Early Childhood and Elementary Education Dissertations

Using a grounded theory approach to investigate the multidimensional reflections of two Reading Recovery teachers, this inquiry responds to calls for research on reflection and provides information for the field of education in understanding the nature of teachers’ reflections and how they inform teaching practices. Reading Recovery is a progressive intervention program which brings the lowest performing readers and writers to average levels of achievement in twelve to twenty weeks through daily, thirty minute one-on-one tutoring sessions that follow the same lesson pattern daily. Reading Recovery teachers are carefully trained to use reflection to design, implement, and observe children’s reading and writing practices to accelerate their reading and writing skills. To investigate the nature of participants’ reflections and how those reflections informed their teaching practices the data sources, collected over eight weeks, for each participant included field notes from seventeen observations, two semi-structured interview transcripts, thirty-six course documents, and two member checks transcripts. Open coding, memoing, and axial coding were used to examine all data sources. Further, each of the three dimensions of reflection, time, type, and context, were accounted for to fully explore participants’ reflections. Three interrelated major themes connected to the nature of Reading Recovery teachers’ reflectivity and practice were identified: (1) participants’ reflections are situated within the contextual framework of Reading Recovery and inform practices by serving as a roadmap to scaffold individualized instruction and examine personal philosophies of teaching and instructional assumptions; (2) Teacher identity as a reflective practitioner is a natural outcome participants and fosters the interconnectedness of practice and automaticity in their reflective practices; and (3) Systematic observations of the child during instruction focus on actions of the child and themselves as a teacher and serve as a trigger for reflection in a data-driven response sequence linking theory to practice. This study offers insight into how reflective practices of teachers of reading may be fostered through teacher education and into their own teacher development by linking their theoretical perspectives to their teaching practices.

Heeding Hillard’s call for teachers to crack the walls of the matrix (inequitable schooling), this qualitative case study used Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a theoretical lens and methodological tool to investigate the reflections of three elementary pre-service teachers. The first research question examined participants’ reflections as they were learning about teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. The second question explored how these reflections connected to their developing culturally relevant beliefs and practices. To investigate these research questions the data sources collected for each participant included a pre/post Love & Kruger questionnaire, three individual semi-structured interview transcripts, eight written course documents, and two individual member written records. Cross case and within case analyses were conducted using a priori and open coding for all data and utilized the analytic strategy of relying on theoretical propositions. The theoretical proposition for this study was that teachers who reflected across systems of influences had more culturally relevant beliefs and practices. Findings from the cross case analysis suggested that (a) participants’ had shared patterns of reflectivity (b) drew upon multiple tools of references when confronted with less culturally relevant teaching in the field and program and (c) some course assignments facilitated participants’ reflection across systems more than others. The results from the within case analysis suggested that (a) participants’ racial identity experiences were the lenses they used to reflect on what being a culturally relevant teacher meant (b) some participants experienced cultural dissonance in the teacher development program as they considered culturally relevant pedagogy and (c) critical reflections across systems of influence revealed more developed understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy. This study offers insights about using critical reflectivity in developing pre-service teachers’ understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy.

Learning targets and other forms of stated learning goals are commonly used instructional components of outcome-based education models and indicators of classroom or teacher quality. When utilized as scripted by classroom teachers, learning targets are the intended vehicle through which standards and measurable expectations are delivered to students so that they can succeed on achievement assessments. This review and research dissertation makes use of new materialist theories and contributes to educational scholarship that acknowledges the complexity of elementary classroom environments and the sociomaterial forces that continuously shape the events and realities that emerge. The review chapter introduces diffraction as a novel methodology before examining current empirical scholarship to illustrate its diverse applications. The research chapter examines learning targets, a form of stated learning goals, and their related practices beyond the commonly help convictions that such usage results in higher student achievement. The research manuscript presents a study that incorporated observational and video-recorded data from a 2nd grade classroom to explore what else learning targets co-produced other than student achievement and high marks on teacher rating scales. Considerations for the potentializing effects of learning target practices and related pedagogy are discussed.

