Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diversity-related professional development needs of pre-service teachers in our college. According to a report released in 2017 by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), minorities accounted for 20 per cent of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the United…

The college campus is a prime opportunity for Black college athlete activists to engage with their campus community, gain a sense of belonging, identity, and development as leaders. To conduct an in-depth examination on the motivations and experiences of this unique subgroup, the research was guided by the following question: What are the lived…

The purpose of this study was to explore the resources that first-generation college graduates found to be most effective toward receiving a full-time job offer within six months of completing their bachelor's degree. First-generation college students are often an overlooked population on college campuses beyond their sophomore year of study.…

This dissertation study documented and analyzed the key curricular and pedagogical features of three secondary social studies teachers who center issues of race and racism in their classrooms by examining their decision-making processes and the impact of relevant lived experiences on their practice. I utilized portraiture methodology, which…

Science teachers in the United States are not prepared to teach the students in their classrooms. Teachers are most often White females, while the children in their classrooms are from diverse backgrounds. Multicultural pedagogies exist, but teachers must be educated during their teacher preparation courses to understand their own relationship…

This dissertation is a qualitative investigation of influences of school tracking on the Black identity development of high school students. This dissertation begins with a Critical Race Theory analysis of school tracking processes. After exploring how tracking was designed, and how it continues to obstruct the potential for optimal Black student…

The goal of this narrative research is to contribute to the body of literature regarding African American males in higher education. This research challenges the deficit majoritarian narrative that historically has perpetuated a negative image of the contributions African American males bring to education. As a conceptual framework, Critical Race…

Using narrative inquiry (Chase, 2011; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), this dissertation investigates the stories new teachers encounter during their licensure program and first years of teaching, how those stories work on the identities of new teachers, and the ways these teachers engage with those stories as they construct, revise, and/or smooth…

"The Brave Educator" equips you with accessible and refreshingly useful tools for real conversations about race that prepare students for the world beyond the school walls. More than a toolkit, this book is a personal conversation exploring the journey from being stuck in the belief that we should already know how to lead conversations…

Equity is not just about what colleges do: it is also about who they are, what they believe, and how they are situated within society at large. Equity-minded coaching seeks to make visible the social and structural context of exclusionary practices embedded within the leadership and institutions of American higher education. Equity-minded coaches…

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of a Latinx cultural center in facilitating the sense of belonging of Latinx/o men at a predominantly White institution. This study examines how Latinx/o men perceive, experience, and participate in cultural centers, specifically from an ecological viewpoint. This research examines the Latinx…

The purpose of my study was to use an intersectional lens to understand the relationship between race and gender and institutional experiences in student retention at a selective predominantly White institution. I used Tinto's (1993) longitudinal model of institutional departure as the foundation to understand students' decision-making processes…

Elite higher education institutions work hard to secure diverse classes, and students seek out these institutions in part because they believe that diversity will enhance their own educational experiences. Institutional theories would predict that practices set by the elite institutions in the field would isomorphically trickle down, however, case…

This study explores the meaning of inclusion among Black, Brown and Indigenous Persons of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQI+ volunteers of a national sport governing body. The study situates itself within socio-ecological and critical race theories to (a) examine the experience of inclusion (or lack thereof) for minoritized volunteers and (b) identify…

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She served as president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 2005-2006. Dr. Ladson-Billings has contributed widely to the development of…