Brundtland’s definition of sustainability is the ability to “meet the needs of the present<br/>without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (IISD, 2021). But<br/>what if there are no future generations? Social sustainability, the sector of sustainability that<br/>foregrounds the well-being and livelihoods of people (and thereby continuation of humanity), is<br/>included in definitions within the sustainability field, but less developed in sustainability<br/>practice. In an effort to bridge this gap of knowledge, 14 U.S. cities and over 100 sustainability<br/>policies were analyzed for their social sustainability performance. An eight-item analytical<br/>framework that deals with differing areas of social equity guided the analysis. Results found that<br/>most cities’ sustainability departments fell short of truly addressing social sustainability<br/>concerns. Out of the eight items, the most frequently addressed were housing security and racial<br/>and gender equality whereas few, if any, cities addressed the more specific social concerns of<br/>immigration, technology and media, or arts/cultural preservation. Future research is<br/>recommended to gain a better understanding of the ways existing cities can improve in this area.

The purpose of this research thesis paper is to provide further insight into the development of extended reality (XR), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) technologies within the educational space and survey how well they are received as well as whether or not they can provide additional learning benefit in regards to other learning mediums such as reading textbooks, watching videos on the subject matter, and other such more traditional mediums. The research conducted consisted of a collaborative effort alongside the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering (SBHSE) personnel and using their provided resources in order to generate a framework with the aforementioned technology, to aid in the development of a web-based XR system which will serve primarily as a means for SBHSE students at Arizona State University (ASU) to enhance their learning experience when it comes to topics such as anatomy and physiology of the human body, with the potential of extending this technology towards other subject matters as well, such as other STEM-related fields. Information about the initial research which included an analysis of the pertinent readings that support a benefit to using XR technology as a means to deliver course content is what is first focused on throughout this document. Then, the process that went into the design and development of the base framework that was in joint collaboration with the SBHSE will be covered. And, to conclude, a case study to generate applicable data to support the argument is covered as well as the results from it, which presented a potential for a future development plan and next steps plan once the developed materials and research are handed off.

Performing arts programs in Arizona high schools have been facing significant budget cuts in recent years. It has been established that high school students who are involved in extracurricular programs perform better in school than their uninvolved peers, thus allowing them to succeed at a higher rate in four-year universities (Fredricks, 2012). This study aims to determine how involvement in Arizona high school performing arts programs can impact a student’s academic success at a four-year institution. Data will be collected through a survey with questions related to current college students’ involvement in performing arts in high school as well as their academic success at their respective 4-year institutions. It is expected that there will be a correlation found in the data between high achieving students and the skills that being involved in performing arts programs in high school provide. With this correlation in mind, the research will provide necessary tools for principals and superintendents to argue that performing arts programs add incredible value to students’ lives during and beyond their high school years.