The purpose of this mixed methods study is to better understand the diverse needs of Latine newcomer families relocating to the United States and enrolling in a southeastern elementary school. Specifically, this study gathered and analyzed the unique experiences of these families immigrating into the U.S. to fully comprehend what they have been…

Within the last decade, scholars of color have researched and advocated for better support for first-generation, Latine students, in particular through the critical analysis of the impact of the campus racial climate (Franklin et al., 2014; Huerta & Fishman, 2014; Hurtado & Alvarado, 2015; Kouyoumdijan et al., 2017). These reimagined…

Existing measures of belonging in schools do not explicitly elevate the contextual and cultural insights of the educators and students they were designed to assess. Our study addresses this shortcoming through the co-creation of an Opportunities to Belong survey measure for urban middle schoolers. The tool was developed in partnership with…

Cultural mismatch theory of inequality and associated research indicates that a mismatch between independent cultural norms of institutions of higher education and students' interdependent backgrounds account for disparities in academic achievement for students from historically underrepresented groups. Despite growing interest in interventions to…

Valencia presents the most comprehensive, theory-based analysis to date on how society and schools are structurally organized and maintained to impede the optimal academic achievement of low-SES, marginalized K-12 Black and Latino/Latina students--compared to their privileged White counterparts. The book interrogates how society contributes to…

Hispanic and African American student-fathers are an invisible population in the student support literature on college campuses. In this qualitative study, we examined the lived experiences of 17 student-fathers attending Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Six themes emerged from our data: family…

To inform higher education and student affairs (HESA) professionals who work with college students outside of the classroom, we asked the research question: How do undocumented Latinx college students use aspirational capital to navigate higher education? Aspirational capital is the ability to maintain hopes and dreams for the future in the face…

This qualitative study explored how the life experiences of nontraditional Latina students influenced their decision to transfer from a community college to a state university as early childhood majors. Guided by Validation Theory, the researchers share the participants' stories in the areas of early schooling, language, and familial influences in…

College student parents are a unique population not always heard on college campuses. The current study reports the voice of student parents and their challenges in pursuing higher education, while raising children at a 4-year Hispanic Serving Institution. Seven hundred and eighty-six student parents participated, among whom 54% were Hispanic (n =…

The Latinx population has significantly transformed the demography of the United States and its institutions of higher education. Yet, despite the increase of Latinx students obtaining their bachelor's degrees (U.S. Census 2021) and having one of the highest college enrollment rates, Latinxs have the lowest college attainment (Ayala and Chalupa…

The problem addressed by this study was the high dropout rate of Latinx students precipitated by academic problems and exacerbated by poor student-teacher relationships. The purpose of this qualitative narrative case study was to understand how student-teacher relationships affected Latinx students' decision to drop out of school. The guiding…

Early college high schools (ECHS) were created to disrupt inequities in the secondary school systems by intentionally serving underserved students in higher education. Using Acevedo-Gil's (2017) College-"Concimiento" model, this qualitative "testimonio" study primarily focused on the narratives of 12 Latin* first-generation…

This research study aimed to examine the social factors that could influence the academic learning experiences of Latino college students. Latino students are pursuing post-secondary degrees at a higher rate than in previous years. Many Latinos represent their respective family members as the first members of their respective families to attend…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide a detailed accounting of the experiences of Latino students who persist in higher education. The supports and barriers they encountered, as well as their recommendations for educational stakeholders looking to effect persistence were examined. The grand tour question guiding this research was:…

This qualitative study focuses on understanding the motivational factors driving Latino students to pursue higher education and the obstacles hindering their enrollment. We conducted eleven focus group sessions, involving five distinct groups: students, parents, teachers, and counselors from public high schools, as well as two adult learner…