<p> Five years ago, the author began a second career as a teacher in a small Wyoming town with a diverse student population. The beginning of her career coincided with a change in the demographics to include a large number of English Language Learners (ELs) and the imposition of sanctions from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) for being a failing school. The author collected, analyzed, and used summative and formative data in an effort to differentiate for all students. She went on home visits to build trust in the local community, co-planned and participated in work teams to further local curriculum, and conducted multiple rounds of extensive action research projects. False starts, circular paths, crushed dreams, and just plain exhaustion led to the development of a seed idea and the journey that follows, a yearlong project-based thesis, exploring how one classroom teacher could harness the power of an engaged community to supplement curriculum, motivate students, and instill a joy of learning. The focus of this thesis was derived from the following question: How might a community partnership of diverse agencies and leaders focused on education to foment radical change in public education, be founded and flourish?</p>

<p> School officials know very little about adjudicated youth&rsquo;s experiences after re-entering school. Moreover, the research literature defining and describing school culture as a whole is weak and treats school culture as monolithic. This qualitative study seeks to understand school re-entry culture through the voice of high school students who have reversed the school-to-prison pipeline. This study utilized semi-structured interviews and photovoice research methods. </p><p> Data analysis revealed a school counterculture that exists for students re-entering school. The findings in this study describe a school counterculture of repurposing safety to act on students&rsquo; behalf when facing a potential injustice and repurposing of facilities for privacy and autonomy. When describing reengagement in school, participants noted belonging and acceptance as defining school; help from teachers was critical. The participants also highlighted how the culture of mainstream school requires the practice of catching-up, which for re-entering students, is a very different experience than students who hold significant social and cultural capital. </p><p> The findings in this study contribute an understanding of culture, as a problematic construct. This study proposes that culture should be described and examined as a mosaic of diverse cultures. In addition, using McLaren&rsquo;s (2003) definition of culture helps us see how re-entering students maintain their position in society through the practices, values, and norms in mainstream school determined by dominant culture.</p><p>

<p>This study assessed the actual and perceived efficacy of TAFE as implemented across public schools in Texas with Latino populations. The graduation rates of students were analyzed to assess whether there were significant differences in graduation rates between schools implementing the program and those not implementing the program across gender and ethnicity. Surveys were administered to past and present personnel associated with TAFE to ascertain their perceptions on the program. A significant main effect for Latinos was found at TAFE schools during the five year period of the study. Survey responses were isolated to differentiate between Latino responses and those of the general population. Responses varied in consistency between Latino respondents and the overall population of respondents. In general, respondents credited the program for the higher graduation rates of Latinos and their motivation to attend college which are future indicators of success. However, the respondents were undecided as to TAFE's influence to foster teaching vocations but believe it impacts teacher retention. Respondents were also undecided, and a considerable percentage of them had a negative opinion that TAFE motivated them to become or want to become educational administrators. Finally, respondents endorsed the idea of recommending TAFE to high school students and to schools/districts for implementation.

<p> This qualitative study is about the experiences and challenges Black girls have while attending predominantly White high schools and what they are doing to navigate that particular space. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand more about how Black girls navigate White space as minority members of a system that was not originally intended for them. Through semi-structured interviews, Black girls were asked directly to share their lived experiences. This study hopes to illuminate and amplify the voices of Black girls and help others see them by giving them a platform to discuss and tell their stories. It also aims to create agency in Black girls by asking them to examine the challenges they face while attending predominantly White high schools and how they navigate that particular setting and make it work for them. </p><p>

Notre recherche porte, pour l’essentiel, sur les entreprises familiales de taille intermédiaire (E.T.I.), du territoire breton. Dans le cadre de la sociologie des Professions nous avons rencontré plusieurs dirigeants d’entreprises, comprenant entre 250 à 5 000 salariés. Nous avons observé, ainsi, ce qui permet à ce concept dit d’« entreprise », à l’instar des « Mittelstand » en Allemagne, de mieux comprendre les facteurs clés de succès, fondés, notamment, sur la priorité absolue donnée au capital humain, à l’innovation, et au développement à l’international, et ce, tout en conservant un très fort ancrage « territorial ». Ainsi, nous avons interrogé des dirigeants, sur le territoire de la Bretagne historique comme « laboratoire social », pour mieux cerner le profil sociologique du chef d’entreprise familial dans les secteurs suivants : agro-alimentaire, restauration, santé, immobilier, textile, chaussure et transport. A partir de problématiques socio-économiques mais aussi sociologiques touchant le monde du travail et de l’emploi, il s’agissait aussi, d’appréhender la compétition mondiale, en particulier, dans le champ du travail : notre thèse poursuit, en fait, l’objectif d’éclairer un certain nombre de métamorphoses en rappelant, comme l’ont déjà dit de nombreux sociologues du travail, de l’organisation et des professions, que « le chômage est la cause causante de l’exclusion sociale / Our research is devoted mainly to family-owned medium-sized enterprises (MSEs) in Brittany. Working from the perspective of the sociology of professions, we met several heads of companies with between 250 and 5,000 employees. In doing so, we observed how this so-called “enterprise” concept, similar to that of “Mittelstands” in Germany, offers a better understanding of the key factors of success, based notably on human capital, innovation, and international growth beingabsolute priorities, with the business also retaining strong local roots. We interviewed company heads in the historical territory of Brittany, taken as a “social laboratory”, to acquire a better grasp of the sociological profile of family business leaders working in the following sectors: the food industry; food services; health; real estate; textiles; footwear; and transport. Taking as a starting-point various social, economic, and sociological issues affecting the world of work and employment, we also sought to shed light on global competition, in particular in the field of labour: this thesis aims to provide insights into a certain number of transformations, bearing in mind the assertion by a great many occupational sociologists that “unemployment is the root cause of social exclusion”