According to The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools (NYU Metro Center), cultural responsiveness and sensitivity can be measured by using a(n) CRE (Culturally Responsive Evaluation). In my research, I applied this tally system to the current curriculum standards and reading materials in North Carolina’s Guilford County school system. My findings' three main components are categorically listed: Representation, Social Justice, and Teacher’s Materials. It was only by cross-analyzing several different curricula and a select few required readings sourced from the GCS website. I was inspired to do this research because English Literature classes address critical thinking and perspective and can also incorporate vast amounts of historical premises. Second, high school students start to take on more social responsibilities, including preparing for newly found adulthood if not preparing to become actively involved in the workforce, attend college or University or potentially join the military and understanding the diverse cultures and varied cultural perspectives within the local community are essential for them to carry out these responsibilities and practice leadership skills. Examining the cultural representativeness of the existing high school curriculum and supplementary materials would allow us to surface current instructional practices that engage students in discussing diverse cultural issues and identify opportunities and needs for integrating multicultural materials in high school English education.

Black women face unique challenges due to the intersectionality of their race, class, and gender in graduate school. For Black women, navigating how to cope with these challenges throughout their educational journey can influence how they experience graduate spaces. Microaggressions, which are common in literature on Black women, often result in racial battle fatigue (Smith, 2009) and the ramifications of lead to continuous negative experiences. In addition, as COVID-19 and recent racial injustices have impacted our society, higher education needs to understand how Black women are currently navigating and managing educational spaces. This qualitative research study will center Black women who are currently enrolled in graduate school. Using focus groups, this qualitative multiple case study will center on their experiences and themes from contemporary literature. Preliminary findings reveal that Black graduate women have experiences that are unique and are significant for higher education to understand. Reference Smith, W. A. (2009). Higher education: Racial battle fatigue. In R. T. Schaefer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society (pp. 615-618). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

There are multiple barriers affecting the resilience of African American males at the collegiate level. The development of African American male-specific mentor programs at the collegiate level will help build resilience in African American males. Previous researchers have found that mentors play a vital role in student success. This research shows that poverty, discrimination, and social identity have affected African American male resilience the most over time. African American males who participated in this research use support systems of family, classmates, and the university faculty and staff to overcome their barriers. Without a reliable mentor at a young age, the collegiate experience can be affected negatively. After reviewing these sources multiple gaps in data regarding African American male resiliency were identified. Research shows redlining (discrimination based on demographic location) and poverty to be the main factors affecting resilience, and although they affect Black male resilience greatly, our research has shown the lack of positive mentors in a Black male’s life can be identified as the underlying effect to their collegiate success. There are plenty of Black males that have experienced redlining and still been successful. Through in-depth analysis of resilience surveys, we identified if the issue was race-related or personal. We found that the issue is both race-related and personal. We also used personal interview methods to make an observative analysis that mentorships affect Black male resilience.