Recognizing the role of diversity in fostering social cohesion and economic resilience, the European Union has emphasized inclusive policies. However, urban segregation complicates this objective, significantly impacting various areas of society, including education. Previous studies have highlighted the complex social dynamics influencing equal access to education and school segregation, which are closely linked to urban segregation. In the Swedish context, national reforms in the 1990s exacerbated school segregation, deepening socio-economic and ethnic divides. This thesis explores the effectiveness of Linköping Municipality's strategies to counteract urban segregation through education, focusing on community perceptions of these measures. The strategies include reinforcement efforts, such as increased funding and staff training, and dispersal initiatives, like school closures and relocation of school sections, aimed at improving educational outcomes in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Using qualitative methods, including document analysis and semi-structured interviews, the study assesses the perceived effectiveness of these measures. Findings reveal that while reinforcement strategies are generally approved, practical challenges and gaps between policy intentions and outcomes persist. Dispersal strategies show uncertain effectiveness, and other initiatives require better approach in increasing the inclusivity. The study highlights the necessity of synergizing top-down and bottom-up approaches to enhance policy responsiveness and community engagement. Future research should focus on the long-term impacts of dispersal strategies, school culture, communication practices, and parental decision-making processes, particularly among immigrant and low-income families.

This thesis describes a study conducted for the San Antonio River Authority to understand the needs of educators in environmental education programming. This study explores the experiences of educators in teaching environmental education, the tools and methodologies they use, what they think and feel about environmental education, and what their needs are when selecting environmental education curricula and programming to engage their students. This thesis contains an extensive literature review relevant to the local environment in San Antonio, Texas, equity in access to education in borderland regions, educator training, and environmental education goals and methodologies. The study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research tools: a survey and a collection of semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study indicate that educators are looking for environmental education curricula and programming that is convenient to use and access, training that gives them confidence to teach environmental concepts, curricula and training that helps them facilitate a sense of wonder and engagement in their students, and more content that is locally relevant.

Latina/o students do not perform at the same level of achievement as their peers, and often lack of parent presence is mistaken for apathy towards their children’s educational success. This research examines the strategies Latina/o parents take in navigating the school system and advocating for their students. A local nonprofit organization with the goal of achieving educational equity for Latina/o parents will utilize these findings and recommendations to develop curricula for a parent literacy program.

Despite decades of efforts to racially integrate schools and the recent accountability movement, U.S. students’ access to equitable education remains elusive. Research demonstrates that discipline procedures disproportionately remove racial minority students from the classroom, creating a “discipline gap.” Racial disparities in discrete disciplinary infraction types (e.g., disruption, aggression) have shown nuanced patterns across groups and school levels. Moreover, the relationship between school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) – a framework for promoting positive behavior and preventing conflict – and the discipline gap is unclear. This investigation explored racial/ethnic disparities per infraction type (e.g. disruption, verbal abuse) and the relationship of SWPBIS implementation fidelity to these referrals using multilevel logistic regression analyses. Participants were 40 elementary schools receiving PBIS technical assistance and the 24,512 students served by the schools. Findings of disciplinary disparities largely were consistent with previous studies with similar methods. Compared to White peers, Black students were overrepresented in office discipline referrals (ODRs) across all infraction types while Hispanic students were underrepresented in Aggression referrals and other racial/ethnic minority students were underrepresented in Miscellaneous referrals. SWPBIS implementation fidelity demonstrated a significant negative relationship with the overall ODR rate and was significantly related to infractions for Aggression; however, no evidence was produced to support the notion that SWPBIS produces more equitable discipline practices. Implications for the research and practice of culturally responsive behavior supports are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 300-305).

xiii, 102 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine the effectiveness of an intervention program specifically designed to facilitate social awareness and adjustment to college for Latino/a students enrolled in four-year universities in the Pacific Northwest. I designed an intervention program, the Latino/a Educational Equity Project (LEEP), as a multifaceted prevention intervention to increase student capacities and knowledge of: (a) the importance of building a network of individuals to support their academic endeavors, (b) political awareness of race and higher education and the importance of college retention and completion, (c) awareness of university demands and development of skills that are needed to balance home and university demands, as well as (d) comfort with and increased utilization of campus resources. As identified by the research literature, these components have been associated with both the needs of Latino/a students in higher education and with Latino/a student retention. I utilized quasi-experimental design with between- and within-subject measurement, including assessments at pre- and three-week post-test, to evaluate the effects of the LEEP program in comparison with a no-treatment control condition. The LEEP intervention was conducted at three public universities in the Pacific Northwest. The total sample for the present study was 40 treatment participants and 41 participants in the control condition. A repeated-measures MANCOVA was utilized to assess the effectiveness of the LEEP intervention program. Results demonstrated partial success for the LEEP intervention program. The intervention successfully improved participants' overall adjustment to college in comparison with control condition participants. However, intervention effects for LEEP participants were not statistically different from control participants on outcomes related to increased critical consciousness, collective self-esteem, or enhanced cultural congruity. Initial pre-test scores and lower statistical power than optimal (.35) for this type of study may partially explain why the intervention was not fully successful in these other areas. A discussion of results, strengths, and limitations of the present study and implications for future intervention research and practice and provided. / Committee in charge: Benedict McWhirter, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Ellen McWhirter, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Charles Martinez, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Brian Klopotek, Outside Member, Anthropology

