The purpose of this research is to evaluate the use of and the attitude towards smartphone technology for in school and remote learning by urban high school students to reduce digital inequalities. High school students use smartphone technology in today's society as an integral part of their lives. Yet the majority of the large school districts in…

Consensus is often a prerequisite for communities to develop initiatives to improve practice and create a future together. We investigated the consensus around the perceived educational inclusion of autistic and other neurodivergent students, their caregivers, and their teachers. Seventeen triads of informants plus two single students from…

Teacher education programs are increasingly taking up commitments to prepare new teachers for equitable teaching. Despite best intentions, programs feel challenged to help candidates translate these commitments into classroom practice. Using a context-specific teacher education framework, we conducted a mixed-methods study of seven urban-focused…

This was a mixed method, Action Research study addressing the foundational research question: What can Education Forward Academy (EFA) (pseudonym) do to improve equity in the College Credit Plus (CCP) Program (also known as Dual Enrollment or Dual Credit)? To answer this question, both quantitative and qualitative sub-questions were explored. The…

Community colleges have a long history of providing entrance to higher education to minority students who enroll in these institutions underprepared and deprived of basic needs. With limited resources, community college leaders are expected to assist students in academic pursuits. The Center for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Center for EDI)…

This dissertation examines the racialization of urban Latinx youth in alternative school settings. Set in a predominantly Latinx neighborhood in inner-city Houston, the research catalogues everyday Latinx student experiences and the ways they experience, navigate, and survive educational systems of structural inequity. Drawing on long-term…

This study explored the achievement, engagement, and school climate perceptions of African American males in urban high schools. Hierarchical regression and focus group interviews were used to analyze male sample (n = 114) data from a larger study. Findings suggest that students' perceptions were influenced by having information about and access…

A narrative literature review was conducted to examine how researchers address the concept of White privilege in teacher education using critical race theory. A Boolean search revealed 26 articles met criteria for inclusion. Findings show most researchers (n = 15, 55%) investigated perceptions of White privilege within individual multicultural…

Policymakers originally created magnets to voluntarily enroll a racially diverse population of students in non-White city neighborhoods by offering unique curricular experiences intended to attract White parents. Successfully desegregated magnets inorganically curated racially mixed schools by appealing to the interests of affluent and/or White…

Learning trajectory (LT) research in mathematics education has shaped both instructional materials and assessments. But, the body of LT research has also been critiqued for not adequately considering equity and addressing student diversity. This study begins to fill this gap by characterizing the reasoning of 23 multilingual students who…

This article reports results from an experimental study of a classroom intervention intended to decrease racial disproportionality in school discipline by focusing on making classroom behavior systems more culturally responsive and changing teacher behaviors (e.g., use of praise and reprimands). The intervention had three main components: (a) an…

This study explores the association between school-level poverty rates and young peoples' perceptions of student empowerment, drawing on survey and administrative data from a large urban district. Participants included 29,318 diverse youth in grades 6-12 from 211 schools. We used multilevel linear regression models to estimate the relationships…

Ethnic-racial climate is a salient dimension of school context, especially amid the current sociopolitical climate. This study examined perceptions of school ethnic-racial climate among adolescent students of color, and the significance they place on being part of a diverse student population, in two urban middle schools, using interviews and…

Across the country, school districts, their stakeholders, and policymakers have become increasingly concerned about suspensions, particularly about suspending students from elementary school and disproportionately suspending ethnic/racial minority students. Suspended students are less likely to graduate, possibly because they miss the…

This qualitative research study was conducted to measure how utilizing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT), and Invitational Theory (IT) in curriculum design would increase participants' awareness of their peers' experiences and build belonging among majority and minority students (i.e., students of color,…