissertations

While the student population in the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, the teaching force is still White-dominant by a large margin. In the 2017-2018 school year, 79% of public-school teachers in the United States were White and non-Hispanic (National Center for Education Statistics). This White-dominant population of teachers is tasked with educating increasing numbers of students of color from diverse backgrounds. With this charge should come the necessity for White teachers to critically consider the complex ways that whiteness characterizes the American education system and their ways of teaching. White teachers cannot navigate issues of race in their schools …

Disappearing Acts: The Declining Numbers Of African American Teachers In Public School Settings, Catherine F. Lewis-Brownfield

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

African American teachers are slowly leaving the classroom, causing an imbalance in the student/teacher ratio (NCES, 2019). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African American teachers make up 3% in California and 7% nationally. This study sought to understand the reasons for the decline in the number of African American teachers in public school settings. Due to the decline in their numbers, African American students have suffered high dropout rates, low standardized test scores, and low college attendance (Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsey, & Papageorge, 2017). This qualitative study examined the obstacles current African American teachers face and the …

The Importance Of Visibility In Curriculum And Teaching Practice, Jasmine Bailey

Art of Teaching Thesis - Written

I am arguing that it is absolutely necessary for all teachers and administration to see the importance of making all children visible and valued and that they should include this idea into their curriculum plans and teaching practices. Despite the focus on representation, visibility in the curriculum is still lacking. I will detail how visibility is affected by the differences in how children learn, children who have experienced trauma and power dynamics and oppression.

This thesis will aim to express and display the value that all children should be made visible in the classroom. This includes all backgrounds and ethnicities …

Chronic Codeswitching: A Phenomenological Study Examining Multiracial Student Sense Of Belonging In A Predominantly White Institution., Nicholas Lamar Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Constantly feeling a lack of acceptance and getting the comment “You are too Black” or “You are too White” is a challenging, common occurrence for multiracial students, but especially those in predominantly White institutions. This is just one of the barriers that stand between multiracial students and forming a sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution. The majority of research examining sense of belonging focuses on either Black or White students, but neglect multiracial students and their experiences. This dissertation examines sense of belonging for multiracial (Black/White) students in a predominantly White institution, by interviewing 11 multiracial students at …

Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools Survey, Krystal R. Thomas, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Zoey Lu, Laura Faulcon, Julie Gorlewski, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This report presents findings from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) Cultural Diversity Within Schools Survey. This survey was designed for school- based professionals (i.e., teachers, instructional staff, administrators) within the MERC region. Administered in the fall of 2018, the survey collected information about experiences of professional development related to cultural diversity, attitudes toward cultural diversity within schools, perceptions of barriers and opportunities, and perspectives on the need for professional development. Section 1 of the report discusses the context for this survey effort: increased cultural diversity in our schools, increased cultural mismatch between students and teachers, and multicultural education as …

Keeping Teachers Of Color: Recruitment Is Not The Problem, Ferial Pearson, Monica Fuglei

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

This article reviews some of the recent literature on teacher recruitment and retention published in the United States. It describes the merits of having a diverse teaching force, and explains that the issue of a lack of representation of teachers of color in American schools is not a result of recruitment; rather, it is the retention of these teachers that is the problem at hand. The article uncovers the reasons teachers of color leave the profession, and makes suggestions about changes that would make it possible for these teachers to stay.

Exploring The Impact Of Diversity Training On The Development And Application Of Cultural Competence Skills In Higher Education Professionals, Kendra Cabler

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the terms diversity and inclusion have become major buzzwords across industries and fields of study. Within the field of education broadly, and higher education in particular, a shifting student demographic can be seen across the country. Issues of equity and inclusion have become central complexities for present day educational strategists, and organizations committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion must do so with intentionality. In the context of higher education, this often requires the intentional development of professionals within a particular college or university. There has been a great deal of research concerning the development of cultural …

Young Adult, Adult Learner And Faculty Perceptions On The Integration Of Diversity And Social Justice Education In The Classroom, Reba Fuggs, Robert F. Reardon, Amanda R. Young

Adult Education Research Conference

As diversity within the classroom soars, evaluating the curriculum and assessing perceptions about the integration of diversity and social justice education is integral.

Why Black Lives (Must) Matter At Uk, Nicole Martin

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

As a university committed to creating inclusive learning environments, we must remember that our pedagogical practices and philosophies are not crafted in insolation from our social, political, and cultural environments. The psychic and emotional injury spurred by the events of the summer of 2016 will continue to reverberate across campus as we move into the fall semester. When we boldly address the lingering effects of trauma through our pedagogical practices, we demonstrate how the campus actively creates space for the civic development of students, staff, faculty, and administration.

