Mexican American educational history has become a vibrant field of study since the late 1980s. In the last seven years, however, it is notable that this research has inspired community-based efforts to preserve and publicly commemorate challenges to unequal education. In this commentary, we discuss the archival recovery of the "Francisco…

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of seven Mexican American community college philosophy students in their journeys to becoming philosophers in the U.S.-Mexico border, between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Philosophy is one of the least diverse academic fields in the United…

This study addresses common assumptions about women of the borderlands while embracing a transformative consciousness in understanding, making, and reclaiming the meaning of citizenship for Mexican American women from the Rio Grande Valley. This critical ethnography recognizes Chicana Feminist epistemologies as a form of knowledge. Therefore, this…

Currently, there is limited research examining the barriers that immigrant professionals experience when becoming a bilingual teacher in the United States. This study examines the trajectory of a Mexican national, trained as a teacher in his home country, who became a bilingual dual-language educator in a Central Texas school district. Drawing on…

Honoring the voices needing to be heard, the research investigated the lived experiences of six Syrian Muslim refugee women who resettled in the United States after the 2011 Syrian War. Data analysis was informed by qualitative research methodology and narrative inquiry. The stories of Syrian women in this study highlight the complexities of…

Due to the recency of the pandemic, there is a somewhat limited understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on educational settings. A 2020 British study engaged teachers in narrative research and found six themes: (1) uncertainty; (2) finding a way; (3) worry for the vulnerable; (4) importance of relationships; (5) teacher identity; and (6)…

Educators who understand the benefits to children of expanding their exposure to arts often have to find innovative ways to bring arts education to children who otherwise would not be exposed to quality and inspiring arts experiences.

In northern Botswana, conflict between subsistence farmers and elephants can result in destroyed agricultural crops and death for both species. In June of 2016, students and faculty mentors from four universities traveled to the Okavango Delta region of Botswana to participate in a community education project designed to develop locally relevant…

Using community cultural wealth as an overarching theoretical lens and validation theory interconnected with language and identity frameworks, this paper describes the educational trajectories of Latinx bilingual pre- and in-service teachers in the borderlands. This study explores how its participants experienced struggles and resilience while…

This paper examines the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) "PISA for Schools," a new variant of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that compares school-level performance on reading, math and science with international schooling systems (e.g., Shanghai-China, Finland). Specifically, I…

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and best practices related to planning and designing today's academic library learning spaces. As part of the Project Information Literacy (PIL) Practitioner Series, qualitative data is presented from 49 interviews conducted with a sample of academic librarians, architects, and library consultants.…

Community colleges located along the Texas-México border provide an initial gateway for many of its local Latino students. Scholars highlight that Latino male students, compared to their female peers are less likely to complete a community college degree. We utilized Rendón's Theory of Validation and Borderlands theories to examine the academic…

A model is presented for coordinated community planning to address multiple service needs in two countries. Two communities, one in western Texas and one in the United Kingdom, found that despite the considerable efforts of multiple organizations, the local social, educational, and health services remained uncoordinated. Furthermore, there was no…

Since its launch in September 2015, Heads Up America has collected information on nearly 125 promise programs across the country, many of which were instituted long before President Barack Obama announced the America's College Promise (ACP) plan in 2015. At least 27 new free community college programs have launched in states, communities, and at…

The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of how successful secondary schools located along the Texas-Mexico border, particularly those enrolling predominantly Latino students, have supported high achievement among their student population and promoted parental involvement. The roles and perspectives of parents and school community…