Education Policy Commons^™

What Makes A Teacher A Teacher: A Philosophical Approach Aligned With Plato, Sojung Kim Hinterkopf

Dissertations

This thesis investigates how contemporary U.S. educational accountability policies—namely No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RttT)—redefine the role of teachers through a compliance-oriented lens. Moving beyond logistical and emotional impacts, this study applies Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as a philosophical framework to uncover the intellectual and ethical constraints imposed on educators. Through qualitative document analysis of federal policy texts, three metaphorical themes—shackles, shadows, and enlightenment—emerged to represent how teachers are bound by data-driven mandates, compelled to perform surface-level success, and yet still retain the potential to guide students toward deeper intellectual engagement. The findings reveal …

Revisiting Marcuse On Repressive Tolerance: A Twenty-First Century Retrospective, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Herbert Marcuse’s essay Repressive Tolerance (RP) has been praised by the Left and vilified by the Right for its alleged promotion of censorship targeting reactionary opinions and actions. I argue that this interpretation of the text is mistaken. According to my alternative reading of the text, RP should be understood as an exercise in provocation and irony aimed at defending civil disobedience and dissent. Marcuse’s defense of dissent, however, appeals to a critique of pure tolerance that exposes the unavoidably partisan practice of tolerance, which invariably favors the reigning undemocratic status quo. The choice whether to tolerate in a manner …

Stepparenting And Schooling: Challenges, Reconstitutions, And Outsider Perceptions, Christopher Repa

Dissertations

This study examined the challenges stepparents face in schooling their high-school aged children. An analysis of how stepfamily formation can impact this process was also investigated. The sample included 13 families composed of one biological and one non-biological parent with at least one child between the ages of 14 and 18 who was currently attending high school. Stepparents were asked to share their experiences with other family members, the school, and the community as they related to the education of their stepchildren. The primary research focus was to identify difficulties and successes that stepparents encounter as they engage with schools …

Understanding The Relationship Between Teacher Turnover And Student Success Across Ethno-Racial And Socioeconomic Demographics: An Analysis Of Massachusetts Public Schools, Jenna O'Leary

Master's Theses

Teacher turnover in the U.S. has risen over the past decades. Urban districts have faced some of the highest rates of turnover amongst their staff. However, scholars still debate the impacts of teacher turnover on student academic success. This study aims to better understand this relationship across both ethno-racial and socioeconomic student demographics, as well as school region type. To accomplish this, student test scores, across demographics, on the Next Generation MCAS state standardized test are observed in relation to teacher retention across three year cycles (2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019). Using correlation analysis and t-tests, it is found that there is …

Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons: How Millennial Black Women Teachers Navigate K-12 Educational Spaces, Janese L. Nolan

Dissertations

Research suggests that Millennial Black women teachers (MBWTs) are having experiences that are complex and contradictory. Research also suggests that those experiences continue to be underexamined and unexplained. To illuminate the unique socio-political positions of MBWTs, in this study, I examined their socio-political context and navigational tactics while also exploring whether Lemonade Navigational theory could illuminate the contradictory experiences of MBWTs given their generational epistemology.

Higher Education, Neoliberalism, And Conflict: A Case Of The University Of Balochistan In Pakistan, Syed Amir Shah

Dissertations

The current study focuses on the role of peacebuilding in the higher education sector of Pakistan’s conflict-affected region of Balochistan. The research is an extended case study of the University of Balochistan. It addresses how the institution’s peacebuilding agency has evolved in the face of ethnic conflict and the neoliberal reforms pursued by the state during the past two decades. The research is based on the study of policy documents, official reports, and individual and focus group interviews with various educational actors.

The peacebuilding agency of the institution is theorized according to the 4Rs (Novelli et al., 2019; Novelli et …

Decolonizing A Settler Colonial State: How Canada And The United States Have Approached Investigations Into Indigenous Boarding And Residential Schools, Holly Jacobs

Master's Theses

Indigenous boarding and residential schools were in use for over 100 years in both Canada and the United States. Grown from numerous policies aimed at assimilation, dispossession, and genocide of the Indigenous peoples of North America, these residential schools had a particular aim: to wipe away all cultural and familial ties of every individual and to replace them with beliefs and values of white settlers. Though the schools are no longer in operation, their legacy of erasure and pain continues to affect survivors, their descendants, and Indigenous communities across both nations. This thesis looks at what the federal governments of …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Ells By Racial Identity: A Pilot Study, Ha Tran

