The active engagement of parents in the educational experiences of their children has been suggested to support high academic achievement for the children. In the project setting, an urban elementary school, educators were struggling to find effective strategies to promote family involvement in their children's education. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this research was to examine the disconnect between urban school expectations and actual lived realities of marginalized students. Taking into consideration the conversation surrounding the definitions of urban education, and the importance of school connectedness with youth, we chose to focus on the lives of five former high…

"It is dark under the lamp"-a proverb that frequently refers to the misery that prevails in confined, lit environments. In terms of economic development, urban regions have risen to prominence as centers of excellence. Cities are populated by individuals from varied cultural, professional, and economic backgrounds. The disparities in…

The making of education governance reforms has led to the transfer of school management powers to teachers' and parents' representatives through primary school management committees. However, the committees have been found to be inadequate in ensuring that collective action is taken by their male and female members in most low- and middle-income…

Childhood obesity is a pervasive health issue, with multifaceted implications for developmental trajectory. Participants included 5,573 K-5 students enrolled in a high-poverty urban public-school setting. Through an informal yet holistic assessment process, students identified as exhibiting overweight issues were compared to peers not designated…

This study introduces the development of a new, transferable, customizable, authentic, and analytic framework for addressing different dimensions of teacher reflection. Given the emphasis on teacher reflection as a socially situated practice spawned by cognitive and affective aspects, this study covers four dimensions (i.e., breadth, depth,…

The low academic learning outcomes and persistence rates among students starting in developmental mathematics at community colleges are concerning. Improving the teaching and learning of developmental mathematics is imperative. This Action Research study aimed to investigate and improve developmental mathematics students' low retention rate and…

This study explored the impact of academically supported mentorship on the self-efficacy and perceptions of racially marginalized high school students regarding advanced course enrollment. Using a mixed-methods approach, it combined quantitative pre- and post-intervention surveys with qualitative open-ended questions and semi-structured…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented educational disruption in institutions throughout the United States and the world. Research shows that such disruptions have a disproportionately negative impact on ethnic minorities. Researchers at a federally designated Minority- and Hispanic-serving four-year university deployed the Achievement…

This action research study explored the use of mentorship as an intervention to improve the attendance chronically absent ninth grade students at an urban high school. Chronic absenteeism is a phenomenon with multiple compounding negative impacts on students. Moreover, it is a complicated problem with multiple contributing factors and potential…

Educational research consistently underscores the significance of family engagement in children's education. However, diverse ideals regarding family involvement often constrain the potential for meaningful school-home interactions within culturally diverse urban communities. Amidst education reform priorities such as high-stakes testing and…

In 2016, the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights reported that Black girls were overrepresented among students who face discipline that excluded or criminalized them. Although Black girls constituted only 8% of K-12 students nationwide, 14% had received one or more out-of-school suspensions. Out-of-school suspensions…

In this qualitative study the researcher examined the lived experiences of school leaders in the south-central region of the United Stated in developing a school's climate and culture post-pandemic. The problem addressed in this study is the decline of positive school climate and culture post-pandemic, resulting in the need to support students'…

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced U.S. schools to shutter and teach remotely in March 2020, several states suspended external measures intended to hold educators accountable for student learning. Research on leadership during the pandemic highlights how the pause on external performance measures shifted school leaders' behaviors; they used…

School discipline has been a site of contention and reform. In this study, we draw from 17 interviews with traditional and charter school principals in one mid-sized urban school district to examine how principals use discipline as a tool to both maintain control and demonstrate care. Our study calls attention to different strategies principals…