Based on intercultural education, socio-cultural analysis, and decolonization and critical pedagogy perspectives, this dissertation explores contradictions in Peruvian intercultural education policy and examines the potential role that African and Afro-Peruvian thought may have in the reform of this policy. Despite redefinitions of the Peruvian state as multicultural/multilingual and the adoption of intercultural concepts in Peruvian education law, the official interpretation of intercultural principles has tended to undermine the social transforming potential implicit in intercultural education. First, official Peruvian education policy overlooks the historical and cultural contributions of non-European and non-Incan social groups. Second, it fails to address inequality and inequity between socio-cultural groups in the access to economic-political resources. Third, it restricts intercultural education programs to Indigenous speaking communities. Despite redefinitions of the Peruvian state as multicultural/multilingual and the adoption of intercultural concepts in Peruvian education law, the official interpretation of intercultural principles has tended to undermine the social transforming potential implicit in intercultural education. First, official Peruvian education policy overlooks the historical and cultural contributions of non-European and non-Incan social groups. Second, it fails to address inequality and inequity between socio-cultural groups in the access to economic-political resources. Third, it restricts intercultural education programs to Indigenous speaking communities. Archival and contemporary evidence is used to show how the substantial African presence in Peru has been erased from official history, with negative socio-political consequences for Afro-Peruvians. It presents the philosophical, political, pedagogical, and sociological contributions of the Senegalese Leopold Sedar Senghor (1906-2001), and the Afro-Peruvians Nicomedes Santa Cruz Gamarra (1925-1992) and Jose Carlos Luciano Huapaya (1956-2002) as bases for rethinking Peruvian cultural diversity and intercultural policies from decolonized, democratic, and global perspectives. Further, it presents objections and counter-proposals to intercultural education policies of the Peruvian state that were gathered in a small pilot study of the personnel of the Afro-PeruvianYapatera High School and the nonprofit organizations CEDET and Lundu. Finally, it articulates these counter-proposals with Senghor, Santa Cruz, and Luciano's theoretical inputs for decolonizing and democratizing Peruvian intercultural education policy.

This study aimed to examine the attitudes and lived experiences of individuals identified as 'gifted underachievers'. A mixed-methods approach was used to investigate the concept 'gifted underachievement' using a survey regarding student attitudes towards school and individual interviews. This study used a sequential explanatory design: the first phase compared gifted achievers and gifted underachievers to determine school-related attitude differences; the second phase used a transcendental phenomenological design to describe the lived experiences of those identified as gifted underachievers. A mixed methods approach allowed for the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research methods to be utilized with evidence from survey and interview data. Keeping in mind that gifted underachievement occurs when students with identified superior ability do not perform at levels commensurate with those abilities (McCoach & Siegle, 2003a; White, Graham, & Blass, 2018), this study was conducted within a Central Florida school district and used the district's indicator of gifted underachievement: a student identified as gifted with a grade of C or lower in at least two classes. Grades were examined for the previous school year and the first half of the current school year. In addition to gifted eligibility, school district personnel also considered class grades, test history, teacher anecdotal records, and student diversity for potential subjects. Since research has shown that the middle school years appear to be critical years for gifted underachievers, this study focused on middle school students (Siegle, 2013; Peterson & Colangelo, 1996). This study can be used to inform best practices regarding gifted underachieving middle school students. Additionally, information from this study may be used in the prevention of underachievement for some students. "Understanding the factors contributing to the underachievement of young students is particularly important, as this would allow educators to intervene while children are still relatively young" (Obergriesser & Stoeger, p. 168). This study attempted to add to the body of knowledge regarding gifted underachievement so that this phenomenon can be better understood and mitigated.

