http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/79256 2026-04-15T22:49:51Z 2026-04-15T22:49:51Z Minch, Samuel A http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/96984 2026-03-31T11:31:19Z 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z

Rural Roots, Urban Suits: Queer Men’s Migration from Wisconsin’s Countryside to Cityscapes Minch, Samuel A American culture often frames Queerness as something that belongs in cities, depicting rural communities as places where Queer identities are marginalized. Yet millions of Queer men grow up in these rural spaces, navigating landscapes shaped by tradition, politics, and inequitable access to safety, visibility, and belonging. This qualitative narrative case study explored the lived experiences of six purposefully selected Queer men who migrated from rural Wisconsin to urban areas, focusing on how they negotiated rural norms, what motivated their movement, how their identities developed across place and time, and how they envision social sustainability for Queer life. The study employed two semi-structured interviews with each participant, as well as rural observations in their home communities. Findings revealed three themes shaping participants’ decisions to migrate: attachment and ambivalence toward rural life, navigating restrictive rural structures and norms, and pursuing mobility and belonging. Three additional themes emerged related to identity development and social sustainability: evolving identity across place and time, negotiating Queer community in urban contexts, and imagining socially sustainable futures for Queer rural life. These findings deepen understanding of the complexities of rural Queer experience, the ways Queer outmigration contributes to rural brain drain, and the factors that foster affirmation and belonging. This study’s exploratory approach offers a foundation for future research and practical strategies to support thriving, diverse rural communities. Dissertation

2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Ace, Ashley A. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/96981 2026-03-28T11:42:21Z 2026-01-23T00:00:00Z

Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Practices in Wisconsin Public Schools Ace, Ashley A. Wisconsin has the nation’s largest achievement gap between Black and White students, prompting the need to understand how culturally responsive and sustaining practices (CRSP) are perceived and used in schools. This study explored Wisconsin P–12 educators’ perceptions of CRSP and the factors that shape their willingness or reluctance to implement these practices. Using a qualitative thematic analysis of survey responses and individual interviews, the study found that educators value student differences, cultural awareness, diversity, and equity over equality. While most are willing to use CRSP, many feel undertrained and express hesitation due to potential pushback from parents, administrators, or community members. These findings highlight the need for stronger professional learning, broader community education, and curricular materials that include historically marginalized voices to support more consistent and systemic use of CRSP across Wisconsin schools. Dissertation

2026-01-23T00:00:00Z Gierhart, Aaron R. Berg, Victoria Narvaez, Ophelia Sanders, Lilli Garrity, Alayna Binder, Brad Novotny, Brittany Hess, Brooke Hoffmann, Gracie Rombalski, Izzy Van Der Linden, Kailea Kangas, Kash Mohr, Kelsie Wegner, Lily Smith, Spencer Bechtold, Ashley Spritka, Brealyn Loyd, Deizel Dennee, Delaney Jochimsen, Destiny Schick, Esther Skoug, Grace Bolton, Gracyn Vigil, Iris Rosenfield, Keeley Walters, Lucy Morgan, Mary Kluck, Morgan Pinney, Paris Gordon, Victoria Nicol, Will http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/96400 2026-02-05T12:23:29Z 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z

Digital Touchpoints (Issue #3, Fall 2025) Gierhart, Aaron R.; Berg, Victoria; Narvaez, Ophelia; Sanders, Lilli; Garrity, Alayna; Binder, Brad; Novotny, Brittany; Hess, Brooke; Hoffmann, Gracie; Rombalski, Izzy; Van Der Linden, Kailea; Kangas, Kash; Mohr, Kelsie; Wegner, Lily; Smith, Spencer; Bechtold, Ashley; Spritka, Brealyn; Loyd, Deizel; Dennee, Delaney; Jochimsen, Destiny; Schick, Esther; Skoug, Grace; Bolton, Gracyn; Vigil, Iris; Rosenfield, Keeley; Walters, Lucy; Morgan, Mary; Kluck, Morgan; Pinney, Paris; Gordon, Victoria; Nicol, Will The increased mediation of digital technologies in all sectors of our global society naturally impacts teaching and learning practices and norms in today’s P-12 classrooms. As a teacher educator who primarily teaches coursework centered around educational technologies, my students are naturally curious about the ways technologies can and cannot be effectively leveraged to transform teaching and learning processes in their future classrooms. Such critical mindsets are further stoked by the developments of generative artificial intelligence and its proliferation in our lives, a disruptor (in positive and negative ways) of how instruction is designed, meaning is constructed, and academic achievement is evaluated. This semester, I asked my students to consider how to teach with technologies ethically and effectively. Issue #3 of Digital Touchpoint features my students’ reviews of current literature on contemporary teaching and learning, focusing on the ethical and pedagogical implications of educational technologies. 30 students chose to publish their work, which is organized in two thematic sections: “Ethics” and “Effectiveness,” highlighting these importance considerations for pre-service and in-service teachers as they weigh the affordances and constraints of integrating technologies with their students. -- Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart

2025-12-01T00:00:00Z Tidd, Rachel A. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/96386 2026-01-27T12:58:05Z 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z

Reading Our Place, Writing for Change: Using Critical Literacy as a Pathway to Integrate Sustainability Literacy into Elementary Language Arts Tidd, Rachel A. Addressing sustainability challenges requires individuals to use language to share ideas, raise awareness, and advocate for change; however, reading and writing skills are often overlooked in sustainability education, and teaching about climate and environmental issues is frequently confined to science or treated as an add-on topic. This study examined the impact of an integrated language arts and sustainability literacy curriculum unit on upper-elementary students’ systems thinking and critical literacy development. The intervention was implemented in seven upper-elementary classrooms in Canada. Using a qualitatively driven design with quantitative components, the study investigated how an educational intervention using an integrated model unit designed using the Language Arts and Sustainability Education Framework and Understanding by Design influenced student learning. The study demonstrated that the integrated model unit supported students’ growth in both critical and sustainability literacy skills. It also revealed that the unit motivated and (re)engaged learners with diverse needs, including those with chronic absenteeism. Overall, the results suggest that critical literacy practices, when aligned with the sustainability components outlined in the framework, can play a meaningful role in developing students’ sustainability literacy and underscore the impact of intentionally designed curriculum in achieving both literacy and sustainability-related goals. Recommendations include (1) developing more integrated curricular resources using the proposed framework, (2) providing teachers with professional development, and (3) embedding sustainability literacy and critical literacy in provincial curricula and learning standards.

2025-12-01T00:00:00Z