Children of immigrants are the fastest growing population of children in the U.S. A greater proportion of children of immigrant than US-born parents are from households with low incomes. Despite this reality, eligibility rules are complex for many services and supports, including healthcare, that could help immigrant families to financially stabilize, often barring certain immigrants from getting help. For others who are eligible, the confusion creates barriers to assistance, with the result that they also do not receive help. Children’s health suffers when their basic needs are not met, especially in early childhood. The first three years of life are a critically important period of development. When families are unable to provide sufficient food, shelter, healthcare, responsive caregiving, and/or safety, children’s health and development suffer, with the potential to affect their trajectory for physical, mental and academic well-being over the lifecourse. In recent years, and accelerating under the Trump Administration, immigration and public assistance eligibility policies have changed rapidly and dramatically, increasing many immigrant parents’ confusion and concern about their eligibility. Immigration, healthcare, and social service policies intersect at the household level. Young children are not the decisionmakers about their own health or healthcare, thus public health professionals, healthcare and social service providers, and policymakers need a household view of these policies. However, relationships between access to healthcare, family material well-being, and the wider sociopolitical environment for immigrant families with young children are understudied. In a multifaceted world of interconnecting identities and policies, there is an urgent need to examine child and family issues in their full complexity, including race and ethnicity alongside nativity. In this mixed methods dissertation, I use a cross-sectional dataset to assess whether and how health care hardship varies among young children of immigrant compared to US born mothers, as well as by immigrant mothers’ self-reported racial and ethnic backgrounds. I also examine relationships between health care hardship and young children’s health and development and family material well-being. Additionally, I present a difference-in-differences analysis of the impact of President Trump’s election on young children of immigrant and US-born mothers’ health care utilization. I examine impacts on both preventive and acute care outcomes for young children. Using qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews with immigrant mothers, I explore mothers’ daily experiences navigating decisions about health care with the many other demands they face. Their perspectives on seeking healthcare and public assistance in the current political and policy environment provide important context to inform policy at the state, federal and health systems level. This dissertation expands understanding of early childhood care from a child to a household focus, sheds light on the interplay between race, ethnicity, and nativity for families with young children, and adds nuance and detail to the ways in which families navigate health care and other competing needs. / 2024-08-31T00:00:00Z

My project explores the ways in which racial equity is addressed in a predominantly white school, through a study of Washfield High School in Seattle, WA. Through semi-structured interviews with three administrators, six teachers and two alumni, I examine themes including the prominence of blackness, segregation, curricular strategies, differential expectations across races, campus efforts and leadership. Through this study, I focus on the role that predominantly white schools have in increasing racial equity in education.

Keywords: education policy, racial equity, youth, student voice, power relations The confluence of racial equity work – where district policy, students, staff, and administrators converge – creates significant tensions when enacting an educational racial equity policy that is intended to produce meaningful and transformative racial equity for all students. It is not only critical to analyze how educational policies conceptualize race and equity in relation to students’ experiences in schools, but also how students are positioned as recipients, stakeholders, and/or partners within such policies. This study examines the effects of power “at its extremities” when policy, race, and equity are localized in relation to beliefs, actions, and behaviors between students and adults enacting racial equity work. Using student focus groups with students of color and white students, participant observations from positions as a teacher/researcher, the research considers Foucault’s (1980; 1994) work on power to examine how students identify, engage, and address racial equity issues in their school. Educational equity policies discursively constitute racial inequities by defining “racial equity” from positions outside of schools, away from the very places where policies are enacted. The study explores how students of color and white students navigate tensions between themselves, administrators, and staff members as they organized a student-led racial equity club then leadership class to address racial inequities in a predominantly white high school. Despite the implementation of a six-year District racial equity policy, students’ “lived experiences” questioned enactments of the policy by administrators and staff members (see Dumas, 2014). The study argues meanings about race and equity are caught within “divergent discourses” (see Ball, 2013); that is, who is allowed to participate in conversations about race and equity, and who decides what racial equity issues take precedence in a predominantly white high school. Students are positioned in schools in unstable and contested ways to administrators and staff members, even if invited to participate in racial equity work as “student voice.” The concept of “student voice” in school-based decisions or policy work has inherent tensions between adults and students, however this should not dissuade policy processes that include students. Student involvement is strongly, but cautiously encouraged.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / The purpose of this individual study was to address the gap in research and answer the following research question:  How do educators of color perceive the evaluation process and its impact on their professional growth and development?  It was part of a larger group case study that sought to capture the perceptions of educators of color related to racial disproportionality and its impact on the educator pipeline and schools.  As educators of color work to maintain a presence within the educational system, it is essential to study how perceived biases related to race may impact the evaluation process. This single case study attempted to capture how five administrators of color and five teachers of color employed by the Cityside Public School District perceived the evaluation process used within their district.  Additionally, a document review of union contracts was used to ascertain the evaluation process used by Cityside. The Critical Race Theory tenets of permanence of racism, counter storytelling and critique of liberalism provided a theoretical framework to analyze the responses given by each participant who participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal that the majority of the participants do not believe the evaluation process has improved their growth and development.  Other findings revealed that the racial identity and the level of cultural competency of the evaluator impacted whether or not participants believed their race was a factor in how they were evaluated. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

