Americans pursue college degrees with hopes that this achievement will open doors and create opportunities for life- and family-sustaining, professional employment. But due to systemic barriers, institutionalized racism and intentional denial and exclusion of women of color, many would-be graduates are still denied access to a college degree…

Participation in Informal STEM education (ISE) programs is becoming increasingly common among pre-college students. These programs often state improving broadening participation in STEM as part of their mission. ISE programs are known to foster heightened student engagement due to flattened student-teacher hierarchy, free choice, self-directed…

This qualitative study examined the college choice process of high-achieving, secondary African American female students enrolled at a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-focused Academy aspiring to study STEM at a 4-year college or university. Minority women, unlike White women and racial minority men, face a double bind as…

This ethnographic case study employed a person-centered approach to explore the experiences of a Latinx family navigating an elite, predominantly White independent school in Los Angeles. The study aimed to examine how individual and collective identity development were shaped by these experiences, utilizing Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the interventions used to enable girls in primary schools in Jakiri to have a basic education. The research questions also focused on determining whether the interventions were the same for girls and boys and identified areas in further need of interventions and improvement.…

This dissertation examines the different aspects of education policies and their socioeconomic implications through three distinct research papers. The first chapter investigates the causal impact of grade retention in primary school on juvenile crime in Chile and it was written jointly with Juan Diaz, Nicolas Grau, and Jorge Rivera. Utilizing a…

Higher education in Nigeria is provided by institutions, such as the universities, colleges, and polytechnics in conjunction with the monotechnic (accredited by federal, state, and private institutions specialized in providing instructions on a single scientific or technical subjects, such as agriculture and related disciplines). Supervisory…

Using creative autoethnographic "testimonio" (CAT), a story is told about the injustices within the learning environment and work environment of higher education toward a person with disabilities: sleep apnea, learning disabilities, negative mental health. The author explores the health difficulties of addressing sleep deprivation while…

Contrary to the rhetoric around a post-racial United States, Black male students are not experiencing equitable outcomes in higher education. Community colleges are a critical access point to higher education for Black males; however, they are not graduating, transferring, or entering the workforce at an acceptable pace. The purpose of this…

The adoption of Free Primary Education in 2003 has expanded access to millions of children in Kenya. However, large numbers of children are still out of school. The majority of the out-of-school children belong to ethnic minority groups and the rural and urban poor, who live in abject poverty. This situation is disturbing given that free primary…

The purpose of this study was to reveal the ways in which first-generation women in Tanzania explained their success in pursuing a university education despite cultural and social obstacles. Such obstacles include social policies, socio-cultural factors, and academic factors. A review of the literature revealed that issues such as patriarchy,…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic…