For decades, researchers have studied the need for students to have educators that reflect their same ethnic backgrounds. Despite the many known benefits of having culturally diverse educators, the field of education has a huge demographic divide between the rapidly growing PreK-12 Latinx student population and its educational leaders. Currently,…

This study examined and compared language ideologies and attitudes among dual language program (Spanish-English) graduates regarding their use of Spanish and perceptions of their bilingual education experience through surveys and semi-structured interviews. Drawing from the theory of ideology, data was analyzed using both quantitative and…

The trends and challenges faced by Hispanic superintendents in Illinois are stated and analyzed throughout the study in both literature and practice. The examined items centered on the issues of hiring experiences and other barriers associated with the acquisition and longevity of the superintendency in Illinois. Data for the study were collected…

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the Hispanic students attending Northeastern Illinois University, a four-year institution in Chicago, IL, and their student success. Little is known descriptively and statistically about this population at NEIU, which serves as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. In addition, little is known about…

This research investigates forces that shaped the issuance of the 1980 Consent Decree and the factors that led to the Court's determination when Chicago Public School District made the necessary school desegregation changes to be removed from judicial oversight. Using a historical case study design, this research explores the impact of a federal…

This dissertation examines the student academic achievement through various mechanisms, put in place by the public school district, classroom student behavior, and negative external shocks to the students' living environment. I examine the impacts of various treatments on student short and long run academic outcomes such as math and English test…

This dissertation elaborates the findings of a qualitative investigation of a year-long mathematics classroom in an urban, untracked, neighborhood (i.e., non-selective-enrollment) public high school in Chicago where students (all Latino/a and Black, from low-income families) and teacher co-created a classroom to "read the mathematical…

This dissertation presents a research study of the perceived level of parent involvement in primarily Hispanic secondary schools within Chicago Public Schools (CPS) with relationship to the type of leadership practices self-identified by that school's principal. Data was collected via a questionnaire which was administered to parents of secondary…