ABSTRACT FINDING THEIR WAY: A CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY OF FIVE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN EDUCATORS’ EARLY EXPERIENCES TO DEVELOP INTO CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEGAGOGUES by Rachel Beatrice Dunbar Teacher education programs have been charged with the responsibility to equip all teachers to work successfully in increasingly diverse elementary classrooms around the nation (NCES, 1996). However, the composition of the nation’s teaching force has not kept pace with these changes. Additionally, there is concern that many Pre-service teachers are ill prepared to work with culturally diverse students, partly because teacher education programs (TEPs) often adopt a monocultural, one-size-fits-all approach to preparation, ignoring race, class, and gender considerations (King & Castnell, 2001). African American women who seek preparation are greatly impacted by this singular approach to teacher education, which influences the way in which they experience their training. Consequently, they are often underserved in TEPs (Cozart & Price, 2005). It has been argued that TEPs will have to broaden their approaches to preparation by using a culturally relevant approach to teaching (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). Given the necessity for teachers to be equipped to meet the needs of culturally diverse learners in the classroom, it is imperative that TEPs are designed to cultivate culturally appropriate practices within Pre-service teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the nature of the diversity preparation of five African American women and their teaching experiences following the completion of their teacher education training. The critical ethnographic case studies that developed were theoretically framed in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 1990), and Womanism (Phillips, 2006). Data were collected from classroom observations, individual, and group interviews. Using a system of open coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), data analysis resulted in the emergence of three overarching themes: a) the formal diversity preparation offered by the university, b) the women’s individual perspectives of cultural relevance, and c) the ways in which the women incorporated their perspectives into their classroom practices. The experiences the young women encountered significantly influenced their understandings of culture and its impact on learning for diverse student populations. The results of this study suggest the need for teacher educators to reconsider how TEPs are structured to better prepare minority Pre-service teachers in the future to teach culturally diverse students.

Most elementary students are not given opportunities to make sense of their own observations or engage meaningfully with science ideas to develop conceptual understanding. Instead, they are subjected to passive approaches to learning or hands-on activities with little relevance to authentic contexts (Roth, 2014). The 2018 survey of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) reports only 31% of elementary teachers surveyed felt very well prepared to teach science in general, and students most likely to be taught by teachers who feel unprepared are those in high-poverty schools with historically underrepresented race and ethnicity groups. One way to address these issues is seen in calls to recruit, prepare and retain teachers who view their role through a lens of social justice (Kavanagh & Danielson, 2020; Ladson-Billings, 1995a, 2014; Sleeter, 2001). Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) (Ladson-Billings, 1995a) is a framework used by successful teachers of African American students and has since been applied to a range of subject areas and with additional marginalized communities. Yet, though the body of literature is growing, elementary science education has received less attention in CRP research. This critical qualitative study used narrative analysis (Reissman, 2006) to understand (a) what it means to three elementary teachers to teach science in culturally relevant ways and (b) how policies and practices restrict their pedagogies. An analytical framework consisting of CRP and Clandinin & Connelly’s (2000) Three-Dimensional Narrative Space yielded insights related to teaching in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, team teaching practices, administrative support, and the chilling effects of classroom censorship legislation.

This study explores the ways in which four preservice teachers enrolled in a culturally responsive teacher education program talked about race during read-alouds. Utilizing an embedded, single case study design, the study draws on critical race theory and racial literacy to answer the research question: How do preservice teachers in an equity-oriented teacher preparation program talk about race with elementary-aged students of color during read-alouds using texts that they have characterized as culturally responsive? The data from field notes, lesson transcripts, and preservice teacher reflections were collected during an intensive 6-week literacy course. Using constant comparative analysis, three themes were constructed: talking but not talking, bridging, and distancing. Findings illustrate that preservice teachers negotiate racial discussions by engaging in superficial conversations that do not move beyond general descriptions (talking but not talking), by separating race from social implications (distancing), and by creating generative connections between themselves, their students, the texts, and race (bridging). Findings also point to constant shifts between bridging and distancing as preservice teachers work to “seem and feel” racially literate. The study suggests that preservice teachers would benefit from teacher education programs that develop racial literacy, particularly in programs designed to prepare teachers to work in under resourced schools.

As technology and digital media occupy an increasingly prominent place in the daily lives of American citizens, education must adapt to better develop students’ literacy skills using a variety of media. The metaliteracy framework provides a pedagogical structure toward this end, but few studies have examined metaliteracy from an elementary perspective. Also, it is not yet known to what extent state instructional standards align with the body of research on metaliteracy and digital literacies. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) in K-2 Computer Science and English Language Arts concerning a) their alignment with concepts of metaliteracy and b) the processes and practices they most commonly demand of students through a mixed-methods convergent design employing directed content analysis and data-driven qualitative content analysis. A literature review was first conducted to report the relevant technology and literacy education research. The directed content analysis used a simulation of hypothesis testing procedure to determine the degree of presence for 25 concepts of metaliteracy and found support for eight concepts in the standards: the Author, Communicator, Participant, and Producer Learner Roles; the Participatory and Productive Learner Characteristics; and the Behavioral and Cognitive Learning Domains. The qualitative content analysis produced a novel coding frame with five main categories: Collaborative Communicator, Acquisition Toward Analysis, Employing Toward Innovation, Reflecting and Revising, and Meaning and Belonging. Finally, the dissertation provides implications for research, policy, and practice.

Mathematical discourse is a critical component of effective mathematics instruction, but it remains one of the least implemented strategies in mathematics classrooms. This exploratory case study examined how elementary teachers understand, plan, and implement mathematical discourse practices, with a particular focus on connections to the curriculum. Participants included three kindergarten teachers in an urban-situated elementary school. Data were collected through: two sets of documents, including the provided curriculum and teacher-created lesson plans; two individual, semi-structured interviews with each participant; and two classroom observations of each participant’s mathematics instructional practices. The data were analyzed through the constant comparative method. Interview data were coded through a three-stage coding cycle, resulting in emergent themes. Data collected through documents and observations were categorized and compared to the interview codes created through the coding cycle to determine themes. The findings show teachers had a desire to engage in mathematical discourse but there were barriers to implementation such as time, academic language, and COVID-19 protocols. Additionally, there was no appreciable influence of the written curriculum on the enacted curriculum. However, the utilization of a curriculum with supports for classroom discourse may give teachers tools to engage students in more high press lines of questioning. In the context of a stressed work environment, teachers did alter the curriculum to simplify and lessen the cognitive load of the discourse for students. The findings illuminate how teachers would benefit from practice with mathematical discourse in the classroom within the contexts that already exist for them, such as collaborative planning sessions where teachers can become more comfortable anticipating lines of questioning. Additionally, teachers may benefit from attending to the types of questions with which they engage students during the lesson planning process.

Children's early writing skills develop significantly during the preschool period, with such development setting the foundation for children's future literacy and academic success (Aram, 2005; Graham & Hebert, 2011; National Early Literacy Panel [NELP], 2008). However, limited research exists on how to elicit and score young children's early writing performance in a manner that aligns with multi-dimensional conceptualizations of early writing skill development (Berninger & Swanson, 1994; Puranik & Lonigan, 2014). The majority of research on early writing development focuses narrowly on children's transcription skills, which are children's ability to coordinate their fine motor skills, orthographic knowledge, and print awareness to create writing products (Berninger & Swanson, 1994; McCutchen, 2000; Puranik & Lonigan, 2014). Much less is known about the development of children's composing skills (i.e., children's ability to generate and organize their ideas and intentional attempts to use the written form to express the ideas; Quinn et al., 2020, 2021; Rowe & Wilson, 2015) or how to best assess them. This study addresses these limitations by examining how the use of multiple early writing tasks and a refined scoring system, designed to align with the multidimensional conceptualization of early writing skills, captures young children's writing skills. Multiple structural equation models are employed to explore how the writing tasks and the refined scoring rubrics work together to capture children's early writing skills. The final multi-trait multi-method (MTMM) model indicated that three distinct early writing skills exist at the preschool level, namely handwriting, spelling, and composing skills. It also confirmed that the early writing skills elicited by the four early writing tasks (i.e., name, letter, word, and story writing) varied from each other. This means these early writing tasks provide unique information about children’s writing and can be used for different assessment purposes. The refined coding system and the four early writing tasks were confirmed as reliable and valid measures of preschool early writing.

Lack of teacher technology integration is a documented concern within education. Effective staff development practices, the need for on-going support, and the presence of elements of diffusion are all recognized as factors that lead to higher rates of technology integration. These elements are not currently studied as a whole in research on technology education. This study sought to examine all three of these factors within a southern metropolitan school district’s technology teacher development initiative. The following questions guided the research: 1. How do teachers experience the five elements of diffusion (complexity, triability, observability, relative advantage, and compatibility) in the area of technology integration in elementary schools? 2. How do teachers experience instructional technology support and the impact of support on their technology integration instruction? 3. How do teachers experience technology staff development and the impact of staff development on their classroom technology integration? Data were collected from 81 online survey participants, 16 oral interview and web log analysis participants, and an interview with the project director at the completion of the first year of a two-year initiative. Participants received updated technology tools within their classroom and were required to take technology related courses, keep web logs, and complete technology projects. Research was conducted within a mixed methods triangulation design using a pragmatic paradigm with descriptive statistics and correlations as forms of quantitative analysis and a phenomenological approach applied in qualitative analysis. Findings showed the presence of elements of diffusion and support across all data sources. Teachers’ experiences with the program were positive and led to frequent and varied technology integration. Correlations indicated high levels of interrelatedness among the variables of support, elements of diffusion, and impact on instruction. Teachers reported enhanced engagement in learning among themselves and their students. The fact that teachers chose to be in the staff development program and had choices within the program to fulfill the requirements appeared to engage and motivate them. Even though teachers self-reported they were early adopters of technology, the program support structure was highly valued. The program could be used as a model for effective technology staff development.

