The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore graduate student senates in higher education institutions to have a better understanding of their history, role, functions, power, influence, and effectiveness in addressing the needs of graduate students. The theoretical framework for this study draws on concepts from political science and…

Undocumented students graduate from high school at 98,000 per year nationally (27,000 annually in California). School counselors are certificated campus professionals tasked with social, emotional, college, and career interventions for all students and also provide advocacy between students and any barriers interfering with school safety, mental…

Through an arts-based autoethnography, I explored the influences and experiences that informed my approach to leading Black youth empowerment programming. Although there is a significant amount of scholarship on Black youth empowerment programming and its importance to Black children, there is limited literature on how one becomes a Black youth…

This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of nonprofit employees who, in their formal roles, actively promoted racial equity within their organizations. The research investigates the origins of their commitment, the multifaceted challenges they face, and the transformative potential embedded in their efforts. Employing a…

Despite the fact that American public schools are subject to First Amendment restrictions that prohibit government establishment of a national religion and interference in individuals' worship practices, there is evidence that Christianity may be privileged over other faith traditions and non-belief in some public school environments (Blumenfeld,…

This dissertation examined the contribution of higher education to the understanding and practice of women's empowerment, as perceived by adult Afghan men and women living in the city of Kabul who attended universities either in or out of Afghanistan. While studying the concept of women's empowerment, this work defined empowerment through its core…

This critical action research study demonstrated the importance of creating liberatory learning environments for Black and Brown student scholars through culturally relevant pedagogy. Decolonization paradigms were employed to understand the impact of colonization and how it currently influences educational structures for Black and Brown students…

The current music education paradigm may be considered an oppressive experience for both students and teachers through its historical foundation, standardized nature, and focus on Western art repertoire and its associated skill building. Realizing the oppressive nature of many aspects of music education, some scholars and practitioners have sought…

This dissertation explores the dynamics of a formal classroom and an informal nature-based learning environment, focusing on their impact on student subjectification and knowledge authority. The study, conducted with a cohort of 27 fifth-grade students and their teacher, employs a comparative case study methodology to analyze how teaching…

Given the significance of school leaders and leadership to teaching, learning, and student success, research on school principal leadership has expanded from its foundations in Western Anglo-American nations to international, diverse, and historically marginalized contexts. However, an enduring critique and limitation of the educational leadership…

Teacher leadership reflects leadership in schools that is distributed across the organization; is collaborative in nature; and is enacted through a process of influence. Although teacher leadership is important not only in effective school leadership but also in the development, autonomy, and well-being of teachers, existing elementary school…

Black male students discover themselves in a quandary with respect to schooling. Although, there is a need and desire to be educated therein also lies a systemic dominant culture within higher education that works to devalue Black male students' culture, voice, and lived experiences. Even though abundant programs have been carried out in colleges…

Food insecurity is a global concern and is acute in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa as well as pockets in the global North. In the lush green spaces of "God's Own Country", the state of Kerala in India, about 379,000 women are engaged in farming in about 75,800 groups. Spearheaded by Kudumbashree, the State Poverty Eradication Mission…

The purpose of this project was to lift up the stories of Filipinx staff and their meaning-making, meanings, and enactments of decolonization. Through journaling, an online group meeting, and individual interviews with five staff in higher education in the United States, I aimed to answer the following research questions: How do Filipinx higher…

This critical autoethnographic study examined my experiences navigating educational institutions from young adulthood to adulthood, as seen through the eyes of a Black girl growing up to become a Black woman. Specifically, this study included an examination of 10 critical incidents with a combination of the past 7 years of my life that explain the…