This qualitative study sheds light on students' lived experiences regarding Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at Borderlands University (BU), a Hispanic-serving institution on the U.S.-Mexico border where First Peoples lived for thousands of years. This study supports Indigenous students whose dismal national college graduation rates…

This qualitative case study explored perceptions of learning support and student success, particularly for students of color who had enrolled in a college algebra course. The purpose of this study was primarily to include student voices in the conversations about student success. The study uses a qualitative case study approach in two ways: (1) to…

Black women have engaged through social media platforms, as a mechanism to uplift their embodiment, despite being relegated to the margins. The hashtag #BlackGirlMagic (BGM) is linked to narratives of Black women in higher education that are empowering and problematic. The development of the popular social media movement during a time when Black…

While several studies have discussed the existence of internalized oppression and the residuum of anti-Blackness at Black colleges and universities (learning spaces originally intended for Black scholarship), detailed experiences with and consequences of this phenomenon are not common. Using emergent design, this critical ethnography will examine…

Researchers have examined the experiences of Black undergraduate students attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Yet, there is little research on the experiences of first-generation Black undergraduate women who create and use support systems; as well as the role that these support systems play in the journey to obtain their…

Esports has been adopted by high schools across the country and around the world as a school-based opportunity for students to engage in competitive video gaming. Growth of esports in secondary schools has been informed independently by student and industry interests, leaving school administrators little understanding surrounding the motives and…

Theories abound on why school shootings occur. Current literature centers on shooter profiles and rarely focuses on where the shootings occur. This study investigates the relationship between impoverished schools and if those schools are more likely to experience a school shooting than non-impoverished schools. Four factors of poverty were…

The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary school teachers think about equity in relation to their goals in their computer science instruction, and to explore the strategies they articulated to make their practice more equitable. States are mandating computer science standards and instruction and requiring schools to teach the content…

Student activists have been an historic driver of higher education social justice reform. While this form of leadership is central to improving equity outcomes in higher education, scholars and practitioners often view organizational change as a top-down process centering senior administrators, staff, and faculty. Empowering student activists as…

The 2014 genocide against the Yazidi community, perpetrated by ISIS, represents one of the most devastating humanitarian crises of the 21st century. This qualitative case study explores the lived experiences of Yazidi women, aged 25-40, who have resettled in Nebraska after surviving unspeakable atrocities, including mass killings, sexual…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on students and schools. Although significant attention has been devoted to issues of learning loss and academic implications of the pandemic and resultant school closures, educators and families have also identified young people's affective well-being as a critical area of focus. The purpose of…

This literature review discusses the importance of proper transition support for students in special education and the correlation between their postsecondary success. The transition from K-12 to postsecondary education is essential to student success after graduating from high school and completing higher education programs. Students who need a…

This study borrows its title from the hashtag #CopsoutCPS, which is a student-led movement in Chicago to end the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program and divest from policing in Chicago Public Schools. This case study cross-analyzes student, staff, and community narratives on the transitional developments in alternative safety and student…

For centuries, Black people have fought and wrestled against forces of human domination that have hindered their progression to obtain and maintain basic needs, particularly in higher education. More specifically, white supremacist structures have sought to prevent Black people from being educated and taught about their history with emphasis on…

Prior research on student voice shows that when adults genuinely listen to and value student input, students are more likely to feel they belong and can learn in their educational setting. Given this, the purpose of this research study was to evaluate if previously disenfranchised students would develop a greater sense of agency, academic identity…