This ex post facto, quasi-experimental quantitative study investigated the impact of the implementation of student voice conferences on reading assessment scores and equitable differentiated instructional tasks designed for a productive struggle during teacher lesson planning. Six teachers and 132 students from one suburban elementary school…

In this dissertation, I argue that there is value in treating students as implementors during processes of educational innovation. I lay the groundwork for this argument through a review of literature comparing best practices in the implementation of innovations in higher education with best practices from active learning, blended learning, and…

This study aims to develop a playbook of best practices for balancing academics and athletics among Black male student-athletes (BMSA), addressing the increasing rates of academic setbacks. A comprehensive review of research data on interventions and programs, including insights from Balfanz et al. (2007), highlights the urgency of this issue.…

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…

Students at a suburban high school in the American Mountain West have been separated by race, linguistic ability, and socio-economic status for decades, and the research posits that the ways in which students have moved in cohorts throughout past decades has largely determined their academic pathways in high school. The researcher studied eight…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how online doctoral graduates of color in the United States described their social, academic, and faculty interaction experiences that led to degree completion. The researcher used a purposive criterion sample that consisted of online doctoral graduates of color. Data was collected…

Although past studies of mentoring at-risk youth have yielded mixed results (Faith et al., 2011; DeWit et al., 2016), mentoring as an intervention for at-risk youth has increased in the past decade and has been supported by the United States Federal Government (Hughes, Boyd, & Dykstra, 2010; Gordon, Downey, & Bangert, 2013; Reddick,…

Which programmatic principles of community engagement have a higher potential to irritate the beliefs that college students hold regarding their own power, privilege, understanding of social justice? This study takes a qualitative approach to the exploration of three groups of students representing curricular community engagement, co-curricular…

With a population of over 24 million, Asian Americans are the most misunderstood and oversimplified racial and ethnic group in the United States. In higher education, Asian American college students are a rapidly growing population, yet their challenges in navigating their Asian American identity in college environments and surroundings have often…

Through a strength-based narrative, this study examined the academic resiliency of Latinas in higher education as they pursued their dreams of a college education. Research indicates that Latinas are at risk of not completing college, have low graduation rates, and face numerous challenges in their college journeys (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007;…

National data reveals that college access is most challenging for traditionally underrepresented students, including minoritized, first-generation college attendees and students from low-income families (Gibbons & Borders, 2010). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black first-generation college students (FGCS)…

Student engagement in the learning process drastically declines as students make their way through the education system from fifth grade onward. Student disengagement increases the likelihood a child will eventually drop out of school. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the promotion of student engagement,…

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the role of Latino parents and their contributions to their daughter's pursuit of higher education from the perspective of both the parent and the daughter. Yosso's (2005, 2006) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework served as a data analysis tool to explore the primary question guiding…

This four-article dissertation is about fostering learning relationships online during the COVID-19 pandemic with undergraduate teaching fellows and adolescent learners enrolled in a summer enrichment program (SummerSpark). I, along with six undergraduate students (teaching fellows), created a "relational learning community" (RLC) to…

Millions of individuals in the United States experience problematic substance use that progresses to Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Many people who eventually achieve remission of their SUD symptoms seek vocational and personal fulfillment through pursuing a career in behavioral health counseling with a specific focus in counseling for addictions.…