This article seeks to synthesize and apply White racial identity theory and concomitant research to the interaction between athletic and racial identity, specifically as it relates to the experiential variations of how race impacts White athletes within the college sport environment. White dialectics, or the tensions that White Americans…

Reading literature to engage young children in critical discussions about race -- and how it impacts their daily lives -- is a promising practice. This study examined how two teachers and eight young children talked about skin colour as they read books about racial diversity, and the extent to which participation structures and conversational…

The purpose of this study was to explore outness among undergraduate students who identify as queer and trans* people of color (QTPOC). Data for this study originated from "The National LGBT Alumni Surve"y and included 386 QTPOC respondents. We utilized analysis of variance (ANOVA) to explore differences in outness across racial…

Purpose: We used gatekeeping theory to frame our examination of whether and when educators with superintendent certification become superintendents, and how their likelihood of making that transition is influenced by race, sex, and other characteristics. Furthermore, we sought to identify variation in career pathways to the superintendency. Data…

Courses: News Reporting, Advertising, Strategic Communication, Media Studies, Introduction to Communication, Intercultural and Interracial Communication, Business Communication, and Hybrid Public Speaking. Objectives: This module facilitates a process for students to interrogate how they relate to the public and to understand the profound…

Despite repeated efforts towards educational reform, white students continue to experience higher educational attainment levels than historically underserved students. While the responsibility to change these outcomes has been vastly placed on the educational system, these disenfranchised populations have largely carried the blame for not…

Despite the increasing diversity of the US population, particularly of Latinx residents, the lack of resources and the underrepresentation of graduate students of color (GSC) are lingering issues in higher education. This dissertation discusses the impact of mentoring at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) for GSC. With Critical Race Theory…

Microaggressions in the higher education setting are a pervasive issue frequently encountered by members of marginalized cultures. The experience of microaggressions can result in negative outcomes on neural substrates, mental health, emotional health, and physical health. Furthermore, academic microaggressions can impact performance, learning,…

Whiteness is present and performed when whites are discussing race and racism. It is also working when race isn't being discussed in STEM college classrooms. As this dissertation shows, white students in college algebra participate in white racial bonding, committing racial microaggressions and what I coin "nanoaggressions" against…

With the low number of ethnic minority and/or female athletics directors at the Division I level, this proposed study aimed to determine what commonalities, if any, existed among those ethnic minorities and/or females who are athletics directors at the Division I level. Critical race theory and critical gender theory were both used as theoretical…

Formal mentoring has been an effective approach to mitigate challenges facing underserved youth and contributes to observable improvements in behavior, relationships, and emotional well-being. In recent years, virtual mentoring has emerged as a promising way to expand the provision of mentoring. By engaging virtually, mentorship programs can…

This study explored substance use trajectories and associations with mental health among an ethnically/racially diverse college student sample before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We combined repeated cross-sections and panel data from a total of 3,247 college students assessed with an online survey in 2018, 2019, and in three waves in 2020.…

Background/Context: The transition from high school to college marks a critical juncture for students planning to pursue higher education, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. Unfortunately, many of these students are left to navigate complex financial aid requirements, registration processes, and academic placement with…

Building Bridges is charged with creating a statewide program for comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval (DPIR) programming, and to make annual recommendations to the legislature and the governor on DPIR best practices and system needs. Washington's graduation rate has steadily been increasing since 2021 with 83% of the…

This dissertation examines the transition planning experiences of Black and Latinx families with students who have extensive support needs (ESN) in an urban school district. Employing a qualitative case study approach, the research involved collecting data through interviews, focus groups, and document analysis to explore how participant families…