Achievement gaps between Black students and White students have existed since public education was desegregated, and they still persist despite efforts to close the gap. This research describes the achievement gaps between Black and White 3rd through 8th grade students in the state of Tennessee from 2017-2019. This is a non-experimental, quantitative, comparative-analysis describing the ELA and math test scores of Black students and White students in each of the three geographic regions of Tennessee. Data were arranged in 2x2 contingency matrixes to compare the expected frequencies of students in each race scoring on-track and mastered versus below and approaching. The data from the matrixes were analyzed in SPSS using Chi Squared tests to determine if the difference between Black student scores and White student scores was statistically significant. All twelve test score groupings showed an achievement gap between Black students and White students. The largest achievement gap was in West Tennessee’s elementary school ELA scores. The smallest achievement gap was in West Tennessee’s middle school math scores. Although there were gaps between Black students and White students in all twelve groupings, East Tennessee’s gaps were the smallest overall, ELA scores had smaller gaps than math scores in general, and middle school had smaller gaps than elementary school. These significant findings suggest there is much work to be done in Tennessee to close the gap between Black students and White students in order to provide a more equitable school experience.

This session will encourage school librarians to consider the precepts of the book "Teaching Civics in the Library." Specifically, participants will be encouraged and shown how to utilize high-interest trade books and carefully evaluated websites to immediately integrate school librarianship and civics education. Participants will be introduced to carefully constructed questions eliciting civic discussion, as well as detailed civic action/service project suggestions, for all grade levels, along with civic-oriented reading promotion plans, collection development best practices, grant writing options, and extended units of learning. First, a brief discussion will ensue as to the role of a school librarian in creating civic-minded students pursuant to AASL Learning Standard 3. Next, participants will be introduced to methods and best practices associated with this role, as listed above, actually participating in a Socratic discussion based in award-winning children's literature (for purposes of modeling). Then, a smattering of projects, promotion plans, helpful organizations, and grant opportunities will be highlighted, along with an inquiry as to successful programming across the country. A Q and A session will provide additional information in association with the ideas which most highly piqued audience interest.

Global diasporas caused by wars carry many streams of people - in the 1970s one of these streams contained orphans from Vietnam delivered to white parents in the West. On arrival, the social expectation was that these children would blend seamlessly into the culture of their adoptive parents. Now some adoptees, as adults, reflect on their lives as 'Asian' or racially 'Other' children in white societies, charting the critical points in their maturation. This thesis interrogates their life histories to explore the role of birth-culture in the self-definition of people removed from that culture at birth or in childhood. Thirteen adult adopted Vietnamese participants were interviewed. These interviews provided qualitative data on issues of racial and cultural identity. These data were developed and analysed, using a framework drawn from symbolic interactionism and cultural studies, in order to reveal the interpersonal dynamics in which people were involved, and the broader cultural relations that sustained them. The findings reveal that in early childhood the adopted Vietnamese identity process was shaped by a series of identifications with, and affirmations of, sharing their adoptive parents racial and cultural identity. Such identifications were then challenged once the adoptees entered society and were seen by others as different. The participants' attempts to locate a secure sense of self and identity within the world they are placed in are disturbed by numerous uncertainties surrounding racial and cultural difference. One of the most crucial uncertainties is the adopted Vietnamese knowledge about their cultural background. While most felt they lacked positive knowledge about Vietnam and racial diversity, their sense of identity was unsettled by experiences with racism and negative cultural stereotypes throughout their late childhood to adolescence. As their recognition and acceptance of their difference develops in adulthood, they experience a degree of empowerment due to their being able to access more knowledge about their cultural background and a greater appreciation of racial diversity. Many participants have formed closer ties with other people born in Vietnam, most notably other adoptees; most returned to visit Vietnam. The thesis concludes that those adoptees who were able to develop an understanding of the Vietnamese and other backgrounds to their complex identities, tended to be more integrated as adults than those who either rejected or were unable to come to terms with their Vietnamese ancestry.

