This phenomenological study investigated the impact of culturally proficient leadership behaviors on culturally diverse school populations and sought to identify culturally responsive practices used by culturally proficient school leaders. The research was conducted in a suburban Title I school district in California with a diverse student…

Advocates for marginalized students have worked to understand the equity implications of public policy and its application on educational performance gaps. This study investigated equity policies in a southern California community college intervention program: the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). EOPS is an equity program created…

A discrepancy in high school graduation rates for low socioeconomic students has been a historical trend. Despite evidence that reduced high school completion rates limit these students' career options and earning potential, state and national data consistently show a higher failure-to-graduate rate for them despite government interventions to…

School choice is a tool used to fight inequality and is important to consider how students are assigned to schools. The essays in this dissertation study mechanisms designed to improve and understand students' attendance at schools. Chapter 1 examines the inequality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to schools switching to a hybrid…

Purpose: To fill a gap in literature, this phenomenological study explored the experience of teaching the arts online in Title I schools. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework for this study was based on the Studio Habits of Mind (SHoMs). For the purposes of this study, the researcher focused on three of the SHoMs: (a) stretch and…

The problem of the study involved the pandemic exasperating the learning conditions for students of economic disadvantage and teacher turnover rates. Before the pandemic, educators of students of economic disadvantage worked in conditions that did not offer them the same experiences as educators in schools with fewer low-socioeconomic status.…

Career and technical education (CTE) prepares disadvantaged students for employment or secondary education. The problem addressed by this study was that many African American high school students are not enrolling in CTE despite efforts to prioritize historically underserved students. A qualitative exploratory case study was used to address this…

Sense of belonging is of vital importance to children's success in schools. School environments play an important role in socializing students toward education and educational attainment. Feeling a sense of belonging at school is linked to higher levels of student emotional and physical well-being and better academic performance and achievement.…

Sense of belonging is of vital importance to children's success in schools. School environments play an important role in socializing students toward education and educational attainment. Feeling a sense of belonging at school is linked to higher levels of student emotional and physical well-being and better academic performance and achievement.…

Sense of belonging is of vital importance to children's success in schools. School environments play an important role in socializing students toward education and educational attainment. Feeling a sense of belonging at school is linked to higher levels of student emotional and physical well-being and better academic performance and achievement.…

The opportunity gap between Black and Brown students and their White counterparts in math performance is present in our middle school math classrooms. This opportunity gap creates an urgent need for educators to prepare middle school math teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to build the math content and math identity of…

Pre-college access programs operating in high schools commonly focus on assisting underserved and historically excluded populations of students in preparing for, applying to, and enrolling in postsecondary education. Through two analyses, this study examines the efficacy of two types of access programs in facilitating postsecondary enrollment and…

China has witnessed unprecedented higher education expansion since the 1990s. The gross higher education enrollment rate--the percentage of student population of all ages enrolled in the higher education institutions relative to the total 18-22 population--has increased from 9.8% in 1998 to more than 40% in 2016. As the overall postsecondary…

Educational equity programs have been created to provide opportunities and resources for upward social mobility to low-SES individuals and students, students of color, historically marginalized students, and first-generation college students. This research study focused on educational equity programs recognized as the federally funded TRIO…

Research highlights various barriers within the U.S educational system for underserved populations, more specifically for low-income families, which create gaps in students learning and achievement. Differential ability, susceptibility, or differential in opportunity are some causes of inequity in access. Additionally, research leads to unfairness…