Completed Theses of M.S. Urban Education Degree Earners

Completed Theses of M.S. Urban Education Degree Earners

The list of Master of Science in Urban Education degree earners appears in the table below in the order that they completed their degree starting with Vance Holmes in December 2015.  Click on the title of their thesis to read an paragraph abstract of their thesis and find a link to their full thesis, or click on their name in alphabetical order on the left menu.

The School of Urban Education is very proud of the accomplishments of our graduates and the theses they have written as scholars of urban education.

In 2021, faculty expanded the options to complete the Master's degree and now we allow the option of making a 30-minute capstone presentation along with taking an extra 3cr elective instead of writing a formal thesis.  Presentation recordings can be found at:  
https://www.taskstream.com/ts/programmanager2/MSUrbanEd-CapstoneCompletersPresentations 

COMPLETERS' NAMES                                                (in order of completion)

    THESIS TITLES

TYPE OF RESEARCH

Vance Holmes

Powerful Beyond Measure: African American Assessments of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exam Experience

 Empirical

Gina Wilson

How Can Teaching Pedagogy be Adapted for Students Who Are Unlike and Different from Students I Have Previously Taught?

 Empirical

Deborah Hansen

The Effects of School-Based Mentoring on Classroom Engagement of Middle School Students of Color in a Mostly White Urban School

 Empirical

Ben Berkness

Teaching Letter Sounds To Kindergarteners Using Kinesthetic Memory Cues

Empirical

Scott Weninger

Self-Reflection as a Tool for Students to Prevent Office Discipline Referrals

 Empirical

Dan Bettino

Being Valued and Feeling Good: Self-Esteem and the Perceived Value of Home Language among English Language Learners in a Middle School Spanish Immersion Program

 Empirical

Anna Santori-Hilfers

Communication Methods Between Mothers and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Preceding an In-Home Parent Training Programming

 Empirical

Edairra McCalister

Black Girls We See You:  Unity Circle in Urban High School

 Action Research

Abdul Sannie-Ariyibi

Examining the Paradox between Freedom and Discipline in the Classroom

 Empirical

Alexis May

Volunteer Activities Based on Student Motivations

 Empirical

Abby Kloos

The Effects of Working with Latino Students In The Classroom As Well As Outside To Ensure Success in Mathematics

 Action Research

Garrett Lee

Can iPads or Other Smart Mobile Technology Devices Support the Creation of a Positive Learning Environment for High School Science Students? A Review of Literature

 Extensive Lit Review

Waleid Hassan

What Are the Workplace Factors That Contribute to Teachers of Color Seriously Considering Leaving the Profession Completely?

 Empirical

Sam Shoemaker

Recruitment and Retention of African American Male Adolescents in Leadership Programs

 Extensive Lit Review

Adeola Haastrup

A Literature Review about the Benefits, Challenges and Needs for Implementing Information Communication Technology (ICT) into Education in Nigerian Schools

 Extensive Lit Review

Matthew Larkey

Teacher-Student Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Student Perspectives and Teacher Interviews

 Empirical

Jesse Maloney

An examination of the perceived benefits of diverse out-of-class learning opportunities in an urban middle school   Action Research

Alison Criss

What did I learn as an urban high school English teacher about how to begin YPAR from implementing YPAR for the first time?

 Action Research

Craig Kleeberger

Correlation between a mindfulness meditation practice and stress reduction among teachers

 Empirical

Bethany Wheeler

Are mindfulness practices implemented in school settings effective in promoting self-awareness in early adolescents and adolescents?

 Extensive Lit Review

Marvin Peterson

Does the use of learning management software in classrooms create barriers for urban high school students given inequitable access to internet and technology at home? A review of the literature

 Extensive Lit Review

Jerri Malone

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma in Elementary School Students: An Extensive Review of the Literature  Extensive Lit Review

James Malone

What does the research say about the characteristics of effective community-based mentoring programs that prevent drop out of “at-risk” African American high school students?  Extensive Lit Review

Janey Atchinson

An Exploratory Analysis of the Equity in Minnesota's School Funding Model and How it may Affect or Contribute to Minnesota's Continuing Academic Achievement Gap  Empirical

Drayton Cousins

What do the characteristics and outcomes of AP classes contribute to the promise of equity? An examination of a program through using an Effectively Maintained Inequality theoretical framework  Empirical

Gwynder Burnett

Teacher Attitudes and Practices That Affect Teacher Efficacy to Promote Student Learning for Low Achieving Students: A Review of the Literature  Extensive Lit Review

Halat Basheer

What do education futurists predict about the role of the K–12 teachers given changes in technology and increased use of online learning?  Extensive Lit Review
Jessie Begert Parent Empowerment and Early Literacy Skills: An Action Research Project in Kindergarten  Action Research
John Coleman Developing and Practicing Growth Mindsets in Mathematics  Extensive Lit Review
Sarah Henning Not So Universal: Retaining Students of Color in School Music Ensembles  Empirical
Ciara Murphy Segregation in Schools An Extensive Review of Literature About Schools in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Metro Areas Segregating Students  Extensive Lit Review