The study examined how a single urban teacher education program in a large southeastern university educate preservice teachers about English language variation, specifically African American English (AAE). AAE is a rule-based language spoken by a large population of students in urban communities across the nation. Document analysis was employed for internal documents such as coursework, websites, program materials, readings, course schedules, and catalogs for the presence, role, and function of AAE. External documents such as state and federal requirements for teacher certification programs were included. Grounded theory analysis was used with two focus groups exploring implicit AAE teaching approaches. The study found that Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) impacted how AAE was addressed in this teacher preparation program through an intentional emphasis on urban teaching and learning in non-deficit ways. CRP necessitated the building of cultural competence and critical consciousness of preservice teachers. AAE was partly addressed in the program, and yet a platform for understanding and supporting AAE was established through CRP and a commitment to combating bias and legitimizing language. This study also found that standards of academic rigor, high expectations, and understanding the relationship between power and language were advanced through CRP and strongly connected to AAE. Implications of how urban education preservice teacher programs could focus on AAE through CRP were provided.

This study seeks to explore ways in which Black and Brown males are depicted in picturebooks. This study is guided by the concept of cultural code-meshing-—"the blending and concurrent use” (Young, 2009, p. 50) of all the cultural languages that are mine (e.g., rap quotes, artistic media, and academic writing). The following question guided this study: How are race, racism, and power depicted in Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut and Windows? The theoretical framework that guides the study is Critical Race Theory (CRT), which aids in understanding how ideas of race, racism, and power are operationalized in various spaces. The sample consists of two picturebooks, Windows authored by Julia Denos and illustrated by E.B. Goodale, and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, authored by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James. I use the critical content analysis approach as it is effective for understanding how various forms of privilege and oppression exist in society. I use textual and visual analysis to make visible various discourses operating through the print text and visual imagery within the two picturebooks. Through a deductive approach, I observe data from both books and analyze the data through the tenets of CRT to understand how race, racism, and power are communicated through print text and visual imagery. Of the six tenets of CRT, there were four tenets found operationalized in the study: counter storytelling/unique voices of color, race as a social construction, permanence of racism, and the critique of colorblindness. Exploring the representation of Black and Brown males in children’s literature will contribute to the field of education—and by extension the role of children’s book publishing in education—by advancing conversations around the selection and utilization by adults of picturebooks for young children. Understanding how messages surrounding Black and Brown males are communicated through the words and images within picturebooks can inform the ways in which future picturebooks are created, published, awarded, selected, and used in various spaces, including classrooms.

This quantitative study examined if external and internal factors predict elementary instructional coaches of mathematics beliefs about their mathematics coaching effectiveness in urban school settings. Internal factors were within the instructional coaches’ control, such as years of coaching experience and educational level; external factors were outside of their control, specifically school and district policies and practices, including the number of teachers served, the number of subjects coached, and the amount of time allotted with teachers. Participants in this study were 51 full-time elementary instructional coaches who supported mathematics in a large, urban school system in the Southeastern United States. Data collection was via the Coaching Skills Inventory, which includes 20 items focused on mathematics coaches’ self-efficacy related to their professional responsibilities, such as building teacher relationships, coaching skills, and knowledge of mathematical content and pedagogy. Additional data collection was via demographic and informational items that provided insights into various external and internal factors. Multiple regression methods were the statistical approaches used for analysis to determine if internal and external factors have an aggregate influence on mathematics coaching self-efficacy. The collective results of the regression model were not statistically significant, indicating that there is not a strong predictive relationship between internal factors, external factors, and aspects of mathematics coaching self-efficacy. However, the analysis showed that elementary instructional coaches of mathematics had relatively high self-efficacy related to student-centered pedagogy. Participants ranked the amount of time available to spend with teachers and the number of years of experience teaching elementary mathematics as the most important factors for their mathematics coaching effectiveness. The findings indicate potential factors that could help school and district leaders make decisions about the selection, support, and work setting of mathematics coaches.