Global diasporas caused by wars carry many streams of people - in the 1970s one of these streams contained orphans from Vietnam delivered to white parents in the West. On arrival, the social expectation was that these children would blend seamlessly into the culture of their adoptive parents. Now some adoptees, as adults, reflect on their lives as 'Asian' or racially 'Other' children in white societies, charting the critical points in their maturation. This thesis interrogates their life histories to explore the role of birth-culture in the self-definition of people removed from that culture at birth or in childhood. Thirteen adult adopted Vietnamese participants were interviewed. These interviews provided qualitative data on issues of racial and cultural identity. These data were developed and analysed, using a framework drawn from symbolic interactionism and cultural studies, in order to reveal the interpersonal dynamics in which people were involved, and the broader cultural relations that sustained them. The findings reveal that in early childhood the adopted Vietnamese identity process was shaped by a series of identifications with, and affirmations of, sharing their adoptive parents racial and cultural identity. Such identifications were then challenged once the adoptees entered society and were seen by others as different. The participants' attempts to locate a secure sense of self and identity within the world they are placed in are disturbed by numerous uncertainties surrounding racial and cultural difference. One of the most crucial uncertainties is the adopted Vietnamese knowledge about their cultural background. While most felt they lacked positive knowledge about Vietnam and racial diversity, their sense of identity was unsettled by experiences with racism and negative cultural stereotypes throughout their late childhood to adolescence. As their recognition and acceptance of their difference develops in adulthood, they experience a degree of empowerment due to their being able to access more knowledge about their cultural background and a greater appreciation of racial diversity. Many participants have formed closer ties with other people born in Vietnam, most notably other adoptees; most returned to visit Vietnam. The thesis concludes that those adoptees who were able to develop an understanding of the Vietnamese and other backgrounds to their complex identities, tended to be more integrated as adults than those who either rejected or were unable to come to terms with their Vietnamese ancestry.

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This study investigated story journaling to enhance story comprehension. Eighteen kindergarten children participated in this six-week study with the teacher reading a total of twenty-four stories to the class. The class was randomly divided into Group A and Group B, with 3 focus participants from each group retelling the story. The retelling was audio taped and analyzed using Morrow's (2001) procedures. Group B experienced the intervention of story journaling on the third week of the study and showed an improvement in story comprehension during the fifth and sixth weeks of story journaling. Group A did not experience the intervention of story journaling until the fifth week of the study and showed a slight improvement by the end of the sixth week of story journaling. There appears to be a connection of story journaling to story comprehension when children are given the opportunity to story journal after hearing a story.

The majority of the preservice teacher population is young, White, and female; however, the urban school system student population continues to become increasingly diverse, including an increasing population of underserved Black students in urban schools. The racial differences between the preservice teacher population and the urban student population complicates the challenges faced in educating Black students effectively. Teachers and students often encounter misunderstandings, and thus, utilize incompatible styles of classroom management and instruction, often resulting in Black students experiencing difficulties with learning. Many of these complications derive from the profound presence of race, racial difference, and racial inequality throughout U.S. history. The purpose of this research was to explore the racial ideas, experiences, and attitudes of preservice teachers, who self-identify as White, toward future Black students at a large, southeastern, Research I university through a qualitative interview process. More specifically, this study examined preservice teachers’ cultural sensitivity towards Black students. This study also observed preservice teachers’ ability to discuss these issues. Using information from a 10-question qualitative interview of three (3) research participants, this thesis explored the following questions: Research question one (RQ1): How do preservice teachers define race and racism?, Research question two (RQ2): What factors contribute to preservice teachers’ racial perspectives?, and Research question three (RQ3): What are preservice teachers’ attitudes towards students who are racially different from themselves, specifically Black students?

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of parent involvement on young African American Head start children's academic achievement and self-esteem. The experimental method of research employing the Pre-test/ Post-test Control Group Design was used. Forty-four Head Start students participated in this study: twenty-two were randomly assigned to the control group and twenty-two to the experimental group, respectively. Parents of children in the experimental group received parent involvement training, and parents of children in the control group did not. The Brigance Kindergarten and First Grade Screen and the Self-Esteem Index were administered to both groups in January 1995 prior to the treatment and in May 1995 at the conclusion of the treatment. Results of the two tailed t-test used to test the null hypotheses showed a statistically significant difference in the academic achievement levels of the groups, and it was concluded that children whose parents received parent involvement training achieved at higher academic levels than children whose parents did not. Both the experimental group and the control group showed a slight gain in self-esteem; however, differences in mean gains were not statistically significant. Major implications of the study are that African American Head Start parents are responsive to parent involvement training and that an outcome of their involvement is improved student overall academic achievement. On the basis of the study results, the following recommendations have been made: 1. The local school board should provide additional funding for parent involvement training in urban and inner-city schools. 2. Similar studies should be conducted to determine the effects of parent involvement training on academic achievement and self-esteem among upper level elementary students in urban schools. 3. Urban school administrators and teachers should participate in staff development programs designed to increase educators' knowledge of strategies which promote parent involvement.