Continuation high schools serve students for multiple reasons. Among them are low credit attainment, excessive absences, probation status, and discipline problems. Students in these programs often have many educational gaps. In the state of California . . .

This study focused on both the voice and experience of successful Black students in higher education as well as the factors, both internal and institutional that they perceive as contributors to their success. This research is important because while . . .

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr Dissatisfaction with the current state of the nation’s public schools continues to reveal itself through repeated efforts to transform the traditional, long-standing . . .

Educators and policymakers envision high school mathematics as vital in the pursuit of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions and a way to cultivate a deep appreciation of mathematics in society. With two such significant . . .

Arab American youth are a complex and diverse population in America who are often misunderstood, misclassified and misrepresented. These youth face a socio-political climate in the United States that has painted the Arab culture in a negative light. T . . .

This qualitative, single-case study highlights the significance of holistic education in high schools. The purpose of the study was to examine how a high school with a holistic approach that emphasizes educating the whole child is experienced from the . . .

This multiple case study examined the mentoring supports provided to induction candidate teachers during their first four-month Induction Learning Plan (ILP) Cycle of New Teacher Induction. Although studies (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2002, 2016; Richte . . .

Enrollment of English language learners (ELLs) in United States schools has increased more rapidly than general enrollment, resulting in an urgent need for teachers to be prepared to meet the needs of ELLs in their classrooms. The purpose of this qual . . .

This phenomenological research study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of African-American administrators related to the underrepresentation of African-American males in district leadership and principal positions. The study was guided by . . .

This study explored the cultural, personal, and professional experiences of six Latino elementary principals in three California school districts. By identifying their experiences, supports, and challenges before and after attaining the principalship, . . .

This case study examined the factors that promote or inhibit Dual Language programs, so we are able to understand the optimum environments for maximizing academic success for Dual Language learners. Bilingual education programs that support multilingu . . .

According to the U.S. Census bureau, Latinos make up 38.9 percent of the population, and women as a whole make up 50.3 percent of the population in California (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016a) and members of this ethnic group are not graduating from high sc . . .

While many researchers have begun to conduct inquiries into international student academic acculturation, it is important for those in the field of post-secondary international education to understand that their own impressions of international studen . . .

The main purpose of this study was to identify the key factors that assist administrators with the implementation of LCAP initiatives by analyzing the successful support systems, challenges and barriers, and equitable practices as they relate to LCAP . . .

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher efficacy and attitudes of elementary and middle school (k-8), general education teachers towards teaching learning disabled, emotionally and behavioral disabled, and significant . . .

Creekside High School is a high-performing public high school where students who are not White or Asian face a racialized school environment. This dissertation examines the school’s initiative to detrack its ninth grade Algebra class. Detracking is th . . .

Using counter-narrative to frame the qualitative methodology, this dissertation shifts the paradigm of educational leadership by situating the experiences of transformative leaders of color as part of the dominant discourse. A theoretical framework dr . . .

The academic achievement for disadvantaged students, students of color, and English language learners has fallen behind the performance levels of white students for decades (Darling Hammond, 2007). By 2014, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act will req . . .

Previously incarcerated youth (PIY) are hyper-marginalized by intersectional patterns of marginalization processes enacted within public institutions, often beginning within schools, yet little is known about their experiences within higher education. . . .

This study explores the cultural dynamics of a school that was created to provide a college preparatory and culturally responsive experience for students of color in an American city. While the school experienced much success in regards to college adm . . .

In a case study of a northern California urban community college, it was found that 25% of applicants who participated in matriculation did not enroll in courses. This contradiction between completing matriculation but not enrolling in community colle . . .

Low completion rates for developmental mathematics sequences and in gateway mathematics courses prevent a majority of community college students from achieving transfer goals. This explanatory mixed methods case study examined an open-entry, accelerat . . .

This three-part study focused on making the case for developing a teacher pathway program in Salinas, California. The first part of the study evaluated a teacher pathway program located in Southern California and sought to determine effective program . . .

In July of 2013, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) determined that the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) did not meet the eligibility criteria and standards for accreditation and announced that they would terminat . . .

