While extensive research has been conducted on academic advising at four-year colleges, there is a noticeable gap in studies addressing academic advisors within support programs at two-year colleges. This creates an opportunity to investigate the roles, practices, challenges, and experiences of academic advisors in this often-overlooked…

This dissertation consists of two chapters at the intersection of labor and the economics of education. In Chapter 1, I examine the role of management in the public sector, focusing on school principals and how they impact student outcomes. I find that a one standard-deviation increase in principal quality raises average student achievement by…

Gender inequality has wide-ranging and adverse implications for all of society. For this reason, the United Nations has made it a top priority to address this issue through the Sustainable Development Goals, which state that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable…

This study investigates the role academic libraries can play in narrowing the retention gap between the number of women graduating with a degree in architecture and the number of women currently in the architecture profession. Recommendations to libraries are made based on the existing literature and survey data. The findings of this study aim to…

Whitewashedness has been trickling down in language classrooms through assimilation and colorblind practices. These practices have irreversible effects on the psyche of immigrant and refugee learners in K-12 schools. This research study investigates 15 teacher candidates' ideologies regarding colorblindness by empowering them to create…

This article focuses on how Black girls counter the antiBlackness that pervades the culture of STEM/making through their STEM-rich, community-engaged co-making practices. As youth engage each other, their communities, and the world, they make in ways that respond to a critical awareness of the world as it is, and with a desire to agentically…

In recent years, universities have been developing more robust competency-based classes for students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Competency-based education (CBE) is based on outcomes and is student-centred, creating a better learning experience. This paper provides context for competency-based education over a…

Caucusing, as a social justice activity, is traditionally implemented to provide an insider space for marginalized persons to share experiences and build a space for belonging and safety by excluding those who hold privileged identities. Within a particular event that combines privileged and oppressed, experiences are uneven, with insiders…

Early support should help autistic children lead flourishing lives. We sought to understand parents' experiences of their children's involvement in early intervention and associated research, through focus groups with 23 parents (of 22 children) enrolled in a university-affiliated service. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four themes. Parents…

For children to know how to fully participate in and most effectively lead the world they will inherit, they must learn how to critically engage with it and be knowledgeable about foundational rights and instruments that support such engagement. Together, critical literacy, which encourages the examination and interrogation of the underlying…

The development of research competency among non-academic personnel in higher education institutions is a crucial endeavor that aligns with the evolving demands of the 21st-century workforce. This study employs a comprehensive research and development approach to create an advanced model for enhancing research competencies encompassing knowledge,…

Leadership planning is essential to an organization's survival. This study evaluates the success of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Leadership Academy measured by participant benefits, the influence on participants' personal and professional satisfaction, and changes in leadership roles within AAFCS before and…

The primary focus in this study was to capture the experiences of parents who have participated in the IEP process. Specifically, the research expounded on how parental experiences during the IEP process impacted or informed education plans for their children and informed education leaders seeking to improve the IEP process experience. This study…

Black girls' intersectionality of race and gender puts them in double jeopardy of experiencing both racial and gender discrimination in brick-and-mortar school settings. Virtual classrooms do not completely extinguish the fires that threaten to incinerate Black girls' academic and personal growth, but for many Black girls, the advent of mass…

An analysis of 640 posts from the social media platforms of 14 students at a historically Black university revealed that entertainment accounted for 68% of their social media content, "uplift" 17%, and empowerment 14%. Educators worry that students may be squandering online resources that could help improve their lives when they choose…