Hispanic and Latinx students are typically an underperforming population at many colleges and universities across the country, but that is not the case at one Hispanic Serving Institution in Georgia. The Hispanic and Latinx student population at Dalton State College is an anomaly when it comes to their retention and graduation rates. This study…

This dissertation investigates the relationship between ethnicity and place among 44 young adult Latino English speakers in the state of Georgia using a mixed-methods approach. While varieties of Latino English have been studied in traditional destination communities (TDCs) like Texas, California, or New York, where the Latino populations are…

Local education agencies often misidentify ELLs as students with disabilities, given the difficulty distinguishing between language proficiency and learning disability when evaluating causes for minimal academic achievement. This study sought to explore factors of instructional self-efficacy influencing the academic outcomes of Hispanic English…

This qualitative Participatory Action Research (PAR) study, conducted at the University of Georgia, delved into the experiences of Hispanic students within the Latinos/as Invested in the Students of Tomorrow (LISTo) student organization. Central to the study was familismo, a crucial Hispanic cultural construct, and its role in fostering ethnic…

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed Every Student Success Act (ESSA), which reauthorized the 50-year-old ESEA commitment to equal opportunity for all students (U. S. Department of Education, n.d.). One of the provisions included all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and…

Latinx students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE; ages 18-20), not enrolled in school, often do not fully employ mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) strategies to acquire English and may experience barriers to using MALL strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore what MALL strategies Latinx SLIFE (ages 18-20), not…

The study detailed the life history of a family of five, Georgia high school graduates, undocumented students using semi-structured interviews. Because the five participants were all of Latino descent and undocumented students, their lived experiences were expected to add to the relatively young research concerning the sensitive, yet powerful,…

This study deconstructed the degree to which novice White teachers in an elementary school in a rural middle Georgia district were aware of and prepared for the challenges inherent in teaching in a predominantly African American classroom. Four novice, White teachers participated in the study. The student population of the school was 72% African…

The U.S. Census bureau projects that by 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children. The population of school-aged Hispanic children is already the largest ethnic group, and the sheer number and rate of increase of these linguistically and culturally different students creates unfamiliar cultural challenges for school leaders.…

A number of factors seem to contribute to low student achievement in the organization of education. Some of these factors exist prior to children reaching school age. It seems as though a vast quantity of minority students struggle academically. Research supports the belief that socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and single-parent families have an…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, signed into law in January 2002, established a decade of test-driven school reform in an attempt to increase student achievement and reduce the student achievement gap. The state of Georgia created the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) to align with the guidelines of NCLB. This study examined…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether selected independent variables are good predictors of athletic participation among Mexican students. The selected independent variables were gender, GPA, attendance, discipline referrals, and success on the Georgia High School Graduation Test. The dependent variable was participation in athletics.…

Because children living in poverty and minorities consistently demonstrate persistent reading difficulties (Adams, 1990), Congress intervened and passed the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2006) mandating that scientifically based reading research be implemented in the primary grades. Quantitative studies presented in the…