This qualitative study sought to further understand the experiences of rural community college students of low socioeconomic status as they navigate higher education and a differing class culture. By exploring their lived intra- and interpersonal experiences, this study also sought to better understand how these students integrate and apply new…

Equity in education and the role of the principal are critical reasons for this study. Equity-centered leadership challenges other leadership practices in its' focus on affecting change concerning equitability, access, diversity, and society. However, there is a gap in research in understanding the lived experiences as an equity-centered leader.…

This qualitative research is aimed at studying how Universidad Mayor and Universidad de Santiago address inclusion, equity, and diversity in the processes of access and continued studies of economically and socially disadvantaged students who benefited from the Free Tuition State Policy and how these processes are perceived by this type of…

Families face adverse experiences in gentrified urban areas, including dangerous living conditions, eviction, and homelessness. Parents and caregivers often work long hours to avoid these outcomes, leaving children with reduced home literacy interactions lacking necessary letter knowledge for kindergarten. This study examines the effectiveness of…

Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are historically disadvantaged communities that face discrimination on the grounds of their lower social positioning in society. This dissertation comprises 5 Chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief outline regarding the stratification in India based on Caste and illustrates the importance of studying…

Exploring how school leaders address underrepresented student voices, meaning those of marginalized experiences along the continuum of social identity including though not limited to race, class, gender, immigration, and LGBTQ issues in schools is more essential than ever following the novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19). Principals' social…

The global 'Education for Sustainable Development' (ESD) agenda enacted through the Sustainable Development Goal 4 seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable education to all by the year 2030. Like many nation-states around the world, India has adapted the global guidelines for inclusion in its latest education policies. Attappady, a 'tribal…

Through colonialism, external forces can alter and shift social structures and practices. It causes trans-generational, often normalized, invisible, and profound marginalization of the collective identities of local and indigenous populations. Decolonization is the resisting and undoing of colonial impacts. It's the process of reforming a…

The in-migration of relatively affluent households into disinvested central city neighborhoods--commonly referred to as gentrification--is increasingly common across the United States. There is limited quantitative evidence, however, as to how gentrification relates to the structure and function of neighborhood schools. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which low income, blue collar business students in a Midwestern university navigated the culture of a white collar learning environment and training for future employment. This qualitative case study, informed by symbolic interactionism, was conducted with purposeful and criterion-based…

The purpose of this study is to understand how social class background plays a role in student experiences on selective campuses. This study centers the experience of low-income students and extends the work of Ostrove and Long (2007). Previous research has indicated that race, gender, and social class status have each, respectively, been…

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on preparing educators to teach for social justice. Black teachers have been highlighted for their historical and present work with black students, eliminating educational inequities seemingly through their race consciousness and activism. The literature on black teachers has treated them as a…

This dissertation analyzes how mandated high-stakes tests and college and career ready standards influence local curricula and the reproduction of inequalities between students. I found that inequalities were reproduced based on distinctions between students in co-taught courses (classes that required the presence of an aide to assist students…

This dissertation studies the promise of inclusion in the global information society for marginalized groups in India, a nation that represents a modular case for technology and modernization initiatives in the global South. There has been significant research on the problematic notion of the "digital divide," based on the premise that…

Across the United States young women with disabilities are experiencing economic and educational disadvantages. Although post-school outcomes have shown improvement, young women continue to experience high unemployment rates, low wages, and high rates of poverty. In this study, I explore the experiences of four teenage girls who have been labeled…