There is a growing concern in this country that the middle class is disappearing and not in the way one would hope. Instead of families moving into a higher socio-economic class and being able to provide richer life experiences for themselves and their children, vast numbers are shifting to a lower socio-economic status level. The gap between the…

Change is an intentional process and it requires system leaders to be strategic and purposeful with their actions. In order to effect systemic change within their respective districts, system leaders need to be clear about the moral imperative (Fullan, 2004) of equity work. Superintendents will need to be cognizant and empathetic of the students…

I set out to explore the question: How do middle-class, working-class and low-income mothers experience their children's out of school summer time? Using qualitative basic interpretive approach, study findings draw from interview data, journal entries and participant observations from a study completed with 22 mothers of varying socioeconomic…

This qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of 12 Afghan women enrolled in higher education institutions in Afghanistan. The objective was to develop an understanding of the participants' perceptions of the factors that led to their enrollment in higher education and the factors that inhibit Afghan women…

Intra-group differences among Black undergraduate students remain understudied. To gain a more nuanced understanding of Black student life, we must examine how other social locations, like gender and class, connect to the racialized experiences of Black students. This dissertation argues that for Black students, class and gender, along with race,…

Teacher education programs prepare teachers who are increasingly likely to enter school communities where students differ from them by race, ethnicity, language and/or socioeconomic status (Zeichner, 2003) and where an "achievement gap" between majority and non-majority students persists. Teachers who foster high academic achievement…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not teachers would predict differing educational outcomes for students based on cultural and social capital measures--drawn from the work of Pierre Bourdieu and the field of cultural reproduction theory. To this end, surveys were distributed within a large urban district within North Carolina.…

It is hoped that implementing educational technology (ET) into academic curriculums will close the achievement gap among ethnically and socioeconomically (SES) diverse students. California public schools have arranged for instructional classrooms to be stored with information communication technology (ICT) resources. Even so, there is inequity in…

Children with learning disabilities (LD) makeup 50.5% of all children identified for special services in the schools. Research has found that children with LD have difficulties in areas of functioning related to social competence. This study is based on a risk and resilience model to explore external protective factors (friendships and social…

Many parents work more hours outside of the home and their lives are crowded with more obligations than ever before; many children spend their evenings and weekends trying out for all-star teams, travelling to regional and national tournaments, and eating dinner in the car while being shuttled between activities. What explains the increase in…