In low-income communities, schools often lack the resources to provide children with robust, hands-on science experiences, especially those that utilize green spaces and natural phenomena outside their doors. Out-of-school-time programs are well-positioned to fill this gap, but to do so must address constraints that prevent educators and parents…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 16-week program of community-engaged teacher preparation on preservice teachers' perceived efficacy in enacting culturally responsive teaching as well as their beliefs in the outcomes associated with such practice. Results of the examination revealed involvement in the community-engaged…

This explanatory mixed methods study investigates the experiences of approximately 280 rural, underrepresented middle school student members of STEM Career Clubs over 3 semesters (19 meetings). Data sources included surveys about STEM interests and career intentions (STEM-CIS), STEM club perceptions, and content questions. A subset of 101 students…

This on-going ethnographic study examines how a counter-space, La Libertad, introduces Latin@ students to a liberating pedagogy of praxis which counters dehumanization they experience in their high school. This study used Paulo Freire's dehumanization concept as a guide to reveal how Latin@ youth encounter oppression, injustice, and exploitation…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a longitudinal examination of the relationship between sustained after-school participation and a district's Early Warning Index associated with school dropout in a large urban school district. The study included 64,351 students participating between 2000-2001 and the 2011-2012 school years. Data were…