Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

First Advisor

Kristina Astrid Hesbol

Keywords

Case study, High school, Phenomenology, School district demographic change, Students, Suburban schools

Abstract

Over the past two to three decades, inner-ring suburban school districts in certain areas around the United States have experienced significant demographic change. These shifts influence who lives in these communities, as well as who attends schools in these K–12 school districts. In a metropolitan area, in the Rocky Mountain West Region of the United States, numerous school districts are experiencing such shifts. Although past empirical research has examined shifts through the lens of school leaders and teachers, few studies have explored how students experience this change.

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological case study examines how high school students experience these shifts. To examine this issue, Bradley Public Schools1 and the lived experiences of six high school students from Bradley serve as a lens through which I study this complex phenomenon.

One overarching research question and a sub research question anchor this study: What is the lived experience of high school students who are currently living through demographic change in their inner-ring suburban school district? and Within this innerring suburban school district currently experiencing demographic change, what can school-building and district-level leaders learn from the experiences of their students?

1Bradley Public Schools is a pseudonym used throughout this dissertation to protect the anonymity of the school district where this research was conducted.


Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Isaac S. Solano

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

177 pgs

Discipline

Educational leadership, Educational administration, Education policy

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Available for download on Friday, August 01, 2025



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