The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to limit affirmative action in college admissions could make it even more challenging for academically talented students of color to gain access to competitive schools. The importance of school counselors in guiding and supporting these students is now more crucial than ever. This qualitative…

The research problem is conversion charter schools, presented as an educational reform for African American males with disabilities, may or may not be effective. The purpose of the study is to present the perspectives of parents and guardians of African American males with disabilities concerning conversion charter schools in a school district in…

Black men's experiences in education are often marked by isolation, imposter syndrome, and racial microaggressions. This qualitative case study, guided by the five enactments of Cross and Fhagen Smith's (2001) model of Black identity development, explored the experiences of 20 Black men doctoral students as they navigated and continually redefined…

Objective: The goal of this research was to uncover narratives around food access and consumption among Black women who attend HBCUs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Black women, ages 18-25. Methods: Focus groups were used to understand how participants defined healthy foods as well as barriers and facilitators of…

Black girls and their literacies are genius. Yet, education, as we know it, does not consistently offer spaces for Black girls to be loved and honored. This form of neglect extends to literacy classrooms. As displayed in the news and research, Black girls experience abuse within the confines of educational walls. Educational violence against Black…

Sadly, an enduring legacy of the United States is inequities between groups of people based on their skin color. These inequities are ingrained within the educational system, such as a lack of opportunities and interventions and significant gaps in support and resources that target underserved populations. The problem that this study addressed was…

Suburban school districts are facing new challenges due to demographic shifts. Suburban schools are shifting racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically (Kotok & Frankenberg, 2013; Wepner & Gomez, 2017). With the rise of social unrest in our country, a glaring light has been focused on the inequities in education toward children of color…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how faith-based mentors and Black male student mentees from low socioeconomic communities describe their use of social justice principles to engage in social activism in Northern California. Two research questions guided this study. The theoretical foundation for this study was the social justice…

This dissertation examines the landmark case Larry P. v. Riles and its impact on addressing the disproportionality and overrepresentation of Black and/or African American students in special education within California. Despite the court's ruling, which prohibited the use of IQ tests for Black students for special education placement due to…

From a decolonial perspective, this case study will describe the detailed process of mobilizing a critical qualitative counternarrative method in a research project related to the placement of Black students in special education. It will provide a description of the method, and how it was deployed, with an emphasis on data collection and analysis…

School reform efforts have long dominated the educational landscape, but the fixes that characterize many school improvement initiatives swing on the hinges of deficit beliefs about Black students. This book calls for a disruption in these models and urges educators to take seriously the significance of beliefs and cultures within schools. Focused…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the motivational factors behind Black students' decisions to attend either a historically Black college/university (HBCU) or a predominantly white institution (PWI) when applying to both institutional systems. The study sample included 24 total participants: 12 first-year students from an HBCU…

The barriers for Black doctoral students are a long-term higher education issue that needs to be addressed and considered seriously as an academic pipeline issue. Anti-Blackness in higher education admissions and curriculum not only harms educational democracy but directly affects the limited number of Black doctoral students. Black doctoral…

No existing literature centers Black women college students (BWCS) who are targeted yet absent the discourse on anti-black incidents at the intersection of gender. Using a 42-case database, we highlight how BWCS are targeted with hate, discuss gender-based racial trauma fueled by these incidents, and share recommendations for higher education.

The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of police violence against Black Americans in 2020 reverberated throughout educational institutions including private, non-religious schools. This survey study (n=242) sought to understand the impact of these crises on independent schools' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders. Results…