This study explores how a long-running, special education teacher education-focused international immersion experience has grown over time to include robust international exchange between home and host institutions and how participation influenced past participants' professional practice. This research fills a gap in the research linking special…

There are considerable challenges experienced by female South Sudanese refugees to access post-secondary education in the United States. Although these challenges are many, but little was known about their experiences to access and enroll into US post-secondary education. There has been a significant lack of research on how South Sudanese female…

The Center of Black Student Excellence is a transformative initiative within the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) dedicated to uplifting the educational experiences of Black students. It fosters a sense of belonging, pride, and agency, encouraging Black students and their families to pursue futures characterized by excellence and…

This writing stems from many years of work and resulted in an article titled, "Disability and Diné relational teachings: Diné Educational Pedagogy and the story of Early Twilight Dawn Boy." Through exploring relational teachings of disability from my Diné community (Native Nation located in the Southwest United States), I recovered Diné…

This research aimed to develop a curriculum for empowering the elderly to create alternative careers in the digital society era through digital platforms and to study the effects of the curriculum and online educational channels on enhancing the elderly's capabilities. Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods combined with qualitative and…

This qualitative research study explores the experiences of four Latina community college students through focused group discussions, incorporating artifacts and vision galleries to unveil their diverse roles. Shifting perspectives, the research questions inform the design of educational interventions addressing psychological distress, mental…

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…