A Case Study To Determine Characteristics For A Successful, Diverse School District, Tanya J. Vest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a rapidly changing society, education must make adjustments and keep learning focused on the needs of students by providing increased opportunities for success. Classrooms are filled with students of different cultural backgrounds which makes education a challenge to every building leader and teacher. The challenges are how to design instruction and implement it to meet the academic and Social needs of all learners. Understanding different lifestyles, languages, word context, body language, traditions, and dress present opportunities for educators to expand their cultural knowledge and create learning objectives for students which ultimately affect student achievement in the educational environment.

The …

Cultural Exposure For Cal Poly Orientation Programs: Training Orientation Leaders To Promote An Inclusive Environment And Creating Respect And Diversity Programming For Incoming Students, Sofia Rodriguez Mata

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo is home to the largest student run orientation program in the nation. The success of the program is due to a combination of student volunteer involvement, comprehensive topic coverage, campus and community involvement, and dedicated leadership. Topics to ensure student success are carefully researched, conceptualized, and implemented to construct programming for Soar and Week of Welcome. As an Executive Board Member, supervising a committee focused on student and student supporter transition and awareness topics, one has the option to specialize on projects. Improvement of respect and diversity training and programming needed to …

Culturally Proficient Teachers, Lori R. Piowlski

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Action needs to be taken by teacher preparation programs to prepare culturally proficient educators who are able to deliver equitable instruction and inspire all students to strive for greatness if the achievement gap is to be closed. Existing literature mainly describes the importance and urgency to prepare future teachers for the changing demographics with classrooms across the United States. There is not significant literature on how it is being done. Therefore the purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how university teacher education programs are preparing teachers to be culturally proficient. A cross-reference of data collected from Adequate Yearly …

Evaluation Of A Trustees Leadership Academy At The Medical University Of South Carolina, Elizabeth Pilcher, Kelly Ragucci, Jennie Arial, Monica Cayouette

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Developing leaders in academic medicine has become a priority for many academic health science centers. The increased need for these leaders as well as the desire of individuals on such campuses to enhance their skills in teaching, research and leadership is driving the increase in faculty development programs.

An Examination Of Tension In The Space Between Leadership Philosophy And The Cultural Reality Of Schools, Lisa Starr

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Diversity is what gives our society depth and arguably beauty but it also problematizes already complex social issues like the importance and value placed on the education. In part, this challenge exists because public education is founded on the “values and belief systems of the dominant cultural and linguistic class” (Goddard & Hart, 2007, p. 16) yet schools are a complex, heterogeneous weave of cultures (Murakami-Ramalho, 2008). According to Chambers (2003), Canadian students are “probably the most ethnically, racially, linguistically, and religiously diverse of any school population in the world” (p. 223). This is no less true in the United …

Fostering Equity & Diversity In Faculty Recruitment, Janet Fleetwood, Nancy Aebersold

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Participating in a search for a new faculty member, whether as a search committee member, search committee chairperson, department chairperson, or dean, poses unique challenges for those in academics. Though we may be an expert in conducting rigorous research, a prolific writer, or a gifted “sage on the stage” in the classroom, few of us are also experts in academic recruiting. All too frequently we bumble through the search process, hoping fervently that the person we ultimately hire – the person who will likely be our colleague for decades – is someone who will turn out to be a serious …

Morphosis Leadership Being Visionaries In A Changing World, Stefanos Gialamas, Peggy Pelonis

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Living in a rapidly evolving society where change occurs continuously and on multiple levels, has created a need, more than ever before, for leadership that reflects this new reality. The changes in demographics, the forming of multicultural families, the diversity on an economic, educational, social and ethnic level, as well as the further rise of multinational corporations are all changes that are challenging traditional values and principles. Thus the quest for Authentic Leadership is rising, and it is an idea which implies that leadership is very personal. Why Authentic leadership? One might ask. Because, “there is evidence of the desire …

Teaching Cultural Sensitivity To Pediatric Residents, Ralitsa Akins

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Teaching cultural sensitivity to healthcare professionals is critical in providing appropriate care to diverse patient populations. Constantly increasing U.S. immigrant population and growing numbers of international medical graduates practicing in the U.S. bring the issue of appropriate cross-cultural training to the forefront of addressing health disparities. Cultural competence training of healthcare professionals and provision of culturally sensitive patient care is the responsibility of healthcare leadership.1 Acquiring awareness and knowledge about cultural differences requires focused development of skills to communicate with patients from diverse cultures; this is a process developed through professional training and experience.2 Few professional continuous education programs have …

