Among all children under 18 years in the U.S., 43 percent live in low-income families and 21 percent--approximately one in five--lives in a poor family. This means that children are overrepresented among our nation's poor; they represent 23 percent of the population but comprise 33 percent of all people in poverty. Many more children live in…

This dissertation used qualitative, interpretive methods to explore African American and Latino/a community college students' use of autoethnographic writing to express experiences of marginalization and sense of belonging on their college campus. Using postmodernism and critical race theory as theoretical frameworks, I investigated how students…

Immersion programs face a variety of challenges that are common to the field, such as lack of materials appropriate for students' language abilities, assessment, teacher recruitment and retention, balancing content and language, and relevant, high quality professional development for teachers. However, within specific micro-contexts, other issues…

Despite California's great wealth, child poverty places a drag on the state's educational performance. Disadvantaged children--including English learners, foster children, and the poor--do not receive the educational attention and services that they require to be successful. Although California's Local Control Funding Formula recognizes this…

This book is a powerful narrative of how six women experienced their lives alongside their desire to overcome the challenging and empowering nature of the English language. The volume shares who they are as transnational and mobile women living in the midst of linguistic privilege and marginalization. It is one outcome of a research project and…

The global refugee population continues to climb and the number of refugees across the globe is at an alarming high and is expected to continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Access to education is a basic human right and is linked to poverty reduction, holding promises of stability, economic growth, and better lives for children, families,…

In December 2015, the U.S. Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and, with it, ushered in a new era of education policy in America. Leaving behind many of the most criticized aspects of its predecessor, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), this newest incarnation of the primary federal legislation guiding K-12 education provides state and…

The purpose of this study is two-fold: to determine what external and organizational factors lead teachers in an urban, high-needs school district to consider leaving their teaching position or the teaching profession and to determine if perception of these factors differs among demographic groups of teachers. Access to high quality teachers is an…

Through the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, governments committed to achieving universal secondary school completion, including eliminating gender disparities, by 2030. Yet, by 2013, only 14 percent of children in low-income countries had completed secondary school. And in many countries, even those who attend school fail to gain basic…

This research study was completed to explore how a specific population of college students strive to reach their educational goals. The purpose of the study concentrated on how TRiO first-generation college students (FGCs) at a community college perceived their success in accomplishing goals in a college educational setting with the assistance of…

Economically disadvantaged students face an array of adversities during their childhood. With the media having an outstanding influence on the self-esteem of children, it is important that they have the tools necessary to question images they encounter. A Visual Culture curriculum in combination with a ceramics course can provide students with the…

This mixed-method study examined the impact of an online formative assessment tool on the language and early literacy skills development of 204 3-4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start. Twenty-four classroom and children participated in a two-group randomized control trial, in which classrooms in the treatment condition implemented weekly…

In general, African American males lag behind their White counterparts with regards to high school graduation, college completion and beyond. African American males residing in low resourced communities are especially vulnerable for such disadvantage. Existing literature suggests that parental factors and interactions can help to promote youth…

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of 30 university-prepared math and science teachers from their pre-service program into their teaching positions to better understand the conditions that attract and retain them in high-need schools. The paper uses the framework of job preview and information-rich hiring to highlight the influence of the…

This article presents findings from a qualitative exploration of homeless individuals' experiences and their perspectives on ideal designs of schools. The article is part of a larger research project titled "Unheard Voices," which explores marginalized individuals' (homeless, prisoners, working poor, and migrant workers) visions of ideal…