The American Muslim presence has been at the center of debates around assimilation, belonging, acceptance or even contribution to the mainstream society. In practice of their right to the free choice of education, some American Muslims have been attending full-time American Islamic schools. These schools have been a focal point in painting the picture and understanding of the American Muslim experience. Using qualitative case study methods, this dissertation explored what teacher practices support successful student experiences in relation to positive identity development at three private Islamic Schools in the U.S. The findings revealed that, despite challenges in operations, instability of staff and finances, at all the three cases studied the teachers offered student identity support through varied approaches including means of mentoring, teacher care and teaching by example, fostering a sense of community, family and belonging in the schools where they worked, in addition to a focus on the formative, non-academic, process of education; focusing on spirituality and character formation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-141).

This thesis presents a case study, exploring a Tibetan boarding class in inland China from a Tibetan learner’s perspective. As one of a number of forms of Chinese minority education, Tibetan boarding schools/classes are little known internationally (Wang & Zhou, 2003). To respond to the need for more research in this area, this case study gives voice to a Tibetan learner who experienced the boarding class. An attendee of a Tibetan boarding class in Jiahe served as the particular “case” in this study. Underpinned by a theoretical framework of language ecology, this study centers on a learner, considers the impacts of his referential contexts, and explores a particular Tibetan boarding class as an example of Chinese minority education in practice. Data collected through interviews, observations, and document review reveal that language learners constantly negotiate with multiple identities and interact with their referential contexts. Meanwhile, the multilayered and multifaceted referential contexts play an influential role in learners’ experiences and learning outcomes. Tibetan Education, as exemplified by the Tibetan boarding class, facilitates and encourages minority learners to participate in the mainstream education and the majority cultural practice. However, Tibetan education also impedes the maintenance and preservation of their indigenous languages. In conclusion, Chinese minority education endeavors to ensure that various ethnic and linguistic learners have educational opportunities and qualities to develop individuals’ ability; to strengthen their competence; to upgrade their social, educational, and economic situations; and to invest in what they define as worthwhile and valuable in a way that they view as effective. The present study is informed by multicultural education, a notion grounded and well studied in North American discourse. In addition, suggestions for further improvement of Tibetan boarding classes are also discussed. Yet in view of the variations between North American discourse and Chinese context, the notion of multicultural education can not be entirely applied to Chinese minority education. Therefore, future studies could aim to develop theories grounded in Chinese minority education context. / February 2008

This study concerns the effects of public school redistricting on communities in Atlanta. It is based upon interviews with people in two neighborhoods which are part of the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) system directly affected by redistricting. All schools slated to close are located in low-income, minority areas and serve similar populations. Of the ten schools selected for closing, three were saved during the final APS board meeting in April 2012, and will remain open. I spoke with people who reside in a neighborhood where a local school is slated to close, as well as those in an area where a school was saved from closing. I asked informants why they felt their schools were identified for closure and how they responded to the threat of closing. I learned that both communities organized to save their schools but with different results based on available forms of social and cultural capital.

Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority population in the U.S. requiring limited English proficiency services (Guglielmi, 2008). Many schools and school districts place heavy emphasis on high stakes testing. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all children to have access to a fair, equal, and high-quality education. Many schools and school districts focus on individual students to show grade level performance for small populations such as limited English proficient (LEP) students. The purpose of this study was to examine the question, "What was the relationship between measures of school and student socioeconomic status, and reading and math achievement of Hispanic LEP high school students?" Guiding this study was the conceptual framework, the middleclass education concept. This concept suggested that underprivileged students attending an impoverished school had lower academic success than did underprivileged students attending a middleclass school with middleclass values. This study was developed from secondary data analysis of archived data from the Pinellas County School Board database. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed between the variables in this study. The correlation analysis was followed by a multiple regression analysis to estimate the capacity of the subsidized meal program, student absences, gender, grade point average (GPA), and the Norm Referenced Test (NRT) reading and math to explain reading and math achievement, as defined by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading and math. The results of this study provided insight that the role played by indices of school and student SES may be different for Hispanic LEP students than for other minority students, such as African American and Hispanic or Latino high school students. The results showed that measures of SES were not as strong as expected based on the current research literature. GPA and NRT provided the strongest explanation of variability for FCAT reading and math scores. Other indicators such as student absences and gender were not statistically significant for explaining the FCAT reading and math scores. Thereby, indicating that the conceptual framework, the Middleclass Education Concept, may not apply to Hispanic LEP high school students and thus, further research for this population is needed.

