Material hardship impedes academic achievement at every level of education. This dissertation examines the response of a higher education institution in reducing poverty's impact, specifically food and housing insecurities, on its student population. This qualitative case study researched a single-bound case in the southern United States. The…

For many years schools located within concentrated areas of poverty in an urban school county in south Florida have experienced alarmingly high teacher turnover rates and alarmingly low academic performance scores. In 2015, in a lauded expose printed by the "Tampa Bay Times," five schools, all of which would go on to become part of the…

This qualitative study examines the material conditions and day-to-day realities of youth and family homelessness in the context of widespread economic oppression and rising inequalities in the United States. Using a critical ethnographic methodology, primary data sources included observations in Cinderville Unified School District and interviews…

School principals are facing an increase in demand and challenges from district, state, and federal agencies for improvements both behaviorally and academically. Each year, more school principals exit their positions for other professions. The concentrated poverty school districts have been hit the hardest by this exodus. The purpose of this basic…

This study explored the experiences of undocumented immigrants who made the journey from central Mexico to Texas, revealing the contributing push and pull factors (violence, education, lack of opportunity, hope, and better life) that led to their journey. Current literature presents only parts of the journey, experiences, and struggles of…

In this study on educational change in Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1838, I reexamine the history of how the state established its common school system, the predecessor to the state's public school system. In doing so, I identify a series of three leaders, argue that poverty was the primary catalyst for educational reform, and explain the nature of…

Principal turnover remains a significant challenge in U.S. public schools, particularly in high-poverty contexts, where leadership instability negatively impacts student achievement, teacher retention, and overall school performance. This study investigated the relationship between distributed leadership practices and burnout among secondary…

The purpose of the exploratory case study was to examine the perceptions of mentees and how they receive a mentorship program and its perceived effectiveness for novice teachers at a high-poverty elementary school. The theory guiding this study was by Katz, which focused on the four dimensions of training for preschool teachers. The approach…

Children benefit from educational settings with a knowledgeable, caring team providing educational experiences. This mixed-method study aimed to gain insight into the perceptions of school employees who work with students who live in poverty. This study examined school staff's knowledge, perceptions, and experiences to foster student development…

Research suggests discrepancies between principals of color and White principals in their motivations and reflections on racism and how it shapes their philosophies, practice, and persistence in leading schools in historically underserved urban communities. Several scholars have discussed the pivotal role of early racial identity experiences in…

Teachers in high-poverty middle schools need additional supports from administrators to build collective teacher efficacy. Supportive leadership is the driving force in leading collective teacher efficacy in high-poverty middle schools. A qualitative, instrumental case study was utilized to explore how teachers perceive administrative supports…

In an ever-diversifying country, the landscape of the American classroom is shifting, requiring educational leaders and teachers to possess curriculum knowledge, cultural intelligence, and self-efficacy to understand students' cultural differences. This study aims to offer specific insights into four schools in the suburban Midwest working to…

This study explored how a poverty simulation experience influenced educators' social empathy levels and educational practices. More specifically, twenty-nine educators' levels of social empathy were measured using the Social Empathy Index (Segal, Wagaman, & Gerdes, 2012) in a pre/posttest design. Influences on educational practices were…

Children living in poverty are in high need of mental health services, yet do not receive them (Allegria et al., 2010; Hodgkinson et al., 2017) due to barriers including cost of services, inaccessible location, and transportation issues (Allegria et al., 2015). Additionally, primary caregivers are important gatekeepers for children receiving…

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the extent to which being labeled as an economically disadvantaged student contributed to the number of exclusionary discipline referrals in secondary schools belonging to three neighboring school districts in South Texas. The framework was based upon the Diamond et al.…