Effects Of Case-Based Learning On Preservice Secondary Teachers’ Multicultural Attitudes: A Mixed Methods Study, Kathryn Lee, Emily Summers, Rubén Garza

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

As our society changes, so must our teacher education practices. In the past decade, the Southwestern U.S. has been transforming into a majority minority region (U.S. Census Bureau 2005), which must in turn reframe the underpinnings of teacher education in this area of our country. As teacher educators, we have known that many preservice teachers lagged in their preparedness to teach students who are culturally, ethnically, and linguistically different from themselves. Teacher education increasingly is being criticized as having inabilities to instruct teacher candidates in ways that produce greater K-12 student learning; diversity awareness will be a cornerstone if we …

Race, Ethnicity, And Specialized Business Accreditation, Bonnie Garrity, Veronika Lengyel

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Black and Hispanic students are underrepresented at selective colleges and universities in the United States (Dickerson and Jacobs 2006; Niu et al. 2006). The colleges themselves also play a role by deciding which students are admitted. Since Black and Hispanic students have lower average SAT scores than White and Asian students (Davies and Guppy 1997) and Black students have lower average GMAT scores than White and Asian students (Cross and Slater 1998), heavy emphasis on these test scores in admissions decisions may limit the opportunities for Black and Hispanic students. However, the long-term implications of enrollment patterns and economic returns …

Web-Based Course Content: An Emerging Consideration For Authenticity From A Learner Perspective, Laurie Bedford

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

More organizations and instructors are incorporating authentic learning strategies into the instructional paradigm of the classroom. One advantage of this ideology is that the diversity of individual learners can be capitalized upon through a dialogue consisting of multiple perspectives. In these contemporary classrooms, the curriculum becomes a more fluid, personal entity based on experience, prior knowledge and individual expertise (Bedford, Wiebe, and Tschida, 2008). At the same time, a plethora of information which draws upon multiple perspectives is also more readily available and accessible though electronic venues—primarily via the Internet. The abundance of available information provides opportunities for learners to …

Urban Versus Rural Community Colleges: A National Study Of Student Gender And Ethnicity, Sharon Waller, Tara Tietjen-Smith, Jason Davis, Michael Copeland

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Approximately half of the U.S. population currently lives in suburban locales, one-fourth in big cities, and another fourth in small towns and rural areas. Hodgkinson (2003) indicates that the U.S. population is undergoing an increasing migration into rural areas. This relocation holds many challenging and ominous implications for urban and rural higher education as colleges and universities struggle to meet the divergent needs of shifting demographics. Public community colleges are especially impacted by these changes in student populations.

From Social Justice To Collaborative Activism: Changing The Landscape Of Academic Leadership, C. Gause

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The new millennium arrived with great economic prosperity; however, currently the United State faces a weaker economy, a depressed housing market, a costly Iraq war and all the old problems of the late 20th century; power, race, identity, violence, and ethics. Current challenges for educators: 1) the increase number of charter schools; 2) voucher programs; 3) increases in immigrant populations; 4) for profit educational organizations; 5) inadequate funding for No Child Left Behind; 6) inequities regarding accountability; 7) and the re-segregation of public schools along class/racial lines. These challenges have broad implications for higher education. According to Hopkins (1997) education …

Understanding The Teacher Professional Development Facilitators And Barriers To Serve A Diverse Student Population, David Bell, Earl Thomas

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In recent years there has been a growing interest in serving the needs of diverse learners. Many school districts in response to this growing interest have launched special in-service programs to educate and train teachers on culturally sensitive teaching approaches for serving diverse learners. Many of these professional development programs have implemented one-shot workshops that attempt to transform the school-environment and teacher practices. Although, such efforts have consistently yielded little to no impact on transformation of the school environment and teacher practices they continue to be the preferred teacher professional development model. Nothing has been so frustrating and wasteful as …

Cultural Diversity Analysis Of A Hot-Rodder, Michael Gross

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Pick a lesson plan that you have recently developed. How have you incorporated the cultural backgrounds of your students? Discuss how you would modify that lesson plan to incorporate strategies that meet the learning needs of auditory, visual, and tactile/kinesthetic learners. How could you tie in different intelligences?