Allison Raney

An Investigation of the Impact of Weekly, Embedded Professional Development on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy  Action Research
Laura Watkins-Baker The impact of Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, General Education Students, and General Education Teachers: An Extensive Literature Review  Extensive Lit Review
Olivia Wulf Creating Queerly Responsive Classrooms in Minnesota: The Importance of LGBTQ+ Representation in Urban High School English Curriculum  Extensive Lit Review

Michaela McCoy

The Specific Racialized Experiences of Multiracial Students in American Schools, and the Impact of Those Experiences on Socioemotional and Academic Outcomes for Multiracial Students: An Extensive Literature Review  Extensive Lit Review
Lidia Miranda Carrillo Ethnic Matching Theory Centralized in Ethnic Studies  Extensive Lit Review
Mark Spurlin The Bull in My Room: Effective Uses of Technology and its Impact on Achievement Extensive Lit Review
Therese L. O’Meara School-based Mental Health Supports for Students of Color: A of Review Literature  Extensive Lit Review
Sheila Takanen A Critical Race Pedagogy for a Privileged Audience  Extensive Lit Review
Michael McCartan A Review of Research on the Effectiveness of a Flipped Learning Structure in Secondary Mathematics Classrooms  Extensive Lit Review
Blair Hanson Supporting Emergent Bilinguals in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom: An Extensive Review of the Literature  Extensive Lit Review
Samantha Pendragon Queering History: How LGBTQ Representation Can Be Integrated in Minnesota High School Social Studies Classrooms  Empirical
Lisa Fralish Centering Critical and Multiple Perspectives to Transform Social Studies: Inclusive Narratives in Minnesota’s Elementary Social Studies Standards  Action Research
Anna Lehn

Toward a Liberatory Classroom Raciolinguistics: An Extensive Literature Review on Translanguaging in Middle School English Language Arts Classrooms

Extensive Lit Review
Sonja Muus What Impact Does the Implementation of Cogenerative Dialogues Have on the Educational Experience of Secondary Students? A Review of Literature Extensive Lit Review
Donelle Harvey The Toxicity of it All: A Review of Literature about Microaggressions and Problematic Leadership Experienced by Educators of Color  Extensive Lit Review 
Jackelyn Doyle No Longer an Absent Narrative: Implementing Culturally Sustaining Practices in Literacy and Social Studies Integration Through the use of Critical Literacy and Counter Storytelling in the Urban Classroom Extensive Lit Review 
Jessica Franklin Teaching Language Arts for Linguistic Justice: An Extensive Review of the Literature Extensive Lit Review 
Samantha Hedden The Mental Health and Well-Being of Educators: A Review of Literature Extensive Lit Review
Kiera Kisic Building Dialogic Classrooms in Urban Middle Schools and High Schools  Extensive Lit Review
Courtney Antone Give Me Teaming or Get Me Out of Here: An Extensive Review of Literature on the Benefits of Interdisciplinary Teaming for Students and Teachers Extensive Lit Review
Megan Soosai Taking Anti-Racist Classrooms Beyond Wishful Thinking: Pedagogical & Classroom Reflections to Empower the Systematically Disenfranchised and Disillusioned   Action Research 
Matt Shaver A Challenging But Worthy Endeavor: Exploring the Perceptions of Teacher Mentees Within a Critical Policy Framework  Extensive Lit Review 
Mike Ward Acknowledging My Diseases: White Privilege, Substance Use Disorder, and Recovery Empirical 
Julia Pearlstein-Levy Extensive Lit Review 
Lynnea Waydula An Impossible Hurdle: An Extensive Review on Educational Barriers for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities  Extensive Lit Review 
Josh Neurer Successes and Challenges of Argumentation in Urban Science Classrooms: A Review of Literature Extensive Lit Review 
Tracy Larson

Nature’s Equigenic Effect on Reducing the Opportunity Gap for Urban Students of Color in a Post-COVID Learning Environment: An Extensive Literature Review

Extensive Lit Review 
Unis Boye-Weah  Parent Involvement in the Eyes of Liberian Parents  Empirical
Ayan Ibrahim How Can Schools Communicate and Work with Immigrant Parents to Increase Involvement to Help Multilingual Children Be Successful in Schools?  Extensive Lit Review
Amina Hussein

Honoring Urban Student Identities in the Classroom

Empirical
Andre Borka   Empirical
Sabra Heimerl   Empirical
Julia Gartzke   Empirical
Drew Torrance    Extensive Lit Review
Author: Urban Teacher Program Manager
Last modified: 1/13/2023 3:40 PM (EDT)