This thesis presents a case study, exploring a Tibetan boarding class in inland China from a Tibetan learner’s perspective. As one of a number of forms of Chinese minority education, Tibetan boarding schools/classes are little known internationally (Wang & Zhou, 2003). To respond to the need for more research in this area, this case study gives voice to a Tibetan learner who experienced the boarding class. An attendee of a Tibetan boarding class in Jiahe served as the particular “case” in this study. Underpinned by a theoretical framework of language ecology, this study centers on a learner, considers the impacts of his referential contexts, and explores a particular Tibetan boarding class as an example of Chinese minority education in practice. Data collected through interviews, observations, and document review reveal that language learners constantly negotiate with multiple identities and interact with their referential contexts. Meanwhile, the multilayered and multifaceted referential contexts play an influential role in learners’ experiences and learning outcomes. Tibetan Education, as exemplified by the Tibetan boarding class, facilitates and encourages minority learners to participate in the mainstream education and the majority cultural practice. However, Tibetan education also impedes the maintenance and preservation of their indigenous languages. In conclusion, Chinese minority education endeavors to ensure that various ethnic and linguistic learners have educational opportunities and qualities to develop individuals’ ability; to strengthen their competence; to upgrade their social, educational, and economic situations; and to invest in what they define as worthwhile and valuable in a way that they view as effective. The present study is informed by multicultural education, a notion grounded and well studied in North American discourse. In addition, suggestions for further improvement of Tibetan boarding classes are also discussed. Yet in view of the variations between North American discourse and Chinese context, the notion of multicultural education can not be entirely applied to Chinese minority education. Therefore, future studies could aim to develop theories grounded in Chinese minority education context.

This thesis presents a case study, exploring a Tibetan boarding class in inland China from a Tibetan learner’s perspective. As one of a number of forms of Chinese minority education, Tibetan boarding schools/classes are little known internationally (Wang & Zhou, 2003). To respond to the need for more research in this area, this case study gives voice to a Tibetan learner who experienced the boarding class. An attendee of a Tibetan boarding class in Jiahe served as the particular “case” in this study. Underpinned by a theoretical framework of language ecology, this study centers on a learner, considers the impacts of his referential contexts, and explores a particular Tibetan boarding class as an example of Chinese minority education in practice. Data collected through interviews, observations, and document review reveal that language learners constantly negotiate with multiple identities and interact with their referential contexts. Meanwhile, the multilayered and multifaceted referential contexts play an influential role in learners’ experiences and learning outcomes. Tibetan Education, as exemplified by the Tibetan boarding class, facilitates and encourages minority learners to participate in the mainstream education and the majority cultural practice. However, Tibetan education also impedes the maintenance and preservation of their indigenous languages. In conclusion, Chinese minority education endeavors to ensure that various ethnic and linguistic learners have educational opportunities and qualities to develop individuals’ ability; to strengthen their competence; to upgrade their social, educational, and economic situations; and to invest in what they define as worthwhile and valuable in a way that they view as effective. The present study is informed by multicultural education, a notion grounded and well studied in North American discourse. In addition, suggestions for further improvement of Tibetan boarding classes are also discussed. Yet in view of the variations between North American discourse and Chinese context, the notion of multicultural education can not be entirely applied to Chinese minority education. Therefore, future studies could aim to develop theories grounded in Chinese minority education context.

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This case study was conducted in one elementary French-language school in Ontario with 1 administrator, 4 teachers and their culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Through the integration of bhabha’s (1994) notion of Third space, multiple literacies theory (Cummins, 2001; Masny 2009) and by drawing on interviews, observations, and students’ work samples, I conceptualise an alter(n)ative literacies framework to address growing diversity in French-language schools. The term alter(n)ative is developed to express the intertwined benefit of expanding traditional notions of literacy to include alternative language practices and the potential alter-ative effect of re-envisioning the resources children bring to their literacy and language development at school. This thesis argues that teachers can critically (re)interprete official policies concerning Frenchlanguage schools in order to effectively foster students’ alter(n)ative literacies development. In doing so, teachers affirm the plurality of students’ multiple identities as a foundation for their participation within evolving cosmopolitan franco-ontarian communities.

This case study was conducted in one elementary French-language school in Ontario with 1 administrator, 4 teachers and their culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Through the integration of bhabha’s (1994) notion of Third space, multiple literacies theory (Cummins, 2001; Masny 2009) and by drawing on interviews, observations, and students’ work samples, I conceptualise an alter(n)ative literacies framework to address growing diversity in French-language schools. The term alter(n)ative is developed to express the intertwined benefit of expanding traditional notions of literacy to include alternative language practices and the potential alter-ative effect of re-envisioning the resources children bring to their literacy and language development at school. This thesis argues that teachers can critically (re)interprete official policies concerning Frenchlanguage schools in order to effectively foster students’ alter(n)ative literacies development. In doing so, teachers affirm the plurality of students’ multiple identities as a foundation for their participation within evolving cosmopolitan franco-ontarian communities.