Although teacher diversity, teacher preparation, and student achievement are contemporary and overlapping issues, they have suffered from the absence of African American educational principles and traditions. African Americans cultivated a sophisticated system of developing and supporting numbers of African American teachers; however, U.S.…

Efforts such as the "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954) have focused on providing an equitable education for Black students. However, educational inequality for marginalized and underrepresented students continues to persist. Education experiences for black students are impacted significantly by implicit bias. The purpose of this…

Author Michael Wehmeyer began his career in special education shortly after the passage of the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (which later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA). In those early days, he recounts, students with disability were mostly segregated from other children, and many of the adults…

This qualitative case study research explores the discursive practices of three White secondary US history teachers while teaching about the "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" Supreme Court decision. Using critical discourse analysis as a methodology, this study examines teachers' use of naming, verb tense and presupposition to…

This historiography chronicles educators' efforts to teach for diversity through heightening awareness of immigrant experiences as well as discrimination against minoritized religious and racial groups in public school classrooms from the 1920s through the 1970s. This curriculum and pedagogical work was couched under various terms, such as…

Black female educators played a vital role in segregated schools prior to the 1954 landmark Supreme Court case "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." Despite their notable and historic presence in the field of public education, presently they are disproportionately underrepresented in the U.S. teacher workforce. Acknowledging…

African American male students are disproportionately represented in special education. The purpose of the current study is to examine the disproportionality of African American male students who are referred to special education programs and are identified special education services, specifically in the areas of Emotional Disturbance (ED),…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions K-12 principals and teachers have of inclusive education in a school district in western Pennsylvania school district. The dependent variables are the teachers' and principals' perceptions of inclusion and the independent variables are years of educational experience, extent of special…

Mr. Williams, a student during segregation and educator who began his career in the years following the 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education" decision, sheds light on why Black students succeeded in all-Black schools as well as challenges faced in advancing racial justice. In his context, according to Mr. Williams, Black students succeeded…

This dissertation outlines a comprehensive research endeavor focused on the history of elementary literacy instruction in the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) from 1990 until 2022. The research methodology combines historical analysis of artifacts, archives, and oral histories to answer the overarching research question, "What is the…

An effective teacher workforce is a diverse teacher workforce. As of 2017, only 5% of Ohio's teachers identify as teachers of color. As more teachers from diverse backgrounds enter the teaching profession in Ohio, they will encounter mentors who do not look like them and may not understand some of their struggles. The purpose of this guide is to…

Equality and equity are often mischaracterized as interchangeable terms in public education. This may explain why efforts towards reform and restructure are often not met with any real measure of success. "Equity, Equality, and Reform in Contemporary Public Education" provides emerging research on the reformation of education curriculum…

The U.S. is currently experiencing a teacher shortage. Many school districts have been impacted by this issue and want to know: how do we recruit more qualified candidates into the profession, and, more importantly, how do we recruit more Teachers of Color? We may be experiencing a shortage of teachers in general, but there has been a paucity of…

The current canons of education are replete with suggestions for how to raise the achievement of Hispanic and Latino students. Absent from that discussion is what to teach them in a way that anchors them to their uniquely American culture and history. The author considers how Mexican-American history is often taught as if it were an offshoot of…

This short essay was written during this time of: "rising coronavirus cases, particularly among Blacks and other minorities," "increased racial tension," and the call for "justice and fairness in all systems within the UNITED States of America (U.S.)." As a highly concerned educator, I am here renewing the "call…