The United States is becoming more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse, yet the educational attainment of various student groups has been very uneven. For decades, educators and policymakers have been focused on minimal competencies rather than advanced achievement. Specifically, federal and state education policies have focused on…

Despite the fact that adolescents benefit from caring adults that participate in their child's education, involvement of families decreases incrementally as students progress to higher grades. Through conversations and observations with students, I have examined how students' perceive these points within a poetry program that was developed for…