For first-generation students of color, the transition from high school to the community college can be a difficult one. This study explored how high schools and community colleges can work in partnership to improve the transition for first-gen studen . . .

This qualitative collective case study explored the experiences of community college faculty members in the social and behavioral sciences and SLO coordinators at community colleges in California as they engaged in student learning outcomes assessment . . .

The AVID and IB programs are becoming popular reform initiatives for high schools seeking to close the achievement gap and better serve a growing number of underrepresented students. This study seeks to add to the literature on IB and AVID by examinin . . .

Researchers and policy makers have suggested that improvement in school finance systems could enable districts to be more effective in increasing student achievement. Results Based Budgeting (RBB) is the finance system currently used in the Oakland Un . . .

The purpose of this study was to explore if the Response to Intervention process has a potential to impact equity issues within special education at an elementary school. A case study was conducted at a kindergarten through fifth grade charter school . . .

Focused and sustained professional development for community college faculty is considered a critical component to improving community college student success. Without a coherent and long-term approach to professional development, faculty will be unli . . .

As a result of AB705 mandates, which reforms placement practices and reduces developmental pathways in Math and English in an effort to improve educational inequity, the majority of incoming students in California community colleges will now be placed . . .

The purpose of this dissertation was to further support female students success in mathematics as it related to the classroom and beyond. The study documented girls’ experiences and feelings about math learning and contextualized their responses by co . . .

This dissertation sought to illuminate some of the critical tensions the California Community Colleges face as they are building higher education partnerships with prisons and jails. This study employed queer methodologies (Sheldon, 2010; Browne & Nas . . .

The purpose of this qualitative study was to research how social reproduction perpetuates and replicates the status quo in the community college classroom, especially as perceived by first-generation students. The study investigated two questions: How . . .

Latino/as represent the majority of students enrolled in K-12 education in California, yet they attend schools where the teaching population and curriculum choices do not reflect their culture. This study uses ethnographic methods to explore the exper . . .

This study of the ways in which social science teachers in low, middle and high SES high schools use technology in their teaching demonstrated that the digital divide is alive and well in the San Francisco Bay Area. A qualitative research design with . . .

This study highlights the under-representation of women in educational leadership. It explores the specific issue of supervision as an important function of management that facilitates women’s career advancement, and promotes gender equity. The very n . . .

Within suburban schools, the educational experiences of Black and Latinx students are racialized because achievement is defined as the appropriate domain of White or Asian students. Classifying the academic success of a Black and Latinx student as unu . . .

For many students, transfer from a community college is an important step in the journey to earning a bachelor’s degree. Unfortunately, research on the experiences of transfer students in their four-year institutions is limited. The purpose of this st . . .

Disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes between Black and Latino students and their White peers are well-documented and have been reported continuously since the government-issued Coleman Report was published in 1966 (Coleman, 1966; Darl . . .

Athletic participation in community college athletics has been shown to promote academic success. However, these benefits are not shared across all athlete subgroups. Although male Pacific Islanders student-athletes consistently perform at the bottom . . .

Teachers need support with on-going professional learning to effectively address Spanish-speaking biliterate students’ strengths and language needs. They also need to build capacity in learning new standards and in implementing policy. This study util . . .

The research has a social justice agenda that confronts the reality of inequality while seeking to empower Latino students through a search for what led to students’ transformational experiences. This research revealed the stories of four Latino male . . .

Efforts to improve student outcomes for Chican@/Latin@ students in community colleges have focused on fixing perceived student problems with little attention and accountability directed specifically towards the institutions and the educators who teach . . .

This dissertation explores strategies used by successful Black early childhood education students completing coursework toward degree attainment at San Francisco State University. Minimum ECE teacher qualifications are gradually changing to require fo . . .

Community college students begin their higher education studies with the goal of completing an associate’s degree, a certificate, transferring, or improving/obtaining employment skills. Students do not begin higher education thinking they will depart . . .

Student support services, such as academic advising, promote college student retention and increased graduation rates. As educational institutions continue to face budgetary uncertainties, academic advising services are facing cuts that threaten their . . .

This dissertation consists of three linked papers that examine and amplify teachers’ voice during Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation. Using the framework of narrative inquiry, the first paper explores my own sense of agency and voice ov . . .