Evaluating How Rhetoric Around Real Estate Relates to Urban Schooling

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore people’s language regarding neighborhoods and schools by analyzing comments in the New York Times real estate posting’s comment section. This study used framing theory to understand the close analysis of these comments. The use of close analysis, looking at how the comments were framed based on alignment or non-alignment with urban poverty theory and systemic racism theory, allowed commenters’ underlying ideologies to emerge. As such, this research examined participants’ language to see if it reflects critical awareness (or not) and/or a deeper historical knowledge of residential segregation. Specifically, this study seeks to link the rhetoric around urban areas to the rhetoric around urban schooling through its findings. The current study uncovers the stereotypes that commenters tend to rely on when describing perceived non-affluent areas and connect this finding around real estate to previous studies which have found similar stereotypes used in describing urban schools

Parent Experiences Navigating the Hartford Youth Scholars Program Application

In the United States, large disparities in education and educational attainment across racial and ethnic groups continue to exist. To combat this disparity, families may look for opportunities that will help their child succeed such as academic programming/enrichment. Hartford Youth Scholars (HYS) is one such program, located in Hartford, CT. While programs such as HYS exist, these programs are usually in demand and unfortunately, due to lack of resources and funding, there are only a limited number of students programs have the capacity to admit. While this is the case, it’s important that all families have a fair shot at applying to programming. Through this qualitative study, I interviewed 13 parents in both English and Spanish and asked them questions pertaining to their experience navigating the HYS program application and the accessibility of the application. Based on my analysis of parent interviews, participants found the HYS application to be accessible for Spanish, Bilingual, and English-speaking parents, however, some parents pointed to obstacles inside the organization, such as the limited number of Spanish-speaking staff, or related to the organization’s application process (such as the requirements like teacher recommendations, etc.). Parents overcame these difficulties through their motivations of applying to HYS and through the help of supportive and accessible staff within the program

Trinity College Student Participation and Engagement During and After Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic put professors and students in difficult positions of virtual learning, and students in the class of 2024 were put in a particularly difficult situation as their first experience of college was filled with isolation and fear. Since the pandemic happened so recently, there is limited research investigating the differences in student engagement and performance with online classes compared to in-person, however, those that have conducted research have found that online does not facilitate communication and engagement to the degree that in-person does. My research study aims to answer the question, how do Trinity College students and faculty describe classroom engagement and participation between the periods of online learning (2020-2021) versus face-to-face learning (2022-2023)? Through qualitative interviews with professors and students at Trinity College, I found that students and faculty reported a significant deficit in classroom participation and engagement during the online learning period which was mitigated when returning to in-person learning. These findings emphasize the importance of in-person learning and call into question the value of online classes at Trinity College

Language Positioning Within Peer Discourse in Dual Language Classrooms

Bilingualism and biliteracy represent one of the goals for dual language education, but prior research shows that the separationist manner through which programs are structured contradicts this goal. To understand these problems, this study applies a critical framework. Through the lens of positioning theory, I explore peer discourse to discover how students are positioned as bilingual or monolingual speakers in peer interactions in order to understand the nuance of bilingualism within dual language classrooms. This is important for the group of students researched in this study because the language positions they continually undertake ultimately have long-lasting impacts on their emerging identities. To gather data, observations of 18 third-grade students (around eight years old) enrolled at the Dwight Bellizzi Dual Language Academy in Hartford, Connecticut were conducted over a seven-week period in two classrooms with different languages of instruction: Spanish and English. Through analyzing descriptive field notes collected during observations, this paper seeks to answer the following questions: How does the implementation of the school’s formal structure, a 50-50 language immersion model, influence the classroom atmospheres where informal peer interactions occur? How do students discursively position themselves and their peers as bilingual or monolingual speakers? Field notes were first analyzed at a broad level to contextualize the atmospheres in which peer interactions occurred. Secondly, an analysis of peer interactions revealed four themes in which elements of bilingualism are present in each: translation, language code-switching, using a language different from the conversational context, and private communication. I argue that although the school’s formal structure separates the two languages of instruction, the positioning that occurs within informal peer discourse contradicts prior research as it reveals students are engaging with bilingualism

In-Class Engagement and Trinity College Professors: The Student of Color Experience

Trinity College has provided students with various classroom experiences that have allowed them to excel in further understanding of the world. These courses have given students the chance to not only connect and engage with the material, but they’ve also been at the forefront for students to use this knowledge to transform the communities around them. However, this is not an experience that is always the same for students of color here at the college. Here at a predominantly-white institution (PWI), students of color live their day-to-day lives often one a few in their classes. They are in spaces that challenge the ways that their identity can be recognized and acknowledged in relation “to which college students of color feel like they belong to the community on their respective campuses” (Hussain and Jones 64). Classrooms aren’t just physical spaces, for they are spaces that are engrained in how people can learn within a community of supportive peers and educators; nevertheless, it must be considered just how much students of color can learn and engage in these spaces with professors who don’t truly grasp their perspective in connection to their identities. In this paper, I aim to learn more about this to answer the following questions: What are Trinity College students of color’s experiences with professors of various racial identities? How do they assert that their experiences are related to their descriptions of in-class engagement? In writing this paper, I interviewed eight Trinity College junior and senior students of color, asking questions geared toward learning more about their individual engagement in their classes and how their identity coincides with how they perceive the racial identities of their Trinity professors. This helped me to come to the argument that students of color at Trinity feel that while some White professors have strongly established inclusive classroom spaces and relationships with students of color, other White professors are negligent of their identity and how they’re creating an inclusive classroom space; this causes differing styles of in-class engagement for students of color. It’s also argued that these varying experiences are due to the content being taught and how professors of various racial identities uphold culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP)

Health Educators Perceptions of Comprehensive Sex Education

Abstract This study looked at health educators\u27 perceptions of comprehensive sex education (CSE) through the lens of nine middle school and high school health educators in Massachusetts. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade (Totenberg & McCammon, 2022), sex education has been highly contested, specifically in more conservative states like Florida (Branigin, 2022). The purpose of this study is to find health educators\u27 perceptions of CSE. This qualitative study included nine interviews of teachers across four Massachusetts public school districts using an 11 question interview guides. Data analysis included three rounds of deductive coding on all nine interviews completed. The study finds that overall, educators fell on a spectrum with their definitions and understandings of CSE, some had a more narrow and simple view of CSE while others had a broader and in-depth view of CSE. Overall teachers perceive CSE to have a positive impact on their students. Teachers who perceive a positive impact in addition to having a strong understanding of CSE could see a sustained impact of the curriculum in their students. Finally, teachers who had a perceived positive impact of CSE could critically think about curriculum, what is included and what could be improved. This research creates implications for future studies done on the relationship between teachers and the impact of their teaching of comprehensive sex-education. A future study could look to further understand the overall United States perceived impact of CSE through interviews of health educators from around the country. Key Words: Comprehensive Sex Education, Perception, Educators, Impact, Roe v. Wad

Transitional Periods of Individuals with Autism: A Parental Perspective on Services

This study looks at the experiences and perceptions of parents with children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aged eighteen or older and have experienced a significant transition out of high school. By using a qualitative method of interviews and analysis, as well as two rounds of coding, I explored the nature of program options as well as the challenges of the individuals with Autism during this time of their life. This study looked at the challenges in the transition as well as some potential insights to helping ease the challenges