In the United States, the student body is increasingly more diverse in ethnicity, family structure, and race; yet oftentimes libraries are not representative of these students. This dissertation aims to develop and provide a framework to help educators select books that reflect the lives of diverse students. In addition to diverse literature…

Due to limited data, we know little about the prevalence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) educators. Using the American Community Survey and Census Pulse, we examine the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in PK-12 teaching. We find that 3.3-3.5 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals are teachers; in contrast, 4.4-4.9 percent of…

There has been an increase in the number of women serving as heads of school in independent schools, though women remain underrepresented as heads of school in large (> 700 students), K-12, co-educational independent day schools. Data in this qualitative study were gathered through interviews with six women who were current or retired heads of…

Discussions of Black history and school desegregation in many K-12 schools have been narrowed to a few heroic figures and moments. Historic representations are currently challenged by a nationwide movement to uphold White supremacy and deny the violent history of racism in the US. The revisionist claims are challenged in this qualitative narrative…

Black female aspiring principals faced significant obstacles as they ascended to the principalship. This study chronicled the uncovering of the most common obstacles to representation, highlighting the importance of the findings. The problem explored in the research study was the underrepresentation of Black women as principals. The purpose of…

The purpose of this review was to investigate the extent to which students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are adequately represented in and benefiting from college and career readiness (CCR) intervention research across race and gender groups. We conducted a secondary analysis of 14 intervention studies meeting the criteria for a…

There is continued concern over the inequitable distribution of highly experienced and effective teachers among historically marginalized student populations. Using longitudinal data from Tennessee, this study assesses whether students of racially/ethnically minoritized and economically disadvantaged backgrounds have unequal exposure to teachers…

The personal accounts, educator portraits, and research findings assembled by Darrius A. Stanley in "#BlackEducatorsMatter" constitute an unstinting exploration of the experiences of Black K-12 teachers in the United States. Spotlighting the invaluable work of Black educators, this volume reveals that although they are underrepresented…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore African American male teachers' factors why they remained in K-12 urban public education in Northern New Jersey. African American male teachers are absent in K-12 public education, comprising only two percent of the all-teacher population, according to the data reported by…

In K-12 public school districts, females are not dominant in educational leadership positions. Females continue to be underrepresented in the positions that pay more and have the greatest impact on students' education. Despite some females pursuing and attaining credentials for leadership, they encounter obstacles along the path to leadership.…

To what extent are Hispanic and Latinx students with gifts and talents proportionally identified? To what extent are they missing from identification (ID) due to lack of access or underidentification? This study used the Office of Civil Rights data for the years 2000, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2015-2016 to investigate national and state…

K-12 art educators choose many artworks for students to examine and discuss throughout a semester or school year. This puts teachers in the role of "choice maker" (Bolin & Hoskins, 2015, p. 40), with the power to communicate to students through the body of images shared over time. Who can be an artist? How do artists express meaning?…

Computational Thinking (CT) is crucial for the advancement of the STEM field, where there continues to be a lack of female representation. Teaching and learning (T/L) of CT should incorporate didactic strategies that aim to eliminate gender biases and integrate girls/women into this context. In response to the question, "What didactic…

This research intends to test the practice that Women of Color, or women who identify as a race other than white, do not receive fair and adequate opportunities to ascend to leadership roles. More specifically, Women of Color do not receive equitable opportunities in administrative positions in the K-12 educational system. Within this study,…

Barriers surround top-tier leadership in K-12 education. The superintendent position continues to be occupied by male leaders despite the overwhelming number of female educators. This qualitative study explored the disparity between male and female leaders through the perspectives of female superintendents in a southern state. This study relied on…