The problem of the study involved the pandemic exasperating the learning conditions for students of economic disadvantage and teacher turnover rates. Before the pandemic, educators of students of economic disadvantage worked in conditions that did not offer them the same experiences as educators in schools with fewer low-socioeconomic status.…

Background: Evaluations of effectiveness of educational reforms are often based on the level of improvement in student performance from one cycle of a particular assessment to the next. However, improvements in overall performance do not necessarily translate to improved equality. Indeed, improvements that favour certain subgroups of students can…

"Teacher Diversity and Student Success" makes a powerful case for diversifying the teaching force as an important policy lever for closing achievement gaps and moving schools closer to equity goals. Written by three leading scholars, the book provides nuanced solutions on how to diversify the teaching force, increase student exposures to…

Tennessee's community colleges are committed to reducing equity gaps. According to the Tennessee Board of Regents' (TBR) equity policy, this commitment means "ensuring that each student has access to a high-quality education and that each student receives what they need to be successful through the intentional design of the college…

What if a district utilized its teacher onboarding program to prioritize the development of a culturally responsive lens to meet the needs of its diverse student population? Public school districts in the United States have long served as a platform that reproduces oppression and marginalization of people of color. These issues are observable by…

In 2019, the Louisiana Board of Regents issued its Master Plan for Higher Education establishing an audacious goal for the state--60% of working adults holding a degree or credential of value by the year 2030. At that time, Regents committed itself to "lead the way in developing and implementing key initiatives to eliminate performance gaps,…

This doctoral dissertation investigates the effects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy on educational equity in New Jersey, focusing on three primary research questions. Firstly, the study examines whether the implementation of NCLB mandates led to the closure of achievement gaps between black and white students, as evidenced by disparities…

Socioeconomically Marginalized Youth of Color (SMYoC) across global contexts tend to receive lower academic grades and standardized test scores due to systemic racism and classism. Research suggests that preschool enrollment is associated with short-term positive academic effects, yet little is known about how absenteeism relates to later academic…

Most of the literature on the development of educational inequality has operated under the achievement gaps paradigm, often assuming that the underlying normative and methodological foundations related to equality and justice in education are a settled matter. In this article, we argue that important normative dimensions are overlooked with…

State takeovers of school districts typically involve dramatic changes to the workforce in the targeted school system and are often undertaken for the express purpose of improving a school system's finances. However, little is known about how takeover affects education spending, particularly the distribution of funds across schools within…

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) is dedicated to advancing racial justice and economic mobility by dramatically and equitably increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials with labor market value. Managed by Jobs for the Future, the SSCN has worked since 2012 to develop, implement, and scale student success…

This quantitative research study examined factors predicting student success via student course grades, specifically focusing on Underrepresented Minorities (URM) students and women, collectively known as Disproportionately Impacted (DI) math-based STEM (GEMP-STEM) students at San Diego State University. Utilizing a Faculty Survey and secondary…

Both the United States and the United Nations have identified, examined, and put out a call to action to address the educational inequities that have disproportionately and negatively affected racially minoritized students, as well as those from a lower socioeconomic background, and poorer countries. Data from the Nations Report Card and the…

Although developing a positive relationship between teachers and students is important for students to thrive in school, white teachers frequently fail to do this with their Black students. The failure of white teachers to connect with their Black students contributes to inequities such as disparities in academic achievement, the…

Artificial photosynthesis is a promising approach to generate commodity chemicals using abundant chemical feedstocks and renewable energy sources. Despite its importance, affordable and effective hands-on classroom activities that demonstrate artificial photosynthesis and teach key concepts, especially for primary school students, are lacking.…