Most educators enter the profession with a strong sense of purpose, often connected to a love of children and hope for the future, a desire to make a difference and give back to the community, or a belief in education as a catalyst for social justice. However, competing educational goals and purposes, as well as current educational reforms rooted…

This phenomenological study conducted through a CRT lens examined the lived experiences of rural school counselors who implemented or sought to implement antiracist school counseling practices in PK-12 schools. Literature currently exists on the experiences of school counselors implementing antiracist social justice practices (Smith-Durkin, 2022),…

Pellow's (2018) four pillars of Critical Environmental Justice (CEJ) provided a framework to address environmental justice challenges in this study of the San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition's (SDUSC) Climate Ambassador Program. I used participatory action research to collect data from six participants in a key-informant interview,…

In the aftermath of George Floyd's death, independent schools faced a resounding demand for racial parity, compelling them to adopt transformative practices in response to community members voicing long-standing racial injustices (Carrera, 2021). This dissertation examined the perspectives of heads of independent schools in the U.S. regarding the…

This dissertation documented how undergraduate students made sense of data in news media. The participants were 30 undergraduate students enrolled in a course called "Numbers and Social Justice." The study used argument analysis (Toulmin, 2003) and ethnographic methodology to examine students' written work in a naturalistic setting.…

This study addresses university leadership and the need to affirm diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to institute organizational change for social justice. My key research question is, "What are effective ways for leaders to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion with the goal of achieving social justice?" There is much research…

Impending climate crises, profound wealth inequality and unprecedented vulnerability to global catastrophe at the hands of technology make working towards justice a necessity, and a desperate one at that. However, engaging in work towards justice requires deconstructing the dominant narratives and norms that restrict what actions are permissible…

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of school building leaders (SBLs), also referred to as principals, regarding their facilitation of social justice leadership (SJL) and culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) practices to support student inclusion and belongingness within…

There is a crucial need for social justice-oriented educators in today's classrooms given the growing population of America's multicultural student population. Social justice-oriented teacher preparation programs (TPPs) have contributed significantly to shaping the pedagogies of teacher candidates, better equipping them to serve all students. The…

This qualitative descriptive study explored the experience of Senior Diversity Officers (SDOs) or comparable positions in implementing the frameworks for anti-racism strategies at Jesuit colleges and universities. The study explored how, if at all, SDOs think the Jesuit character impacted the implementation of frameworks and the move toward…

The racial diversity of children in US public schools continues to increase while most teachers and school leaders are White. In addition, systemic racism, whitewashing of curricula, microaggressions, and deficit mindsets persist within schools across the country. These pervasive injustices that plague the student experiences of children of the…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how faith-based mentors and Black male student mentees from low socioeconomic communities describe their use of social justice principles to engage in social activism in Northern California. Two research questions guided this study. The theoretical foundation for this study was the social justice…

Educational research that effectively addresses larger sociopolitical and sociohistorical contexts must interrogate macro-level decision-making and policies "and" prioritize the lived experiences of those who directly affect and are affected by social structures. This project explores racial and economic justice work in schools by…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public middle school administrators described the special education training they received to engage in social justice leadership to support, lead, and enable successful outcomes of special education programs in their school. The theoretical foundation utilized was the social…

As "divisive concepts" educational policies continue to be implemented across the United States, it is important to consider how preservice teachers (PSTs) are being prepared for this teaching landscape. Within an upper-level undergraduate education foundations course at a public university in Iowa, this critical case study (Dyson &…