Master's Theses

ABSTRACTAs racial and political tensions grow within the United States, it is not uncommon for negative teacher perceptions of English Language Learners (ELLs) to be documented in educational research. This observed phenomenon is especially worrisome for three reasons: (1) teachers’ perceptions of their students are known to affect their pedagogy, (2) teacher perception and pedagogy influences student outcomes, and (3) the ELL population continues to be the quickest growing subset within the American public-school student body. While extensive, previous research has not attempted to compare teacher perceptions of ELLs across varying racial identity groups of ELLs. Thus, this pilot study …

How Chicago Public Schools Engaged African American Parents In The Closing Of Austin Career Academy High School, Shani Blackwell

Master's Theses

The role of African American parents in education reform initiatives in Chicago is not clearly defined. Local School Councils (LSC) allow parents to make school related decisions in Chicago. But LSCs are removed from decisions about whether or not to place school on or off probation, and whether or not to close schools based on performance or building utilization. In 2013, African American and Latinx parents expressed outrage over the decision by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to close 49 schools with protests, including a hunger strike by a group of parents, and pleas to the Chicago Board of Education (BOE). …

International Student Mobility And Migration: Policy Pervasion And The Student Experience, Max Crumley-Effinger

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study Of The Impact Of Regimes In Latin America’S Education Systems: The Cases Of Mercosur, Alba-Tcp, And Pa, Victoria Desimoni

Master's Theses

This thesis presents a comparative study of the regional education policies and programs in three Latin American (LA) regional entities (hereafter ‘regimes’ and ‘regionalisms’): The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), and Pacific Alliance (PA). Each of these represents different regionalisms coexisting in LA (hegemonic, post-hegemonic, and counter-hegemonic regionalisms), which makes them ideal for comparative analysis. This project aims to compare these very diverse regimes to interrogate the similarities and dissimilarities, as well as discover who (the regional or the global) is shaping education systems in this area …

The Role Of Neighborhood Factors In School Choice Decisions, Sarah Jefferson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Towards Improving Engagement Of Youth Of Color In Cross-Age Mentoring Programs In High Poverty, High Crime Neighborhoods, Maria V. Wathen, Patrick L.F. Decker, Maryse H. Richards, Katherine Tyson Mccrea, Cynthia Onyeka, Charity N. Weishar, Donnelly Will

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines predictors of attendance in a cross-age youth mentoring program offered in four high-poverty, high-crime communities. Youth in greatest need of after school and summer interventions are those residing in such communities, but programs are scarce. More specific to mentoring programs that do exist, past research has demonstrated the significance of attendance as a predictor of positive outcomes. Two datasets were combined for this study: The Saving Lives, Inspiring Youth (SLIY) mentoring program dataset and a neighborhood database. OLS regression results show that for all participants, traveling from a lower-crime home area to a program in a higher-crime …

Dismantling Tools Of The Incompetent: Exploring Cultural Competence Training In Undergraduate Education Policy And Education Studies Programs, Ashley P. Allen

Dissertations

Cultural competence is described as a set of skills, values, and principles that acknowledge, respect, and work toward optimal interactions between the individual and the various cultural and ethnic groups with which an individual might come into contact. Scholars have been critical of cultural competence training because the three-dimensional approach which is its foundation fails to address institutional and systemic racism. I posit that undergraduate programs should provide training, so graduates are culturally competent entering their respective fields. I examined cultural competence training within education policy and studies undergraduate programs because these graduates will work within education at all levels …

Black Males Accessing And Usage Of Sex Education In Mississippi, Devin D. Moss

Dissertations

in the United States, sex education curricula sponsored by public school districts varies from state-to-state. Nationally, this arrangement provides students with varied levels of exposure to critical sex education information. Sex education is mandatory in Mississippi, but is not required to be medically accurate, include HIV education, and be culturally appropriate or unbiased. Mississippi's sex education curriculum is mandated to be age appropriate and can promote religion. the parameters of sex education in Mississippi have led to sex information gaps for youth. Black males experience this lack of information and turn to other sources to fill in the resulting information …

