For college leaders, especially presidents and advancement officers, fundraising has become an integral part of the leadership experience. Fundraising is a skill that is expected for top-level college leaders. For public community colleges, keeping tuition costs low necessitates a change in the basic funding model to include a more significant…

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of whiteness and white supremacy on academic library student workers. Understanding their experiences contributes to emerging literature that challenges the insidious, oppressive "invisibility of whiteness" that exists in these spaces. This study expands upon a powerful collection…

Prisons across the world are manifested by--and themselves manifest--racial capitalism, ableism, and cisheteropatriarchy. At the same time, education, both on the outside and on the inside, is positioned as a key solution to the crises of mass incarceration. More specifically, higher education in prison (HEP) programs are often billed as…

Students of color and students with disabilities are two underserved populations in our educational systems. At the intersection of these groups is a new subgroup: special education students of color (SESOC), who are highly underserved in schools. The experiences and perspectives of teachers of color who serve special education students of color…

Interpersonal interactions between teachers and students are a site where students may encounter negative experiences with mathematics; they are also a site where students can experience mathematics in empowering and positive ways. The aim of this study is to understand the work of communicating mathematics in ways that empower, rather than…

Adequate teacher preparation is critical when working with students of color in urban schools. High teacher turnover often results from a lack of teacher preparation when working with systemic racial concerns that impact students of color. Understanding how the Courageous Conversations About Race Framework can influence teachers to examine the…

According to the National Academy of Sciences (2007a), "Without the participation of individuals of all racial/ethnic backgrounds and genders, the increasing demand for workers in STEM fields will not be met, potentially compromising the position of the United States as a global leader" (p. 1). Increasing the participation and…

The more individuals consume media that portray people who participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as white and able-bodied men, the more likely individuals within STEM communities will only recognize those who fit that image as belonging there, thereby alienating individuals who do not fit the portrayed media image…

This basic qualitative study contributes to what is known about mentoring in higher education: the mentoring experiences of minority women leading in academic and student affairs at Pacific Island community colleges (PICC). This study examined the mentoring experiences of these minority women leaders and related mentorship to their leadership…

Teacher education programs are predominantly White spaces with their faculty, teacher candidates, curriculum, and practices. In these spaces, the experiences of teacher candidates from minoritized backgrounds can be alienating and their voices can be overlooked or silenced. In three interrelated but distinct studies, this research aims to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate if a two-prong stereotype threat intervention strategy would impact placement scores of students of color. Students of color are largely enrolled in developmental education courses at a greater rate than other students (78% and 75%, respectively). Students of color are also more susceptible to the…

This dissertation addresses the unequal incarceration of African-Americans and Mexican Americans in the United States. It examines the historical foundations of the construction of race to create criminality toward African-Americans. The legacy of the prison industrial complex perpetuating and prolonging further criminalization to enslave people…

Diversity initiatives must include the voices and influence of more individuals of marginalized identities (Honor Culture, 2020). Previous research initiatives have proven that Women of Color in higher education STEM programs experience frequent prejudice against their race, gender, and culture. This doctoral study explores the phenomenology of…

Science education in the United States has endured substantial reform due to national needs for a bolstered, more diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. Recent reform efforts call for students to be engaged in scientific inquiry through the practices of scientists and engineers. Opportunity gaps exist in science…

Throughout public schools in the United States, minority students continue to receive more disciplinary consequences compared to other groups of students. The problem addressed in this study was the persistence of discipline disproportionality between minority students and White students at a public U.S. middle school, even with recent efforts…