Jones, Janine J.Li, Amy Si2023-09-272023-09-272023-09-272023Li_washington_0250E_26050.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/1773/50778Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2023The education system is like a dialectical system that holds both hope and harm in its operations. However, at the same time, the realities of the educational system have historically and continue to bring great harm to BIPOC communities and have hindered them from flourishing from the ideals of what schools have the potential to bring (Ladson-Billings, 2006). The pandemic further exacerbated racial inequities in the education system for BIPOC communities. This study conceptualized the school system as the unit of change and explored how a school system that has made institutional commitments in moving towards educational justice engaged in efforts to attend to the well-being of students and families during remote schooling. The Whole Child (WC) approach is a framework that conceptualizes school systems as spaces that can foster the overall well-being of the whole child and extends beyond social emotional programming in schools. However, the WC approach is limited in explicitly addressing race, power, and privilege and the ways school initiatives can perpetuate harm that can negatively affect the well-being of BIPOC students and families. Critical race theory (CRT) provides a theoretical framework in understanding racial dynamics, how they persist in systems, and a way forward. Thus, this study utilized the WC approach’s conceptualization of well-being and the theoretical lens of CRT to examine and build upon the WC approach’s limitations. Multiple linear regression models were run to explore the relationships between systemic practices and tenets of the WC approach. Findings from this study demonstrated that practices such as culturally responsive teaching, family engagement practices and a supportive work environment for educators were positively associated with the tenets of the WC approach. The pandemic created conditions that shifted family and engagement, brought further to the forefront the importance of fostering a supportive work environment for educators, and challenged educators to deliver instruction in innovative and culturally relevant ways. Few studies have centered school systems as units of change to foster the well-being of students while also utilizing the lens of critical race theory. The overall aim of this study was to bring forth findings that may encourage school systems to build upon practices that support the well-being of students using a critical lens and to continue to think beyond the physical confines of the school building to engage in innovative, unconventional, and culturally responsive practices that better meet the needs of BIPOC communities.application/pdfen-USnoneBIPOC CommunitiesCOVID-19Educational JusticeRemote LearningSchool SystemsWhole ChildEducational psychologyEducation - SeattleThesis