Motivations for bisexual Latino men to have sex have been often overlooked in sexuality education research. This analysis examined the associations between motivations for sex (using the AMORE questionnaire) with a sample of 148 bisexual Latino men. We found that (1) depression was positively associated with sex to relieve stress; (2) machismo was…

New Jersey's School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) is a "weighted" funding formula, designed to deliver adequate funding based on the unique student needs in every school district across the state. The SFRA included key elements to address long-standing racial and socio-economic disparities in New Jersey's public school system, most notably…

This dissertation disaggregates the "Hispanic" category to examine the various factors shaping the educational trajectories of students who encompass this large ethnic group. This project consists of three studies, each presenting the perspectives of principal stakeholders: families, schools, and a community-based educational initiative.…

Many American schools continue to struggle with segregation. This important book tells the story of how two school districts--one a predominantly White and wealthy suburban community and the other a more diverse and urbanized community--were merged into a single district to work toward a solution for school segregation. The authors focus on the…

Camden City School District is committed to identifying and serving students experiencing homelessness to ensure they receive a free, appropriate public education. It considers data from students enrolled in district schools at the conclusion of each of the 2014-15 to 2018-19 school years as well as publicly available data from other local…

After bringing hidden inequities to light, a high-performing school district set out to reverse course. The district adopted two key practices to center issues of equity: the development of a district-specific metric, the Opportunity Index, and deep analysis of deceleration patterns in course taking among certain groups. These practices, alongside…

The purpose of this study was to identify key features associated with the successful transition from prison to community life of ex-offending African American and Latino males who have not recidivated in 3 years or more. To better understand and to identify these factors, I conducted 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews between January 2015…

Over the past 30 years, numerous policies have focused on closing the achievement gap in the United States. Despite this emphasis on mastery and proficiency, students continue to perform below expectations. We use standardized math test performance to explore whether schools have been able to eliminate the achievement gap across middle-level…

Thomas Hatch, Rachel Roegman, and David Allen draw on examples from three districts in New Jersey -- one of the most segregated states in the United States for Black and Latinx students -- to present a multidimensional approach to creating equitable learning experiences. This approach begins with a focus on instruction but also takes into account…

Latino degree attainment and skill development are important to the nation's need for a competitive workforce and strong civic leadership. To help Latino students enter and be competitive in the workforce, trendsetting institutions are adapting their efforts to support students' strengths and meet their needs. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)…

The study of short-"a" (e.g., the vowel in words such as "bat," "bad," "bang," "ban") in New York City English (NYCE) has a long history, and with many different descriptions of this complex system (e.g., Babbitt 1896; Trager 1930; Labov 1966/2006; Cohen 1970; Labov 2007). It is complex due to the…

Since 2014 the New Jersey Department of Education has offered three high school equivalency (HSE) exams for nongraduates seeking credentials: the GED, the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). This study used data on exam takers who had been grade 8 students in a New Jersey public school between…

Since 2014 New Jersey has offered three exams to demonstrate high school equivalency (HSE): the GED, the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). The New Jersey Department of Education wants to know the characteristics of exam takers, whether passing rates vary across HSE exams, and how a recent…

Since 2014 the New Jersey Department of Education has offered three high school equivalency (HSE) exams for nongraduates seeking credentials: the GED, the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). The "Characteristics and Performance of High School Equivalency Exam Takers in New Jersey"…

Understanding the challenges of Latino undocumented students in high school is crucial to improving their success rates in college. Based on interviews with 60 Latino undocumented youths, I explore the barriers to proper educational guidance for this population. Results indicate that undocumented youths often lack accurate information about…