This dissertation aims to gain further knowledge about the implementation of the Critically Compassionate Intellectualism (CCI; Cammarota & Romero, 2003) framework in teacher education. This framework, originally developed to provide a better education for Latine students who were being silenced in their original schools, emphasizes authentic…

In teacher education, critical scholars have lamented how "niceness" hinders progress toward social and racial justice. A place characteristic of this "niceness" is the Midwestern region of the United States, which the dominant narrative paints as overly agreeable and free of racial inequities. This image overlooks the rampant…

Students who return from an immersion experience often report that it was "life-changing," but how do we know that students' lives have changed, especially when change is best measured several months or years after the immersion? Each year, 1.6 million Americans participate in short-term immersion experiences or missions outside the…

This study examined preservice teachers' agreement with critically compassionate financial literacy standards and the financial literacy standards developed by The Council for Economic Education for Grade 4. The preservice teachers, enrolled in elementary social studies methods courses at two institutions, responded to surveys about their…

The use of community service to promote learning and civic responsibility in higher education has blossomed since the 1980s. The problem addressed in this study was that although the X University initiated the required community service program in 2004, it had not assessed the effectiveness of the program from students' perspectives. Using Kolb…

This study aimed to better understand the role that an undergraduate teacher exploration program for STEM majors played in STEM teacher education and recruitment. Utilizing journal data from 126 undergraduate students engaged in an intensive and immersive four-day internship that took place in Summer 2015 and Summer 2016, this study examined how…

The purpose of this article is to examine an instrument designed to measure an individual's spiritual capital. Spiritual capital represents a relatively new concept that relates to one's relationship to financial resources such that he or she exhibits dispositions and behaviors toward justice-oriented environments. This study served to interpret…

In this cross-institutional, qualitative case study, two teacher educators in urban teacher education programs identify and analyze the components of our teacher education practice in relation to a vision of compassionate, critical, justice-oriented teacher education. Using Grossman et al.'s concepts of preparation for professional practice as an…

A literature review identified various kinds of altruism, including altruism devoted to social change and a charitable form of altruism, along with the concept that it is possible for these types to occur independently or simultaneously. A study was conducted with university students in a Deaf studies program to determine the effect of a…

Since 2009, the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (JGC) at Stanford University has worked in partnership with the Redwood City School District (RCSD) to gain a deeper understanding of classroom practices that promote motivation and achievement in middle school. Each spring, all middle school students in the district complete a…

Students readily see kindness as a mark of the good teacher. Yet the concept of kindness is singularly silent in accounts of teaching excellence, student satisfaction or professional values. It seems to have little place in a world driven by competitive individualism. In this article, the author discusses kindness, which extends beyond the private…

For educators, the fight for social justice does not necessarily begin with a Third World cause in another hemisphere but begins instead with the children they serve to empower every day in their classrooms. The author teaches because he believes that each person, at his or her core, carries a sense of justice, however shrouded. That sense of…

Statement of the problem: This research study examined the impact of international immersion programs upon undergraduate students at Jesuit colleges and universities. Students return from immersion experiences claiming that the experience changed their lives. This study offered an assessment strategy to give greater evidence as to the impact of…

Identifying (and assessing) the mechanisms responsible for promoting social justice awareness represent a process that could be illuminated via theory building. To illustrate, integrated theories of moral reasoning and prosocial development stipulate that ultimate altruistic/benevolent intentions and behaviors are preceded by cognitive and…