The past few years have seen a rise in interest in local elected offices, specifically in school board seats. These seats hold unequivocal power over what school districts can do in terms of advancing equity and excellence in education. We explore one facet of what became a playbook of anti-equity efforts in school districts during the COVID-19…

This article traces how Mexican American Studies (MAS) scholar activists led and supported a statewide movement for MAS in Texas. As a Xicana feminist scholar activist, Saldan~a draws from her retrospective memory and personal archive of organizational notes, movement documents, personal testimonies before the State Board of Education, and photos,…

Study abroad and research experiences are proven high-impact pedagogical tools, but are rarely combined at scale. We integrated highly structured research experiences into short-term study abroad programs across multiple countries, then tested for longer term student perceived impacts. Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of…

Educational reform policies in the United States promote school choice as a central tool to empower low-income and minoritized families in order to close the achievement gap. However, research on school choice rarely reflects the voice of minoritized families and offers little evidence that choice significantly addresses inequities in educational…

Racial microaggressions are racial slights and subtle insults aimed at people of color. These may be verbal, nonverbal, and/or visual, and may be automatic or unconscious. The term microaggression is also applied to women or other groups in society who experience oppression. While it has been established that students of color often face racial…

Disparities exist among minorities in educational attainment. The gap widens when examining access to higher education and persistence rates among minority males as compared to their white counterparts and minority females. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of a reciprocal mentoring model between faculty and…

The author reports on the ruling of a divided appellate court that held that the state law unconstitutionally made it harder for minorities to seek preferences than for other groups. The court struck down a voter-passed ban on the use of race-conscious admissions by Michigan's public colleges, holding that the measure had unconstitutionally put…

Literature suggests that individuals who identify as LGBTQ may engage in more alcohol and other drug (AOD) use/abuse than others. Little data is available about these populations on college campuses where AOD use may be seen as part of the general campus climate and culture. This article will describe a qualitative needs assessment conducted on 10…

Despite decades of research examining the disproportionate representation of racial minority students in special education, our understanding of the complexity of disproportionality remains incomplete and much of the previous research was designed without a clear theoretical framework. This exploratory study applied a structural theoretical lens…

The authors' purpose in this article is to interrogate the mediated and political discourses that emerged alongside the "Flores v. Arizona" case. The authors endeavor to offer another voice, framework and approach that may help sustain a continuous, paramount conversation concerning the educational rights of English language learners and…

The first installment in the "To Learn and Earn" project, published in March 2009, concluded that Arizona has "unfinished business" in human capital--the knowledge and skills that are so important to stimulating innovation, creating wealth, and promoting economic growth. It identified the next step in finding solutions as…

This article explores the benefits of verbal conflicts--contested storied spaces--in a Native American literature classroom composed of a multi-tribal and multicultural urban student body. Students in this course engage in whole-class verbal discussions focusing on contemporary and historical issues concerning Native American tribes and…

When an inner-city Arizona music teacher found himself faced with too many orchestra students and not enough instruments, he took a risky but rewarding left turn--into rap music. In this article, the author describes how he teaches his hip-hop class, the challenges in creating and teaching the class, and the positive results. (Contains 21…

When children are under attack, teacher educators need to instill activism as well as pedagogy in preservice teachers. The author describes an incident in Arizona in which children of color and communities of color are the targets of the assaults. The incident is one of many unjust occurrences that have transpired in Arizona on the heels of a…

The purpose of this study was to compare two groups of males in Arizona Department of Corrections (ADJC) custody with regard to three factors. The first group consisted of youth sentenced to ADJC who later received criminal charges for which they were transferred to the adult court system, ("Transferred" group), and the second group…