Solid and resilient democracies rest upon an informed citizenry capable of critiquing societal issues and reimagining alternative scenarios. Traditional school-based civic and social justice education, however, often falls short of addressing the diverse needs of today's youth, often relying on instructionist pedagogies focused on factual…

This dissertation investigates the nuanced portrayal of higher education in superhero comic books, particularly the 13 years of publication from 1965 to 1978 when Peter Parker/Spider-Man was an undergraduate at Empire State University. Depictions of higher education and how they can influence perceptions of academia and its intersections with…

Considered normative from the second half of the 20th century (Danziger, 1990), null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) has received consistent, largely unheeded criticism. Critiques have received more attention in recent years with the recognition of the replication crisis in the social sciences and the American Statistical Society's statement…

As data becomes an integral part of our lives, the general public faces the increasing need to actively engage with data to participate in daily activities, support personal goals, and understand social issues. Formal data science training, however, remains out of reach for most people and does not cater to their diverse needs related to data.…

What has it meant to produce knowledge and to teach at the intersection of English literature and Black Studies? This dissertation asks after the history and function of Black literary studies as it emerged as an academic discipline in the late 20th century U.S. academy. I propose that Black literary studies' institutional knowledge project is…

For decades, evaluators have noted that it is difficult for stakeholders to accept negative evaluation results (Carter, 1971; Taut & Brauns, 2003). There is a need for additional research on evaluation to better understand when and why stakeholders reject negative or critical evaluation findings. Drawing on social identity theory (SIT), the…

The field of Data Science has seen rapid growth over the past two decades, with a high demand for people with skills in data analytics, programming, statistics, and ability to visualize, predict from, and otherwise make sense of data. Alongside the rise of various artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications, we have also…

The current makeup of the PK-12 educational workforce is largely White persons. However, the demographic makeup of the student body is soon to be a majority of students of color. This is problematic due to the disproportionate statistics of students of color being suspended at higher rates than White students, the "achievement gap"…

The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning model is touted by its proponents for its potential in broadening access and participation in STEM learning through deep, authentic engagement in integrated STEM and arts practices. One location STEAM learning occurs is the new media arts classroom, where learners use…

The purpose of this study was to analyze my own leadership experiences as a White cisgender female elementary school principal and how my white privilege contributed to maintaining white supremacy and systemic racism. The purpose was also to explore the impact of the evolution of my white racial frame and intentionally break my silence about white…

Teenagers today are coming of age under unprecedented, pervasive networks of institutional mass surveillance technologies. Surveillance technologies spreading in youth spaces are impacting young people's prospects today and are expected to continue in the future. Additionally, today's teenagers will be tomorrow's decision-makers, tasked with…

This two-article dissertation explores and exploits the heterogeneity of the social world that becomes visible at times of crisis--in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic created a portal to study the dynamics of race and capitalism. In this dissertation, I conduct critical analyses of systems of oppression at the institutional…

This project evaluates enrichment offered by a Health Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (HSDEI) department tasked with embedding and retaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in six health sciences schools in an urban higher education institution. The evaluation centers on the realities of a primarily white institution's schools of…

Though Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training (DEI) has proliferated, facilitators still seek effective tools to support the growth of anti-racist consciousness in participants. An avenue with great promise around these needs is how shared reflexive vulnerability can promote the growth of this consciousness. Using the tools of microethnographic…

There is a dearth of research concerning critical communities of learning in affluent Catholic high schools. This ethnography captured a culture of praxis developed through the process of five educators team-teaching an interdisciplinary AP Seminar course at St. Aurelia's Catholic High School on Long Island, New York, from September 2021 to…