The current study utilized data from young adults (undergraduate and graduate students) in order to examine the effect of feminist self-identification (as measured by the Self-Identification as a Feminist Scale) and feminist perspectives (as measured by the Feminist Perspectives Scale--Short Form) on self-efficacy (as measured by General…

This study re-frames learning disabilities (LD) through the emotion-laden talk of four Latina/o students with LD. The research questions included: 1) What are the emotion-laden talk of Latina/o students about being labeled with LD? 2) What are Latina/o students' emotion-laden talk of the idea of LD? I identified master narratives, the…

This qualitative study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of twice exceptional African American students in K-12 urban schools. Additionally, this study investigated the experiences of parents and educators in supporting twice exceptional African American students in urban schools. The sample comprised 8 twice exceptional African…

This is a case study about giving voice to a neurologically diverse (ND) community of high school students in a life skills classroom. It is about their lived experiences while involved in a collaborative drama production with a regular education drama class. The research of this study was driven by the assumptions, beliefs, and philosophy based…

This study uncovered some experiences and perspectives of four students of color during their educational journey through K-12 public schools as students identified with high incidence disabilities in school systems that exhibited ethnic disproportionality in special education. The participants reflected on their experiences to provide detailed…

Stigma is a social construct and a process of social rejection, devaluation and discrimination (Brown et al., 2010, p.351). The stigmatization of students who carry multiple labels does occur. When those labels are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) and Emotional Disturbance (ED), the perceived process of stigmatization may be difficult…

The purpose of this project was to explore strategies of how to help special needs children adapt according to their own abilities. Contributing factors, such as discrimination practices, served as the foundational components that led to the formation of special education services. At one time, "special needs children," also referred to…

The purpose of this qualitative survey study was to explore the student performance expectations, classroom management and instructional practices, and related professional experiences and specialized training of Career Technical Education (CTE) instructors at a Regional Occupational Center in Southern California in order to learn more about how…

Educators are being called upon to be equal contributors and collaborators within the emerging field of mind, brain, and education, which is a trans-disciplinary field that seeks to unite education, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience in a quest to address educational issues. In the wake of the excitement that resulted from the advancement of…

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe and better understand the meaning, structure, and essence of the experience of learning for adults labeled with learning disabilities as perceived by adults labeled with a "learning disability." Through a purposeful sampling method, six participants were chosen to participate in recorded…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between English learner achievement, overall student achievement, English language development, and reclassification. Meeting the needs of the growing English learner population has been an ongoing challenge across the nation and, in particular, the state of California. This…

This dissertation consists of three chapters that examine the effects of school and students improvement interventions. The first chapter investigates whether, for whom, and under which conditions high school mathematics and science course graduation requirements (CGRs) affect student achievement and educational attainment. Drawing on data from…

The purpose of the study was to explore the current perceptions of adults who were enrolled in the gifted program of the St. Louis Public Schools in the fall of 1959 or spring of 1960. At this time in history the Cold War was a reality and the U.S. enacted the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) to find talented young people and give them the…

The purpose of this study was to examine research studies conducted at the K-6 grades of public school in the U.S. covering from 1997-2008 with regard to how diverse students, in particular Latino, White, African American and Asian are identified, placed, and represented in special education programs at the national, state and school district…

Across the United States young women with disabilities are experiencing economic and educational disadvantages. Although post-school outcomes have shown improvement, young women continue to experience high unemployment rates, low wages, and high rates of poverty. In this study, I explore the experiences of four teenage girls who have been labeled…