African American, Latinx, and Native American students continue to be disciplined in U.S. schools at rates 2 to 3 times higher than White students. In response, schools are seeking out approaches to reduce racial disciplinary disparities. Yet, it is not clear what influences educators’ active commitment to address racial equity in school discipline practice. This study used the Critical Incident Technique to explore the phenomenon of commitment to racial equity. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 educators who self-reported that they were initially non-committal or reluctant to address racial equity but became more committed over time. The interviews produced 210 critical incidents and the formation of 20 categories to describe what helped and hindered educators’ personal commitment and the observed commitment of others to racial equity in school discipline practice. Findings indicated Disaggregating School Data by Race and Ethnicity (self, other), Learning About Racial Discrimination in Society (self), and Sharing Equity-Focused Strategies (others) were categories reported to help educators’ commitment to racial equity. Avoiding Discussing Race (self) and Lowering Expectations and Stereotyping (others) were found to hinder educators’ commitment to racial equity. Participants’ responses also suggested active commitment to racial equity may require effort and exposure to multiple discriminatory or prejudicial events. Commitment formation was also found to be influenced by non-school experiences (i.e., events or incidents that occur outside of a school campus). Contributions of the study are discussed in relation to theory, school practices, and approaches to teacher professional development.

Thesis advisor: Laura O'Dwyer / Black males are disproportionately placed in special education throughout the United States. Yet, the degree to which such disparities are warranted has been subject to debate. Prior research suggests that special education is used too often in high-poverty schools partly due to limited resources available to support struggling students (Skiba et al., 2006). More recent studies, however, suggest that, when considering student background characteristics and peer racial and socioeconomic composition, Black students are underrepresented in special education, specifically in high-minority schools (Elder et al., 2021). Given these varying findings and interpretations, in this dissertation I sought to bring further clarity to the issue of disproportionality as it relates to Black males. First, I replicated previous research using student-level data from two high-poverty school districts based in a Northeastern state to examine variation in special education placement by race and gender, before and after adjusting for background characteristics. To then understand whether special education placement was effective, I used student fixed effect models to estimate how academic achievement trajectories changed for students after placement and whether these findings differed by race and gender. I found that Black males in the sample were placed in special education at higher rates than students of other race-by-gender groups, even after adjusting for background characteristics. Prior to placement, Black males experienced large declines in academic achievement, and this trend continued after receiving special education. Together, these findings support the notion that Black males are likely overrepresented in special education. Provided these findings, in the second part of this dissertation, I tested the effectiveness of a potential policy mechanism in reducing disproportionality. Specifically, I asked whether providing teachers with additional resources to direct struggling students through a comprehensive student support program reduced the probability of special education placement for Black males. Using two distinct identification strategies, I found that this form of support reduced special education placement rates for Black students, nearly eliminating their disproportionate representation in the districts. I conclude with policy implications for both measuring and addressing disproportionality. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

No description available.

Although public education in the United States has had remarkable growth and improvement since its beginning, significant inadequacies concerning racial equity continue to cast a shadow on the system. Despite desegregation efforts and specific attention to providing integrated school settings there has been little progress in establishing educational justice. The purpose of this case study was to uncover perceptions about racial inequity within Asheville City Schools as well as potential facilitators of equity. A qualitative case study using 10 guiding research questions was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of parents as well as educators at Asheville City Schools Preschool regarding racial inequities and potential facilitators of equity. Transcripts from a Racial Equity Photovoice Project were used to identify perceptions of the presence and the impact of racial inequity as well as assets of, barriers to, and potential facilitators of equity. Findings indicate parents and educators agree that barriers of racial equity include elements of negative societal influences, antiquated educational policies and procedures, inapt curricula and instruction, external systems that perpetuate biases, meager funding structures and poor home-school connections. Further, findings indicate parents and educators agree that diverse student bodies and faculties, culturally and social-emotionally relevant curricula and instruction, positive relationships between educators and children, and authentic 2-way communication are potential facilitators of racial equity. Overarching themes incorporate concerns related to resources, mandates, personal narratives, and relationships. This research adds to the literature related to racial equity and has implications for practice as well as future research.

No description available.

BACKGROUND: Despite large investments in maternity care services, perinatal health outcomes in the U.S. are among the worst compared to other industrialized countries, with documented perinatal health disparities disproportionately impacting racial and ethnic minorities. Midwifery-led freestanding birth centers (FSBC) have emerged as an underutilized model for the safe and cost-effective care of women with low-risk pregnancies. Despite approximately 85% of all US pregnancies being considered low-risk, only 0.5% of all US births occurred in a FSBC in 2016. The goal of the study is to elucidate strategies used to develop and sustain freestanding birth centers (FSBCs) that are seeking to serve high proportions of publicly-insured women and women of color. METHODS: I conducted an embedded unit case study, including semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus groups with 49 stakeholders from three exemplary FSBCs. Supplemental interviews were led with five key informants from three additional FSBCs and a relevant national membership organization. Additional data sources used to complete this case study include, where relevant and permitted, observations of maternity care settings, patient-provider encounters, management meetings, community events, and review of pertinent documents. Qualitative analysis methods were used to identify common themes and variations. FINDINGS: Midwifery-led birth center care can improve the experience and outcomes of maternity care among publicly insured women of color. The study revealed persistent multi-level challenges, as well as the use of common approaches to overcome these organizational, financial, and cultural barriers, resulting in greater, yet still fragile, access to family-centered intrapartum care within the communities in which these FSBCs operate. CONCLUSIONS: The careful integration of FSBCs into health systems such as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) may contribute to the broad scale-up of this underutilized model of care. While integrating FSBCs into FQHCs may be helpful in expanding equitable access to birth center care, it is not necessary, and also not sufficient. Expansion efforts should include additional deliberate processes and strategies to ensure equitable uptake and sustainability of birth center care. / 2020-10-23T00:00:00Z