Despite the widely recognized effectiveness of place-based education (PBE) by researchers in the science education community, there is a lack of resources and curriculum appropriate for the environment of urban schools. Unequal access to quality science curriculum materials is an ongoing issue facing urban schools in the United States. This basic…

Research suggests discrepancies between principals of color and White principals in their motivations and reflections on racism and how it shapes their philosophies, practice, and persistence in leading schools in historically underserved urban communities. Several scholars have discussed the pivotal role of early racial identity experiences in…

School choice is often utilized in school districts for access and opportunity. Researchers have found that school choice does not inherently provide access to students. The goal of this mixed methods study was to determine if implementing a new platform for families to use in applying to magnet programs in an urban district would mitigate…

This dissertation study explores a voluntary preservice teacher led club, LEARN (pseudonym) focused on urban education. The club meetings varied consisting of approximately 10-15 Preservice Teacher (PST) members each session. Members were predominantly White newcomer and oldcomer participants that met regularly (twice a month) to engage in various…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of practicing teachers, including their origins of mindset related to urban education, and to explore how their preparation for teaching in urban schools enabled them to implement culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms. There is ample…

Problem: The high attrition rate among teachers poses significant challenges for schools (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Covay Minor et al., 2019; Hammonds, 2017; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Kamrath & Bradford, 2020; Ryu & Jinnai, 2021), particularly in urban settings with diverse student populations (Carver-Thomas &…

The aviation industry expects over two million new personnel in the next twenty years to ensure safe commercial travel and support long-term growth. However, the industry needs more diversity. This study gathered information from administrators and educators in a large, diverse urban school district to address this issue through questionnaires and…

Schools in the United States average an annual teacher turnover of 16%, with half of all teachers who change jobs also leaving the profession. This problem is important because high teacher turnover interrupts the development of pedagogical acumen among teachers, adversely affects student achievement, and diverts budget dollars that are needed…

This historical study examines how the Boston Teachers' Union responded to the ever-changing complexities of urban education in the years 1980-2010. Using sociohistorical methods along with loose-coupling theory, it details the union's relationship with other decision-making sectors within the school district and the state, as well as documenting…

This study sought to understand the perceptions of African American males enrolled in remedial education courses within two-year institutions. The researcher gathered information by interviewing ten African American male students at community colleges in southern urban locations. This qualitative research allowed the researcher to learn directly…

The purpose of this qualitative study was two-fold: (a) to understand the perceptions and experiences of urban high school disciplinary teachers' specific discourse communities and disciplinary literacy practices in a Midwestern metropolitan city, and (b) to understand these teachers' perceptions related to the literacy initiative at Eastside High…

This research presents a qualitative case study of a middle school principal in New York City who made significant progress in creating the opportunity to learn at a school that predominantly serves children of color. The study analyzed the principal's leadership behaviors and decision-making strategies through a series of document reviews,…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the academic experiences of low socioeconomic status ESL learners enrolled in a mid-sized urban community college located in Pennsylvania. The theory that guided this study is Walberg's theory on educational productivity, as it looks at how learners' psychological…

This qualitative study investigated secondary teachers' definitions of information literacy and how they teach information literacy in the classroom. The sample consisted of 15 secondary teachers in a large, urban public high school. I used qualitative interviews to determine teachers' understanding of information literacy and analyzed documents…

Struggle is a behavior that is often perceived in a negative light in education. Students respond to struggle by avoiding them. Likewise, educators respond by removing obstacles (e.g., heavily scaffolded instruction) or providing assistance prematurely. The ability and opportunity to engage in struggle, specifically productive struggle, is…