Improving educational outcomes for Black student populations requires that teachers have a deep awareness of racialized experiences of the students they serve. This study examined the experiences of White urban elementary school teachers and Black students' experiences with classroom dialogue about racism and Black violence across the United…

This three-article dissertation explores the professional learning interests of veteran K-12 teachers and what those interest reveal about how veteran K-12 teachers are presently supported in the teaching profession. In article 1, data analyses of a mixed-methods survey indicated that veteran K-12 teachers in the Urban Public School (UPS) district…

This research explores the cognitive dissonance experienced by novice teachers when entering the teaching profession, specifically around cultural competence while teaching in the urban core. The study builds upon previous research by Adam Eckard, who investigated the impact of teacher preparation programs on teacher identity development in urban…

The consistency of a predominantly White special education teaching workforce in urban classrooms and the significant increase in the enrollment of culturally diverse students have fueled concerns about equity and access in special education (Artiles et al., 2010; Zion & Blanchett, 2017). Scholars advocate that all teachers need to understand…

Black males continue to be the lowest-performing subgroup on state standardized tests in the United States of America. A very large majority of teachers are White females. This study examined the impact of White female teachers' beliefs and actions on the achievement of Black male students. Data was collected via interviews with White female…

Educators come to their work with many personal and educational achievements and accomplishments. They are provided with curriculum, learning standards, and expectations at the school, district, and state levels. Often, the respective identities and lived experiences of the educator are in stark contrast to those of the students they teach,…

The problem was the commonly held belief that lack of confidence, preparedness, educational neuromyths, and little or no professional development are factors that impede early childhood teachers' implementation of brain-based learning strategies in the daily curriculum design structure. This qualitative narrative inquiry aimed to explore…

Young, predominantly White teachers enter culturally and racially diverse urban classrooms ill-prepared to teach. The resulting cultural mismatch contributes to educational disparities, including academic gaps and punitive imparities. Some colleges of education, aware of the obvious gap, aim to recruit more Black and Brown students to their…

This study examined White female teachers' storied experiences of teacher-to-teacher trust as they navigated culturally relevant teaching practices presented through professional learning, using the qualitative research methods of narrative inquiry and heuristic research. The study was conducted in an urban public high school within a Midwestern…

This co-authored qualitative case study explores the problem of teachers connecting with their students especially at the middle school level. While research has established the need for teachers to better understand the background experiences of their students, more research is needed to explore the value of place-based professional development…

This co-authored qualitative case study explores the challenge of teachers connecting with their students at the middle school level, especially when White teachers serve predominantly African-American students in large urban metropolitan areas like St. Louis, Missouri. While research has established the need for teachers to better understand the…

The achievement gap between elementary students of Color, particularly, economically disadvantaged elementary students of Color and White students continues to be a concern. The problem in this study was that some White teachers working in urban elementary school districts have failed to include CRP practices in their instruction of economically…

This study investigates whether teaching practices of non-minorities who teach Black students has an impact on the achievement gap between Black and White students. There is a lack of awareness of culturally relevant teaching in the U.S public school system (Epstein, 2005). Per NCES (2015), 80% of public schools have a high density of Black…

The purpose of this study was to examine factors which may have contributed to the disproportionate placement of African-American males in special education within a particular urban school district. The study examined European-American teachers' (teaching group) attitudes within the school district toward instructing male students, specifically…