Opportunity gaps have plagued American education for decades. The gaps are widening, not shrinking, as economic inequality increases in U.S. society. This study draws together themes and actions taken by schools and teachers who are outliers on that trajectory: those who manage to reduce the effects of opportunity gaps in education, supporting…

This dissertation poses the question, "Who cares and who does not care for poor, black, brown, red and economically disadvantaged children in urban school settings?" The study takes a deeper look at some of the underlying human dynamics that inform teacher retention and student academic achievement as an education problem, specifically related to…

Research examining the longer term influences of child care on children's development has expanded in recent years, but few studies have considered low-income children's experiences in community care arrangements. Using data from the Three-City Study (N = 349), the present investigation examines the influences of child care quality, extent and…

This exploratory study investigated how staff at four private boys' boarding schools in Perth, Western Australia, constructed meaning and understanding around the experience of studying away from home and family for Aboriginal students from regional and remote communities. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants recruited from the four…

This study evaluated the results of a social and emotional learning (SEL) program on academic achievement among students attending a large, urban, high-risk school district. Using a cluster-randomized design, 24 elementary schools were assigned to receive either the intervention curriculum ("Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies", or…

Meaningful community involvement has been linked to enhancements in student achievement and quality of educational experiences. Assistant principals are positioned to build effective partnerships yet remain understudied in the leadership preparation field. This qualitative study investigated how assistant principals (N = 9) serving historically…

This study concerns the management of an interactive whiteboard (IWB) network started in April 2008 in Mpumalanga, with a leading school partnered with several disadvantaged schools, transmitting lessons in Mathematics and Science. Many educational institutions try to provide learners with better learning opportunities by equipping schools with…

Effective program models are needed for low-income youth. This article describes one successful summer enrichment program, University for Young People's Project Promise, and outlines three key components of a Partnership for Promoting Potential in Low-Income Gifted Students (Partnership Model), which is based on Lee, Olszewski-Kubilius, and…

Background: Across Europe and the Nordic countries, it is widely agreed that the high proportion of 15-30-year olds not in employment, education or training is a challenge, which needs to be tackled by focusing on education. The political and institutional focus is on individual training readiness, individual qualification processes, individual…

Using critical race discourse analysis, this study examines descriptions of a heated controversy over the proposed closure of the only primarily black high school in a large urban city. Participants included community members and the district and school leaders who were key in the controversy. Based on Foucault's analysis of power we looked for…

This article discusses the theory and practice of applying critical feminist pedagogy in a teacher's training college. It is based on an analysis of the education of students in an early childhood teaching program (BEd) that seeks to promote social justice through education. This article discusses the areas of the student's education that…

This study compares the judgments that teachers make on their students' mathematics achievement with results taken from Australia's National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Using a sample of 2144 students, drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), the study develops two regression models: one with teacher…

This qualitative instrumental case study explores Finnish student music teachers' experiences of teaching and learning as participants in an intercultural project in Cambodia. The Multicultural Music University project aimed at increasing master's level music education students' intercultural competencies by providing experiences of teaching and…

Ethnic or racial discrimination towards children and adolescents at schools is of concern in many contexts around the world because it is associated with diverse psychosocial, behavioural, emotional, and identity problems. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of ethnic discrimination experienced by indigenous Mapuche adolescents in…

Even when accounting for past performance, academic achievement can be influenced by teacher expectations, which are lower for disadvantaged and visible ethnic minority children. We use a Quebec (Canada) population-based sample (N = 1,311) to examine whether ethnicity and teacher-perceived signs of disadvantage in kindergarten predict child…