Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics is one of the 15 occupational areas covered under the National Career Clusters© Framework and is projected to grow in the next decade. The exclusion of women in transportation is a significant barrier to ensuring a robust and equitable workforce. This study examined predictors of transportation career…

A mixed-methods approach of sequential explanatory strategy was used to explore experiences of 37 students related to an Early College Academy (ECA) program and their high schools. Data consisted of mixed survey with scaled and open-ended questions followed by in-depth interviews with 12 students. Findings suggested students benefited from the…

Researchers have long recognized the importance of what teachers need to know, be able to do, and how their beliefs influence their professional decision making and practices. We also know that context matters in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to explore the nuance between practice, belief, and context. We examine whether change…

Using a qualitative, phenomenological research design this dissertation examined the experiences of a group of Black high school students who were receiving supplemental support from a school-community partnership in an urban school district. The literature that examines school, community and family partnerships is largely absent of students…

This study explored the perspectives and lived experiences of urban youth in relation to Restorative Practices at a free public charter school in Los Angeles, California. This qualitative study used a series of semi-structured interviews with four high school students. This adaptable design allowed for the nature of questions to evolve and shift…

Concerns about teacher burnout, compassion fatigue, and retaining early career professionals have prompted teacher education programs to seek out ways to promote mental and emotional health during pre-service teacher training. This two-year, educational design study explored pre-service teachers' experiences with the implementation of two…

Through an exploratory case study, this research sought to determine the applicability of the Community of Inquiry in the K-12 setting. There are research gaps to leverage support for blended learning and flexible learning options to benefit Filipino youth and school-leavers under the Alternative Delivery Mode of the Philippine K-12 system. This…

While group projects are popular in middle school classrooms, limited research has been conducted on how to grade them. Teachers usually assign the same score to all group members, which hardly reflects the achievement level of any student. This study explores the feasibility of utilizing peer and self-assessments for grading group projects for…

Drawing on student self-report survey data, this study examines student engagement across 67 urban high schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Results show that schools with higher rates of affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement differ significantly from schools with other engagement profiles in students' average reports of…

The present study examined relations between concern for mianzi, or the social perception of one's prestige and standing in the group, and adjustment in Chinese adolescents. Participants were seventh- and ninth-grade students in rural and urban regions of China (n = 794, M[subscript age] = 14 years). Data were obtained from multiple sources…

This study examines the impact of a polytechnic high school model designed in collaboration with a research-intensive university and industry/community partners. Aimed at urban settings and focused on minoritized youth, this model replaces traditional subject-specific classes with industry-driven design project cycles. As design-based integrated…

This collaborative, descriptive research project in urban Texas looked at the at the development, implementation, and student perception of effectiveness of a multi-stage pedagogical intervention in a classroom to help preservice teachers become more confident during discussions of controversial identity issues; specifically, ableism, classism,…

Teacher-student relationships have long been identified as an important factor in the success of a student, and in the investment of the teacher. Extensive research has been conducted on the perception and outcomes of teacher student relationships from the perspective of the teacher and that of the students. However, research on the outcomes,…

The purpose of this focused qualitative study was to examine two urban high school students' perceptions of a study-abroad experience, five years after the fact, with the intention of assessing long-term effects on increased global competency and awareness. The interviewees, selected from 11 participants, brought an already rich intercultural…

Puerto Rican students are a growing population in U.S. mainland schools, yet few recent studies have focused on the school contextual and identity-based experiences of Puerto Rican youth. Using stage-environment fit and LatCrit theories, this qualitative study examined seven Puerto Rican adolescent students' perspectives on domains of school…