This dissertation aims to elucidate the complexities of chronic absenteeism in Head Start Programs post-COVID-19 to enhance early childhood education practices and policies. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study investigates the causes of absenteeism by surveying and interviewing 50 participants from a Head Start Program in the New York…

Inequities in exclusionary discipline result from a complex process involving students, families, and school personnel. However, little research has explored the topic from parent perspectives. This study used parent survey data from New York City to investigate the link between school-family relationships and students experiencing exclusionary…

As neighborhoods across New York City gentrify, Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) has become a big draw for gentrifier families. Our research contributes to growing literature on DLBE gentrification by examining how a racially diverse group of parents in two communities perceived DLBE as a school choice option. We found that schools with…

Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children's education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx…

Using data from a large-scale senior exit survey administered at public high schools in New York City, this study aims to parse out what quantitative and qualitative characteristics of postsecondary advising are most influential in predicting students' likelihood to attend college. We apply a broader conceptual framework for postsecondary…

This case study investigated how three New York City schools responded to gentrification's effects as student demographics shifted. I used the conceptual framework of "urban school leaders as cultural workers" to examine the tensions, successes, and challenges inherent in the school gentrification and integration process. I found that…

This study examined parents' perspectives on children's learning in Pre-K, their expectations for Pre-K, and how to prepare their child(ren) for kindergarten. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 ethnically diverse parents from 8 schools in New York City. This paper presents a thematic analysis of these interviews. Findings…

In 2014, New York City launched its Pre-K for All program, which rapidly tripled the number of children in free, full-day prekindergarten. Two years later, the city rolled out ThriveNYC, a citywide mental health initiative with a focus on early childhood. By this time, a team from New York University's medical school had partnered for nearly two…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to investigate how parents articulate service strategies and provider characteristics that supported them during the transition from Early Intervention to Preschool Special Education in the boroughs of New York City. The author explored parents' descriptions of service strategies, and their accounts of…

Alongside the immediate challenges of operating schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, over the past year, parents, students, and policymakers around the country have also debated equity and access to some of the country's most elite and segregated public schools. This qualitative case study examines how New York City activists conceptualized…

It is a belief that when parents participate in the transition process of school choice for their children's secondary schooling, parental involvement increases the likelihood of their youngsters graduating from high school, having opportunities for selecting the best colleges, and a trajectory for greater success in the career opportunities of…

In cities across the United States, affluent White newcomers are moving into historically Black neighborhoods, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for public schools. In many cases, the newcomers either avoid their local schools or use their political power to push aside families who have lived in the neighborhood for years. But there's…

While research about the significance of parent participation in school is expanding, research about the role of Parent Associations (PA)/Parent and Teacher Associations (PTA) in the integration and participation of immigrant families in schools is limited. This is still the case in Spain and the U.S. despite the continued growth of the immigrant…

In the vast repository of research on family involvement in schools, researchers agree that both students and schools do better when families are involved (Epstein et al., 2009; Lareau, 2011; Mapp, 2002). There is little research, however, on parent involvement in the arts. Notwithstanding the lack of published data, programs offer funding and…

Family engagement is considered to be a cornerstone of successful universal prekindergarten (PreK) implementation. Using data from interviews with mothers, this study investigates the different ways families are engaged in their child's PreK experience. Multiple themes emerged from the interviews, including: family engagement, parents' knowledge…