Child care and early education (CCEE) are essential resources for families and children across the country. Yet qualified educators are choosing to leave their positions, and young professionals are choosing not to enter the field. This instability has been a long-lasting issue and is thought to be driven largely by structural and systemic forces…

Students' prosocial behavior is linked to their own and their classmate's engagement in the classroom. This raises the question of through what pathway prosocial behavior is linked to engagement. This study investigates whether early adolescents' peer belonging mediates the relationship between prosocial behavior and classroom engagement. The…

Background or Context: The COVID-19 pandemic may be considered a focusing event that has drawn greater attention to the physical and mental health of community college students. Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: This study examined community college students' self-reported life stressors pre- and post-pandemic-onset to…

In school settings, students' mindset about intelligence (i.e., fixed versus growth mindset) and their sense of belonging to school (SBS) have both been shown to predict academic attainment. However, these constructs have rarely been examined together although both were found to be impacted by students' socioeconomic status (SES). Across the…

When observing and consistently hearing about the obstacles our current public educational system faces, many are left wondering what can be done to produce genuine, significant, and continuous improvement. Upon deeper analysis of educational systems, one can see that many areas need system improvement. SOAR School (pseudonym) is a Pre-K-5 school…

This study addresses the need for educators who are well-prepared to meet the needs of emergent bilinguals in the context of increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in U.S. schools. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study explores the experiences of five classroom teachers in professional development (PD) related to…

Using sista circle methodology (Johnson, 2015), this critical qualitative study explores the experiences of Black women student affairs professionals and the critical incidents that occur in workplace relationships with white women higher education professionals at historically White institutions (HWIs). The research questions explored how Black…

School culture affects all facets of teaching and learning. Starting from individual international teachers' perspectives and their accounts relating to school culture, new insights and perspectives on the problem of practice were gained. The research focused on answering the questions: What are teachers' experiences of school culture in…

The problem addressed in this study is that the number of historically marginalized and diverse students in U.S. classrooms is rapidly increasing and schools are not prepared to address the need for culturally responsive curriculum and instruction. This study is important because K-12 principals are challenged to address equity, inclusion, and…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate community college student perceptions of academic advising for 12 first-time first-generation (FTFG) General Studies students attending a rural southeastern community college. The phenomenological research approach was utilized to better understand participant experiences by…

Community colleges serve as critical access points to higher education for Black students. However, current outcomes suggest that Black students are not being properly served in America's community colleges. Although well-meaning institutional leaders often create policies and programs aimed at improving success rates for students from…

This dissertation explores the math identity development of Black and Latinx students who are taking developmental math classes in a community college setting. The study delves deep into the incorporation of inclusive pedagogical practices in the classroom. Placing emphasis on the successes of students, the research was based on Martin's (2000)…

Nebraska's constitution and state statutes require the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE) to review the budget requests of the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska State College System, and the community colleges in light of specific criteria set forth in the statutes. The Commission also makes recommendations on major…

Do older community college students build momentum toward graduation differently than their younger peers? One-third of students in community colleges are 25 years of age or older, and these students tend to have lower rates of graduation than their younger peers. Yet, we know little about how the factors that influence college graduation differ…

Individuals identifying as aromantic asexual face challenges living in predominantly heteronormative societies. This essay explains the challenges encountered living in India, a society known for its unique cultural and social structures. The authors use the oral history story-telling technique to understand the lived experiences of being an…