Nationally, deep divisiveness around issues of sociopolitical identity, particularly race and ethnicity, has increased the urgency for systemic organizational change around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in higher education (Chun & Evans, 2018). Overt and covert acts of race-based oppression directly impact the morale, safety,…

Female students face distinct challenges when pursuing an education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Those challenges are compounded when female students grow up in the rural American west. Through the framework of Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), this study looks to identify barriers for female students within STEM…

Recent scholarship has suggested that evaluation is becoming increasingly institutionalized and entrenched in problematic discourses, leading to a narrowing of possibilities for evaluators to contribute to meaningful social change. At the same time, evaluation approaches which are grounded in values of social justice and equity are receiving…

Patriarchal ideologies and structures helped to shape the public school institution at the onset of compulsory education in the United States and continue to circulate within educational discourses today, causing harmful consequences for the workforce made up of mostly women that is tasked with educating our nation's youth (Jones, 2020, Accepted…

Followers grant legitimacy to leaders whom they perceive to be a good fit for the role, yet the conceptual framework for this study illustrated how dominant discourses related to gender and leadership continue to negatively affect a woman's potential in achieving legitimacy as an academic president. This study examined the predominant discourses…

In the past century there has been a significant amount of literature regarding the waves of feminism and the advancement of womxn in higher education. In addition to the waves of feminism and womxn's influence on higher education, there has also been a thorough recounting of the history of academic advising. However, despite all three of these…

In this study, I use theories of poststructuralism, feminist new materialism, posthumanism, and affect to investigate and theorize my experiences as a classroom teacher entangled with dominant discourses related to gender, social class, neoliberalism, and postfeminism. This dissertation is non-traditional in structure, as it addresses teacher…

In the U.S. public educational system, the superintendent role is crucial for shaping student outcomes, yet it is predominantly occupied by White males (73%), with African American females making up less than 1% of these positions. Historical research on superintendents often overlooked gender and racial diversity, contributing to the…

Historically, Black women have faced many challenges in the pursuit of education. Despite being marginalized in educational spaces, black women have been instrumental in educating Black communities. Continuously, Black women have been considered the minority in school leadership positions. African Americans represent only 11% of all school…

Some products are not designed with people of color in mind. As more products are created with the implementation of technology, it is important that they are designed for the population at large including Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) populations. User Experience Design (UXD) is the process employed by designers to create products…

This research is necessitated as Black women continue to face unique and significant challenges in educational leadership. Supported by Black Feminist Theory, this study explores the successful leadership pathways of Black women in medical higher education while navigating barriers. The goal is to promote the inclusion of Black women in medical…

This healing feminist autoethnography examines my gendered experiences as a school principal during the 2021-2022 school year, centering upon two research questions: How can personal accounts of sexist experiences disrupt gendered norms in educational leadership? And how can I, as a feminist leader, exist authentically and truthfully in…

This qualitative study focuses on the tenure experiences of Black women faculty who have attained tenure at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) of higher education. Black Feminist Theory, Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, and Identity Taxation create theoretical lenses and frameworks for this study. Methodologically, this study uses sister…

Black women have a legacy of pedagogical expertise. However, Black women teachers' mathematics pedagogy remains woefully under-theorized and under-researched. This is to the detriment of Black and Brown mathematics students. Mathematics education in the U.S. mirrors our broader society, which continues to reinscribe patterns of intellectual and…

Feminism has re-emerged as important and even influential discourse among women, including within higher education. Public support by prominent women has brought an upgraded version of feminism into the mainstream. This version of "neoliberal feminism" however, overlooks the challenges faced by many first-generation, undergraduate women,…