In this exploratory qualitative study, we examined African American mentors' perspectives of what they identify as the needs of their African American undergraduate protégés and the challenges that may impede their protégés' success. Interviews were conducted with 10 African American mentors who hold STEM PhDs. Data were analyzed using an…

This qualitative study of an urban high school draws on critical race theory's tenet of whiteness as property and the notion that educational opportunity is a race-conscious construct to interrogate the impacts of school improvement work intended to increase educational opportunities for students of colour. Educational opportunity is defined as…

Youth and young adults in foster care yearn for and deserve lifelong families and supportive environments where they are nurtured and encouraged as they grow into adulthood. Ideally, this happens by ensuring that children and youth can remain safely with their families. Unfortunately, for many children and youth who must enter foster care, this…

Black men suffer some of the most dismal completion rates in higher education due to the extremely hostile campus environments they experience at many institutions, particularly predominantly White institutions. Increased stereotypes, alienation, isolation, racialized incidents, and lack of support from peers, faculty, and administration can…

Agricultural and Life Science (AgLS) research tends to focus on the need for a globally competent workforce prepared to work with diverse populations. However, as AgLS education mirrors society, minoritized populations in AgLS are marginalized and othered. Further, AgLS curricula continues to frame agriculture through a white male lens;…

A large body of research suggests that spoken language processing is heavily influenced by social characteristics of the speaker, and conversely, that socio-cognitive processing is influenced by the language spoken by our interlocutors. However, little is known about the extent to which this interaction that is observed in adulthood has its roots…

Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the degree to which ethnicity/race and economic status of Texas Grade 3 students is related to their mathematics achievement. In the first study, the degree to which ethnic/racial (i.e., Asian, White, Hispanic, Black) differences might be present in the mathematics…

Introduction: The North Carolina "Comprehensive Articulation Agreement" ("CAA") is a joint agreement between the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) System that governs the transfer of students between the two systems. It was created in 1996 and underwent significant…

The discourse of race and racism reached an apex nationally and internationally following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. The responses to this racialized violence and murder was widespread and varied from social media posts to mass protests in the streets. The primary response of institutions of higher education was to issue a public…

This introductory report outlines the challenges of postsecondary completion, the variable value provided by a postsecondary pathway, and the corresponding cost and debt. Together, these challenges create an inequitable, ineffective, and unsustainable U.S. postsecondary system in which individuals are increasingly reluctant to participate or…

A disquieting aspect of some contemporary public discourse is its seeming indifference to or abandonment of any pretense to truth. Among other things, unsubstantiated and misleading claims have been made about the efficacy of vaccines and other purported treatments for SARS-COVID, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and the January 6, 2021,…

Postsecondary attainment is often viewed as an accomplishment yielding financial, social, and economic gains. Moreover, education has been a passport to a better quality of life. However, certain populations are often hindered from achieving these aforementioned goals. In particular, Black males are viewed from a deficit perspective, especially…

Black boys often experience oppression and marginalization in schools. Black boys with disabilities in secondary school are frequently targeted with inequitable and biased discipline practices, exacerbating the school-to-prison pipeline. As such, it is important to examine the school climate experiences of Black boys to inform the creation of…

In this paper, the authors seek to analyze the perceptions, motivations and experiences of young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education projects aiming to incentivize gender equity, based on the theoretical framework of feminist studies on science and intersectionality, as well as academic literature on equity…

Diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are vital for innovation and creativity in STEM; and yet, racially minoritized groups, such as African Americans and Hispanics, remain underrepresented in the STEM K-12 and career pipeline. Studies show that exposure and access to STEM experiences…