Zero Tolerance And Self Image: A Systematic Literature Review, Caitlyn Todd

Master's Theses

The use of zero tolerance disciplinary policies in schools have numerous, lasting impacts on children, particularly African American students. This study relies on the use of a systematic literature review to analyze prior data on what these effects are. The study found that the effects include, but are not limited to, destruction of self confidence, increased recidivism, and lastly further psychological issues, all of which contribute to the likelihood of having a poor self image. These findings play are role in the discussion of other, more equitable, styles of discipline, such as restorative justice, as a way to help remedy …

Pilot Study Of Teacher Preparedness For Mandated Civics Education In Illinois, Zoe Michelle Prevatt

Master's Theses

Zoe M. Prevatt Loyola University Chicago PILOT STUDY OF TEACHER PREPAREDNESS FOR MANDATED CIVICS EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS Following thirty-nine states, Illinois became the 40th state to make Civic Education a mandatory class for students to graduate high school in 2015. The mandated class is a semester long and usually occurs in the students Junior or Senior year of high school. The Illinois General Assembly then passed a separate bill that indicated that the 2016-17 school year would be when the mandated class would be fully implemented. Throughout my piece I look to this implementation plan as well as the original …

Voices From The Margins: Service Providers Perspectives On Empowering Refugee Women, Deidra Ann Coleman

Master's Theses

Refugee women face considerable challenges while fleeing their countries, and attempting to adjust to their new lives in their host country. As a result of being both a woman, and a member of a marginalized group, refugee women tend to suffer disproportionately during displacement and and resettlement (UNHCR, 2015). They are more likely to be discriminated due their gender and ethnicity, and to lack the necessary community supports and resources needed to overcome barriers they encounter. In response to the refugee crisis, service organizations have emphasized empowerment as a key way to improve the lives of refugee women. While there …

You Just Gotta Be Able To Pick Something Outta Nothing: Black Students' Sensemaking On Racism In High School, Wallace Grace

Master's Theses

No Abstract

Union Busted: Understanding The Relationship Between Democrats, Republicans, And Teachers’ Unions, Roman Motley

Master's Theses

There is an almost symbiotic relationship between the Democratic Party and labor unions. Labor unions emerged as the largest donors and staunchest organizers for Democrats. This is all especially true for teachers’ unions. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association represent the largest organizational donors to the Democratic Party. Democrats on the national stage compete fiercely for these two organization’s endorsement. So, if teachers’ unions represent such an important donor and organizing base for Democrats how can we explain Democratic politics on education? Race to the Top was highly unpopular with unions and supported by Democrats. Liberal …

“Undocumented” Ways Of Navigating Complex Sociopolitical Realities In Higher Education: A Critical Race Counterstory, Alonso R. Reyna Rivarola

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

In the United States, undocumented students must navigate complex sociopolitical realities to access and succeed in higher education. These complex sociopolitical realities are shaped by federal policies on education and immigration, state-specific legislation on education and public policy, as well as general attitudes regarding race, immigration, and nationalism in the U.S. In this manuscript, I weave in counter-storytelling to document some of the ways one undocumented student accessed and navigated U.S. higher education. I begin by reviewing the national and state policy contexts that affect undocumented students in the U.S. I focus a state policy analysis in Utah, as one …

Alma Mater, Mater Exulum. Jesuit Education And Immigration In America: A Moral Framework Rooted In History And Mission, Michael M. Canaris

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Book Description: The current daily experiences of undocumented students as they navigate the processes of entering and then thriving in Jesuit colleges are explored alongside an investigation of the knowledge and attitudes among staff and faculty about undocumented students in their midst, and the institutional response to their presence. Cutting across the fields of U.S. immigration policy, theory and history, religion, law, and education, Undocumented and in College delineates the historical and present-day contexts of immigration, including the role of religious institutions. This unique volume, based on an extensive two-year study (2010-12) of undocumented students at Jesuit colleges in the …

“Creating A New Mythos”: Reassessing Race Standards And Latina/O Students, Margarita Vizcarra

Master's Theses

This research will focus on the race and ethnicity categories used to classify people in the United States in relation to school age students. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) first standardized federal race and ethnicity categories in 1977 in order to enforce compliance with civil rights laws. In 1997 revisions were made to these standards due to increasing criticism by the public, advocacy groups, and government agencies (Williams, 2006). The 1977 decision by the OMB designated the category of Hispanic, or Latino, as an ethnicity rather than a race which was once again upheld in the 1997 update. …

