The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how Black middle school students interpret the relationship with their mathematics teachers. This study is situated within research exploring the nuances of the Black-White achievement gap. National assessment data provide that more than 80% of eighth-grade Black students enter high school working…

The critical consciousness framework informs us that for parents and teachers of Black youth to be best positioned to disrupt systemic racism in education they must both critically reflect on the systems that oppress Black youth and become motivated to challenge those systems. Still, little empirical research exists investigating the critical…

Closing the achievement gap among culturally and linguistically diverse students has been challenging for educators, school leaders, and policymakers. With the growing diversity of the K-12 public school student body, schools must prepare to confront this divide systematically and vigorously. Policies that promote culturally responsive teaching…