I will discuss data collected throughout this dissertation to discover whether adjudicated youth made educational gains while incarcerated at a juvenile facility in rural Nevada. The problem addressed in this study was adjudicated youth returning to a society lacking the support necessary to succeed in education and life. The purpose of this…

Accurately assessing youth mental health involves obtaining reports from multiple informants who typically display low levels of correspondence. This low correspondence may reflect "situational specificity." That is, youth vary as to where they display mental health concerns and informants vary as to where and from what perspective they…

Treatment engagement poses challenges for youth mental health providers. With the expansion of evidence-based treatments (EBTs), providers face complex decisions regarding how to engage youth and families using available information sources. This study investigated how EBT protocols are associated with the selection and delivery of engagement…

This study was situated in the context of the University of California 4-H Positive Youth Development Program. A convenience sample of teen teachers (N = 11) represents variation in age (11-17), gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. All teens delivered the 4-H Mindful Me curriculum from the University of California 4-H Program. Qualitative…

4-H is the largest positive youth development organization in the United States and is implemented by the land grant university system. To achieve program expansion, the century-old organization will need to recruit and retain millions more youth that reflect their increasingly diversified communities. Higher education has also worked to recruit…

"Innovating Workforce Education: Community Colleges at the Forefront of Registered Apprenticeship" explores Registered Apprenticeships in the United States, examining their increasing relevance to community colleges and the broader workforce development landscape. At its core, the apprenticeship model integrates paid employment with…

Although research illustrates that community-based organizations (CBOs) offer critical support to the education of historically marginalized youth, less is known about CBOs' role in developing youth's critical civic praxis toward social justice. In this case study, we analyzed semi-structured interviews with youth who participated in a college…

Out-of-school-time (OST) programs and their funders rely on sound data to make decisions about everything from professional development and student recruitment to the selection of activities to offer students. Programs operate at a range of times (before and after school, weekends, summer) and in a variety of locations (e.g., schools,…

Using National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 data, this study explored parent and youth expectations in the areas of postsecondary education, employment, independent living, and financial independence. Compared to youth with other disabilities, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their parents had much lower…

Organized out-of-school time (OST) activities are critical assets that help youth develop life and social skills. Latine youth have some of the lowest rates of participation in OST activities out of all racial and ethnic subgroups due to structural and interpersonal barriers that perpetuate and reproduce patterns of inequality. The purpose of the…

This study examines how three recently arrived Indigenous male migrant youth from Guatemala and Mexico in an urban high school in the Pacific Northwest understood and employed Spanish and English to navigate racialized and languaged interactions. Utilizing a Critical Latinx Indigeneities framework, findings from this study show that Spanish is a…

Schools strive to respond compassionately to disadvantaged families. However, barriers to authentic home-school relationships persist because the concept of parental engagement at home is not well enough understood. Socio-cultural stereotyping still contributes to schools' fixed impressions of what parental engagement should consist of, and the…

Youth development programs offer flexible environments for healing and positive identity development for youth facing discrimination and oppression. Programs often occur in out-of-school time (OST), a context that is clearly positioned in tandem with the education system to create complex relationships that lead to challenges in OST spaces. Youth…

This dissertation examines the impact of outdoor learning, including constructivist theories on student development in natural resource curricula. It highlights the importance of experiential, hands-on learning that connects students with nature. This approach challenges traditional methods by exploring active participation and sensory-rich…

This research paper investigates the intersection of the maker movement and educational innovation, using the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition as a foundational example. It examines how maker education, fueled by hands-on learning and a curiosity-driven approach, can evolve and influence. The study explores the roles and impacts of…