Measuring the factors affecting the implementation process are critical steps for understanding how, why, and under what circumstances integrated STEM curriculum innovations work. The overarching goal of this National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project was to design, field-test, implement, and evaluate contextualized integrated STEM learning…

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for urban community colleges to utilize an adaptive leadership approach to thrive during times of uncertainty. Adaptive leaders encourage team members to address problems through new ways of thinking to meet organizational goals. The community college sector, especially institutions in urban environments,…

Higher education is facing increased workforce challenges and is in dire need of effective Human Resource Development (HRD) practices. The purpose of this two-phase qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of supervisors and employees regarding the performance management (PM) system at a large-sized urban community college. Phase I was…

Teacher education programs strive to promote social justice and critical thinking among candidates. However, limited attention is given to ableism and disability rights. This study investigates how special education teacher candidates discuss disabilities and the future of students with developmental disabilities, as well as their motivation to…

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…

Virtual instruction and blended learning are two of the fastest growing learning modalities in K-12 education. Blended learning is a formal education program in which students learn at least in part through online learning with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick and mortar…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify factors that lead to job satisfaction and the specific practices that make a difference in workplace satisfaction among teachers in order to increase educator retention. Understanding these characteristics is critical to determining the impact they have on reducing the rate of teacher…

In this qualitative research study we illustrate how implicit biases held by college personnel hinders the educational success of Latino men attending urban community colleges in Texas. In particular, we identify how often well-intentioned educators are (un)aware of how often they perpetrate racial microaggressions against Latino men. Interviews…

This study explored the school principal selection process in Cameroon where the political appointment of school principals with no plan for formal training was practiced. The purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore and describe school principal perceptions of leader behaviors in urban Cameroon schools. Goldring's…

In 2022, after increasing pressures from the COVID pandemic and a shifting political climate, the nation's largest teachers' union warned that over half of teachers were considering exiting the teaching profession. More recent national and local work suggests that such evidence in the media is often not supported by administrative data and that…

The purpose of this quantitative within-groups comparative study was to determine if there was a significant difference between the 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and the 2021 (post-COVID-19) third grade Standards of Learning (SOL) reading and math scores in urban Title I elementary schools in a southeastern state. The conceptual framework for this study was…

The population of English Learner (EL) students in the United States is increasing and is projected to represent 40% of our country by 2030 (Flynn and Hill, 2005). Many educators do not feel prepared to teach this marginalized group of students effectively. Therefore, EL coaches in this urban district in the Midwest collaborate with teachers to…

The purpose of this study is to examine how and to what extent an afterschool program for marginalized youth assists in developing workforce readiness skills through a critical positive youth development (CPYD) framework that considers the social contexts of youth. There is little research on afterschool programs that prepare youth for the…

The inequalities between Black and White Americans have left Black people with less education amongst other disparities. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education ended racial segregation in public schools. Today, sixty-nine years later, Black children often still attend highly segregated and underfunded schools.…

Racism is enmeshed within the fabric of U.S. public education, making it critical to identify and dismantle. One way to do this is to provide professional development (PD) to teachers targeting anti-racism to build awareness, decenter whiteness, and advance racial equity in schools. This systematic review is a synthesis of anti-racism PD studies,…