The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore the lived experiences of urban secondary principals' understanding of culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) and their perceptions of what was needed to prepare and support culturally responsive leaders in their schools. The problem addressed…

Students at public schools across the United States are far from homogeneous; in fact, some studies suggest that a fifth of all students identify somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Yet while diversity reports include data on race and socioeconomic status, sexual- and gender-minority youth on high school campuses often remain invisible or…

Mindfulness has woven through American education for decades as an enduring concept aimed at reforming teachers, students, and classrooms. Signified as a "quiet revolution" in media and education policy today, our youth have been rebranded and schools remarketed as "A Nation at Hope," with promises of mindfulness and…

This study presents a critical policy analysis of California's Assembly Bill 329 (AB 329) regarding inclusive sex education, coupled with a series of coding phases of relevant data. AB 329, enacted in 2015, mandates comprehensive sexual health education in California schools, aiming to address the needs of diverse student populations, including…

Background: Youth from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse families are at increased risk for academic challenges and nutritionally inadequate diets. Summer programs offer an opportunity to foster interest and engage students in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) education while addressing summer learning loss.…

This study addresses the inadequacies of the traditional ninth-grade science curriculum at The Charter School of Wilmington (CSW) and proposes a focused initiative to enhance the curriculum's relevance and effectiveness. The current Integrated Science & Research curriculum lacks socioscientific inquiry, neglecting to incorporate social issues…

This qualitative research study sought to understand the affordances and limitations of a systemic functional linguistics (SFL) approach to teaching composition at the community college level. The study took place over the course of a semester in two developmental college composition classes using the language of SFL to teach writing through…

Decades of scholarly work continue to document the marginalization of children from nondominant backgrounds in mathematics classrooms. Learning to equitably teach children from linguistically, ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse backgrounds remains a priority. This dissertation approaches this broader problem in society by understanding…

The purpose of this mixed methods, instrumental case study was to investigate the impact of the case--a theoretically informed, curriculum and instruction approach--on the development of cultural competence in teacher-candidates. Denboba (1993) noted that the acquisition of cultural competence is an ongoing, developmental process that requires a…

This study examined my lived experiences as an online student and subsequent practitioner-instructor of the Global Career Development Facilitator/Instructor (GCDF/I) curricula. Based on teaching the same curriculum in which I was trained, those experiences were used to inform curricular and course revisions of a major gap I perceived in the GCDF…

Students entering into higher education institutions today represent America's growing diversity. Much of the increase seen is due to the large numbers of students from different ethnic backgrounds and the changing demographics of immigrants who have migrated to the United States. As a result of this research, the perceptions and experiences…

This study examined the impact of a service-learning program on college students in an inclusive camp environment. Participants in the study completed a pre-post questionnaire to determine the impact of service-learning on the students' self concept, personal growth, and understanding of diversity as it relates to working with children with…

Diverse learning needs are students' learning needs in areas such as language, learning styles, background, disabilities, technology skills, motivation, engagement, and access. Teacher candidates must be aware of and plan to meet these needs. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides guidelines that can increase the level of student…

As the nation's schools continue to increase in diversity, teachers are faced with numerous challenges regarding how to meet the needs and strengths of diverse student populations. In addition, small, rural schools tend not only to lack in resources, but may not be adequately prepared to understand student backgrounds, unable to support diverse…

Given the growth in community colleges, the projected need for health career workers, and the central position of the department chair in higher education, this study explored dimensions of leadership as identified by health career department chairs in five Illinois community colleges. Areas of study included: (a) professional profiles of health…