In U.S. schools, Black and Hispanic youth receive discipline in the form of office discipline referrals and out-of-school suspensions at a rate greater than their White peers. Contributing factors to this “discipline gap” may be found across a number of ecological variables. Therefore, multifaceted and systemic interventions such as school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) should be evaluated for their effectiveness in producing more equitable school discipline rates. In light of mixed evidence for the relationship of SWPBIS with discipline equity, the purpose of this study was to examine the merits of five critical elements of SWPBIS for reducing discipline rates for Black and Hispanic students and for closing the discipline gap. Among a sample of 322 Florida SWPBIS-implementing schools serving a total of 292,490 students, SWPBIS fidelity’s relationships with discipline rates and with disparities were investigated. The Benchmarks of Quality, a psychometrically sound measure of SWPBIS fidelity completed by a school-based team and an external coach, was completed at each school. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that higher fidelity to SWPBIS Classroom Systems was related to decreased discipline risk for all students, including Black and Hispanic students, but not more equitable discipline practices. Higher fidelity to SWPBIS Expectations was related to higher suspension risk among Black students while higher levels of Recognition were related to more equitable suspension practices. No significant relationships were observed between Lessons and Data Analysis and disciplinary rates or equity. Implications for the research and practice of SWPBIS are discussed, along with connections to other lines of research addressing educational equity.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study examines how families judge and choose high schools. The review of literature relating to school choice provides a theoretical framework for the study. The review includes an international perspective including both developed countries such as United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, England and Wales, the Netherlands, Scotland and Sweden, and developing countries including India, Chile, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa. The context within which school choice occurs in South Africa is examined. This context includes continued influence of Apartheid policies and current legislation including the South African Schools Act, The Admission Policy for Ordinary Schools Act and the Norms and Standards for Schools Funding. The literature review includes a critical analysis of the research, both Local and International, which addresses questions as to which factors are considered when judging and choosing schools, who makes the choice school, when the choice of school is made and which sources of information inform the choice of school. The empirical study examines the process of high school choice in urban Cape Town. The group areas Act and other Apartheid policies have created a situation where the respondents have a large number of high schools from which to chose. The selected area reflects diversity in Socio-Economic status, including both privately owned homes and council rental flats and houses. The study is limited to English medium or dual medium schools in the area. It includes both co-ed and single gender schools. / South Africa

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among high school teachers' self-reported social and emotional competencies (SECs), social interaction teaching practices, and instructional interaction teaching practices. Yoder's (2014) research suggests to successfully implement social-emotional learning (SEL) practices, teachers must have strong social and emotional competency skills (Brackett et al., 2009; Jennings and Greenberg, 2009). This study included a quantitative descriptive method to examine the anonymous survey data collected. Additionally, the data were examined for possible correlations between social, and instructional interaction teaching practices to identify areas of strength or weakness and suggest professional learning options for teachers related to their scores. This study sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the relationship among high school teachers' self-reported social, and instructional interaction teaching practices that influence students' social, emotional, and academic skills? 2. What is the relationship between educators' self-reported self-efficacy of their social and emotional competence and how it influences their ability to implement social, and instructional interaction teaching practices? 3. What is the relationship between teachers' overall social interaction score and their overall instructional interaction score? 4. What do the scores from the overall social interaction score and the overall instructional interaction score suggest about the professional learning needs of the participating high school teachers? High school teachers in this study who reported a higher self-efficacy in positive social interactions had a higher self-efficacy in social interactions influencing students' social, emotion, and academic skills. High school teachers with a high self-efficacy in Teacher SEC: Social Interaction Teaching Practices strongly correlated to a higher self-efficacy of Teacher SEC: Instructional Interaction Teaching Practices. Furthermore, high school teachers with a higher self-efficacy in their Overall Social Interaction to that of their self-efficacy of their Overall Instructional Interaction also strongly correlated. Conversely, high school teachers who reported higher self-efficacy with instructional interaction did not report the same level of self-efficacy of their social interaction, albeit the finding was deemed small. The study suggests division and school leaders could prioritize supporting teachers' development of their self-efficacy of their social and emotional competence. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among high school teachers' self-reported social and emotional competencies (SECs), social, and instructional interaction teaching practices. The study examined the possible correlations between the self-efficacy of social, and instructional interaction teaching practices to identify areas of strength or weakness and to identify and differentiate the professional learning needs of teachers related to their scores. This study included High School teachers from one school division in Virginia. The high school teachers participated in a pre-published survey from Yoder, 2014a (see Appendix A). The findings suggest teachers with a higher self-efficacy in their SECs were more likely to implement them in their teaching practices. Whereas high school teachers that had a higher self-efficacy in their Instructional Interactions practices did not have a statistically significant higher self-efficacy in their Social Interaction practices. Future actions could include building leaders can provide on-going professional learning to improve the self-efficacy of teachers' SECs and implementation of school-wide practices. Additional implications and future study suggestions are shared.

This thesis explores the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in accessing education in Nepal. Grounded in a theoretical framework that integrates definitions, concepts, and policies related to disability rights and inclusive education, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the barriers to educational inclusion. Drawing on a review of international literature, the research examines global perspectives on disability rights and inclusive education, contextualising them within the Nepalese context. Through qualitative research methods such as interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, the study investigates the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and identifies systemic issues hindering educational access. The findings reveal significant challenges related to poverty, societal attitudes, infrastructural limitations, and policy implementation. By analysing these findings, the study offers insights into effective strategies for promoting educational inclusion and advancing disability rights in Nepal. The research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on inclusive education and informs policy and practice aimed at improving educational opportunities for individuals with disabilities.