The dissertation research examines culturally responsive practices in virtual learning settings in relation to teacher accessibility and is presented in a review and research format. The first paper constitutes a comprehensive scoping literature review that explores the proposition that virtual accessibility is an equity construct in Title 1 urban schools. A constant comparative approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) identifies themes in the literature related to how culturally responsive virtual learning components demonstrate support for the argument that connecting with students virtually is more than bandwidth. The review study finds that virtual accessibility is created by centering culture, building and sustaining culturally informed relationships, and fostering care. The second paper is a qualitative case study examining what is known about culturally responsive virtual learning in one second grade elementary Title 1 classroom. Collection and analysis of data occurs in four phases across 12 weeks and included bi-weekly data sets representing non-participant observations of reading or writing lessons, lesson plans, case participant interviews, and analytic memos. A constant comparative approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) identifies themes using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1995a, 2014) Culturally Informed Relationships (Milner, 2006), and an Ethos of Care (Jackson, Sealey-Ruiz, & Watson, 2014) theories. The case study illustrates that culturally responsive practices (CRP) can be part of virtual learning by centering culture through relationships within an intentional virtual learning community. Implications for re-tooling technologies to facilitate virtual CRP are presented.

The study examines how special education teachers in elementary schools respond to ac-countability measures using a cognitive dissonance theoretical framework. Sixty percent of students with disabilities have a specific learning disability with processing challenges and are expected to take and pass end-of-the-year high-stakes tests alongside their non-disabled peers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Preparing students with learning disabilities for tests can potentially influence special education teachers’ autonomy, instructional decisions, and career satisfaction. Some argue that an increased emphasis on student testing is one reason for the current teacher shortage and attrition rates of special education teachers (Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007). This qualitative research study used a narrative inquiry methodology to explore how mandatory state testing influences special education teachers’ abilities to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. Saldaña’s (2016) value coding was used to analyze teacher interviews, analytic memos, and a researcher journal. Findings revealed that high-stakes tests minimize the ability for special education teachers to specialize instruction. Special education teach-ers value their autonomy to use instructional time on tasks that directly impact student achievement. Reported instructional practices appear to align in support of high-stakes tests even though teachers do not find them valuable. This study has implications for special education teachers, school administrators, and policymakers. Findings from the study can add to the current dialogue about the influence of increased testing on teaching and learning specific to populations with special needs.

For the current study, I engaged in a self-study to understand how my White racial identity influenced my teaching and learning practices in multiple contexts and how my racial identity changed over time. This study was framed in Helms’ (2020) White racial identity framework, which consists of a total of six schemas. Each schema details different ways in which White racial identity presents depending on the level of White racial identity being centered. The current research utilized multiple methods to establish trustworthiness. Data generation and analysis occurred simultaneously. I used artifact elicitation, which involves including a stimulus, during four interviews or discussions with a critical friend to encourage increased detail and depth in an interview (Henry & Fetters, 2012). The stimulus for this study included a total of 32 artifacts: 25 text-based artifacts including instructional handouts and assignments, 5 visual artifacts, including collages and sketches, and 2 social media sites. Data sources included the transcripts from the discussion and reflective writing with the texts of Saad (2020) and Helms (2020) as critical friends. Data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis and constant comparison to ensure in-depth analysis and critical reflection. Findings suggest that racial identity shifts as White teachers move through various contexts. Additionally, this research supports Helms’ (2020) assertion that racial identity schemas are fluid and changing and that multiple schemas may operate at the same time. Understanding how my racial identity was represented in these artifacts offers guidance for other White teachers who are engaging in similar work and possible reasons for these moves.

The adoption of a literacy curriculum with an “evidence-based” label in high-needs elementary schools may influence the inclusion of elementary teachers in curricular choices and instructional decision-making. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the presence and relationships between Joseph Schwab’s Four Commonplaces (1973), which argues for an intersect among the subject matter, teacher, learner, and context, and opportunities to incorporate instructional practices using Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction. The study was guided by the two research questions:

1. What is the function of the literacy elements, teacher, learner and learning context in a literacy curriculum?
2. What relationships exist between the literacy elements, teacher, learner, and learning context in the literacy curriculum?