Toward The “Better Than Well” Cultural Ideal: Understanding Changing Conceptualizations Of Illness And Wellness And North American Parenting, Pedagogy, And Education Policy (19th-21st C.), Nicole Ortegon

Dissertations

In the history of the United States, dominant conceptualizations of mental illness and wellness have been informed by scientific discourses situated in somatic and psychogenic-based paradigms – each affecting parenting, pedagogy, and education policy. From the late nineteenth through twentieth century, the field of psychiatry would come to endorse a primarily psychogenic rather than somatic-based approach to mental health, conceiving of the mind rather than body as the primary locus of illness and wellness. This resulted in a shift from a problem-focused paradigm of mental illness to prophylactic-focused paradigm of mental wellness. Secondary scholarship on the history of psychology and …

"Playing The Game Or "Buying In": Charter School Teachers And Professionalism In An Era Of Choice And Accountability, Beth Louise Wright

Dissertations

Charter schools were initially created with the intention of empowering teachers to implement school and classroom strategies in accordance with their educational expertise. Such autonomy and respect for teacher expertise indicates a commitment to teacher professionalism. Yet charter schools have also have higher rates of teacher turnover and hire fewer credentialed, experienced teachers. In the context of shifting and contested notions of teacher professionalism, charter schools provide insight into how teachers fare under contemporary educational policy arrangements. This comparative qualitative case study investigates how charter schools have lived up to their theoretical promise for teacher professionalism. The study finds that …

Thrown To The Wolves: The Obstacles And Barriers Of International Student Athletes Prior To And During Enrollment In American Universities, Mary Elizabeth Boucher

Master's Theses

International student athletes (ISA’s) play an integral role among our nations university system. They diversify our colleges, provide our American students a chance to become familiar with other cultures, and they add intense value to our collegiate athletic programs. In order to maintain this diversity in our nation’s universities, we need to further understand the experiences of these student-athletes. It is inherent to provide international student-athletes with positive experiences as to fuel the globalization of sport.

This project is a small pilot study which focuses on male and female swimmers from Division I universities. It provides a closer look at …

Privatizing Laws: Examining The Relationship Between Privatization Elements In State Education Laws And Fourth Grade Academic Performance, Stephanie Romeo

Master's Theses

In the midst of a global context tied to expanding market connections, the United States adopted privatized education reform that has only been increasing over the years. Specific states have adopted privatization in varying degrees and forms, including vouchers, charter schools, public-private partnerships, contracting out services, and virtual education. States have implemented privatization forms for different reasons, such as to improve student achievement, save money, or provide for increased student choice. This research study evaluates the impact of privatization reforms on student achievement by examining the relationship between various privatization elements in state laws and student achievement. To do so, …

Getting Students Employed: 21st Century Learning Competences And Career Competences, Kelly Cebold Sundberg

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the nexus between education and the economy in the 21st century knowledge-based economy to understand the relationship between the learning competences – as described in 21st century frameworks – and career competences – as recommended in the job descriptions of available employment opportunities. Theoretically, this study is grounded in human capital theory and it explores the indiscriminate nature of the data regarding a student’s required education level to achieve the prescribed learning competences. With the aid of a quantitative content analysis of selected employment opportunities, the research sought to explore: How are learning competences, as outlined by …

Chicago Public Schools And The Creation Of Global Citizens, Rebecca L. Kijek

Master's Theses

This article examines the role different high schools in Chicago Public Schools play in providing students with the type of knowledge needed to better prepare them for success in a globalized society. As Chicago strives to solidify itself as a global city, its need to educate youth for a new economy are clear. The global economy demands that students are educated in science, technology, engineering, and math, world languages, expanded cultural perspectives, and attend a four-year college. Through a comparative analysis of the academic programming features at Chicago's selective enrollment and neighborhood high schools, this study will answer the question: …

Ecological Factors Promoting Academic Resilience Of Latina Students, Rebecca Testa-Ryan

Dissertations

To enhance the academic success of Latina students, researchers and educators must move away from focusing on deficits and risks and concentrate more on student potential and environmental support, which have been found to successfully open pathways to academic achievement. By shifting the focus, stakeholders can gain an understanding of the educational experiences of Latina students considered on a pathway of educational failure and the processes that can contribute instead to their academic resilience. In this qualitative study, I investigate the ecological factors that influence and impact the academic resiliency of Latina students. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory of Human …