School improvement depends, fundamentally, upon collective agency--a group capability to work productively together and solve problems. Unfortunately, many schools operate in contexts of adversity that can pose considerable challenges with developing collective agency. Schools serving high-poverty communities of color often face chronic resource…

The California Community College (CCC) system is the largest higher education system in the United States and serves diverse students. However, CCC's leadership does not mirror the diversity of its student population. Senior-level positions continue to be dominated by White men, highlighting the lack of diversity among leadership at these…

This qualitative study examined the stories of women of color (WOC) executive leaders working on a California State University (CSU) campus, exploring how they have achieved success and persevered in the face of systemic barriers. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight WOC leaders, this dissertation explored their individual experiences and…

Undocumented students graduate from high school at 98,000 per year nationally (27,000 annually in California). School counselors are certificated campus professionals tasked with social, emotional, college, and career interventions for all students and also provide advocacy between students and any barriers interfering with school safety, mental…

Formal schooling in the U.S. has a long and violent history towards Indigenous peoples, today morphing into exclusion and erasure. Using a novel longitudinal dataset of U.S. textbooks (n = 193) from California and Texas, published from 1850 to 2019, we seek to shine light on the issue through a comprehensive analysis of depictions of Indigenous…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how a student-centered curriculum engaged participants in critical analysis of the "female ideal" and to identify perceived barriers to physical activity. Method: Participants were nine fifth and sixth grade Hispanic/Latina or mixed race girls, and two researchers at an urban elementary…

Parents of children who are newly identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) face many decisions surrounding communication and intervention, including where to receive early intervention (EI) services. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of parents of DHH children enrolled in a center-based, family-centered EI program focused on…

Background: A promising method for improving physical inactivity among women is to increase their engagement in group-based exercise programs. Fitness communities are exercise groups that practice the principles of group dynamics and promote a lifestyle of physical activity by engaging members through social media and hosting social event/hangouts…

This study examined maintenance of treatment effects in a culturally tailored parent education program for Latinx families of children with autism spectrum disorder using a behavior maintenance framework. In a two-site randomized waitlist-control study, we compared differences in parent and child outcomes across three timepoints using linear mixed…

Though culturally relevant educational leadership has been practiced for more than 20 years, marginalized students from culturally diverse communities continue to be underserved. Additionally, other educational programs outside of traditional K-12 school environments are far less likely to have educational administrators who have any experience or…

Youth engagement is the meaningful and sustained involvement of young people in efforts to create positive social change. This approach requires youth-serving organizations to rebalance traditional power dynamics between adults and young people, allowing youths to take on decision-making responsibilities. Collective impact initiatives such as…

This study reports on a randomized controlled pilot intervention study examining the effectiveness and feasibility of a low-intensity (i.e. three sessions), low-cost, parent advocacy intervention. The intervention study employed community-partnered research methods and targeted a low-income community of mostly Latinx, immigrant-origin parents of…

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify and describe the impact of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) within Kern County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County in narrowing the achievement gap in underachieving populations identified as English Language Learners (ELL) and low socioeconomic…

The University of California (UC) Board of Regents, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees, the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors, and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) are responsible for selecting college and university chancellors and presidents. They also set policies on academics, admissions,…

From February to April, New America conducted over 30 interviews with experts, care providers, and union representatives, focusing on three states. This report outlines key considerations for improving care worker job quality through organizing. We also include case studies on care worker organizing in California, Illinois, Washington, and the…