A case study design was employed to focus on the presence of literacy elements, the teacher, the learner, and the learning context in one literacy curriculum that was recommended for adoption by the state department of education. Documents representing the corpus for analysis, including descriptions and sample units from the publisher’s website, teacher interviews by the publisher and the state ELA instructional framework, totaled 20 documents categorized as main versus additional sources. Document analysis using selective coding methods for federal, state, and curriculum documents and videos found an emphasis of six areas of literacy, whole group instruction and small group instruction as the context for learning, teachers as the implementers of explicit and systematic lessons, and the importance of learners to access and apply literacy skills. Findings show the relationship between commonplaces reveal the influence of the subject matter and the learning context on teacher-learner interactions. The findings reveal that the curriculum did not present opportunities for CRLI implementation. The study has implications for consideration on critically thinking about the “evidence-based” label, consideration for curriculum adoption, teacher instructional decision-making, and argues for the implementation of teacher practices in Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction in high-needs schools.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of teachers implementing culturally responsive teaching practices within four upper elementary mathematics classrooms. The teachers self-identified as being culturally responsive teachers who attended a voluntary district training on culturally responsive teaching. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of upper elementary mathematics teachers' implementation of culturally responsive teaching. The research questions addressed were: In what ways do upper elementary mathematics teachers describe their understanding of culturally responsive teaching? How do upper elementary mathematics teachers negotiate culturally responsive teaching practices in their classrooms? This narrative inquiry allowed the researcher to co-construct stories with the participants about their experiences facilitating culturally responsive teaching in 3rd-5th grade mathematics classrooms. The data collection consisted of multiple semi-structured teacher interviews with open-ended interview questions, in combination with analyzing the researcher and participants' journals, classroom observation notes, and classroom documents to describe the experiences of each teacher. The researcher used the narrative approaches: thematic and performative for a thorough examination of teachers' experiences. Participants explored their understanding of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) as well as their experiences. An analysis of the data revealed that the participants' understanding of CRT included: a) cultural decontextualization of mathematics disadvantages minority learners; and b) culturally responsive teaching in mathematics is effective in promoting educational equity in diverse classrooms. The analysis further revealed that the participants negotiated CRT by: c) teaching the whole child in a positive and academically challenging environment; and d) promoting student engagement and success by in mathematics by connecting to students' lived experiences. The findings of this study have implications for school leaders and teachers who desire to support culturally responsive teachers or to become more culturally responsive in their mathematics classroom.

This dissertation follows in the footsteps of numerous scholars who have called for the explicit and intentional integration of Black women’s experiences, knowledge, and wisdom into academic research and more specifically into research that aims to dismantle educational inequities. Grounded in Black feminist theories and methodologies as well my own positionality as a Black woman, this dissertation aims to broaden the ways that a historically praxis-oriented body of research in elementary education, critical literacies research, is theorized and enacted by integrating more thoroughly Black women's ways of knowing. My goal is not to essentialize Black women as a monolithic group; rather, this dissertation explores how to leverage our individual and combined perspectives, which are grounded in our rich history of resistance and thriving in the face of adversity, in order to produce knowledge and literacy practices useful for justice-oriented education.

Chapter One of this two-chapter dissertation (Review and Research format) is an analysis of academic literature related to critical literacies research and Black women educators in elementary education, addressing the question: How are Black women’s ways of knowing integrated in critical literacies research with participants who are Black women educators? The chapter offers a sense of the extent to which Black women educators’ ways of knowing are associated with the term critical literacy. It also identifies fruitful strategies that critical literacies researchers can use to integrate Black women’s ways of knowing into the knowledge base and practices of critical literacies, such as integrating Black women educators' emotions and spiritual knowledge into the research and co-researching with Black women who are also participants.

Chapter Two is an empirical study that examines the narratives of four Black women educators to understand the literacies, which Jeanine Staples (2020) refers to as extraordinary literacies, that they practice in their own lives as resistance to experiences that threaten their physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. I ask: How do Black women who are educators employ extraordinary and critical literacies to address oppression and marginalization? and What are the affordances of extraordinary literacies for Black women who are educators as well as for critical literacies research more broadly? Guided by the assumptions of Black feminist theories as well as my own ongoing reading, writing, and living in relation to justice-oriented practices, I analyzed data produced through individual interviews with participants, audio reflections created by participants on their own time, and group interviews as collective conversations. Findings demonstrate how participants’ extraordinary literacies act as expressions of agency and self-definition toward participants’ resistance to oppressions and efforts towards social justice. Participants’ enactments of extraordinary literacies also expand existing conceptions of literacy practices that promote justice and help educators and researchers gain greater access to the sophisticated intellectual and activist practices of members of marginalized groups, specifically, Black women educators.