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This study used a quasi experimental design to compare two groups of African American and Latino middle school students' pre- and post engagement after exposure to one of two STEM-related opportunities to learn: one with culturally relevant pedagogy anchored by elements of cognitive apprenticeship; the other without. African-American and Latino middle school students (n=121) recruited from 29 of the lowest performing middle schools in a large urban school district participated. Results indicated no statistically significant change in pre- or post levels of engagement as a result of the different instructional formats. Students exposed to STEM using culturally relevant pedagogy maintained and slightly improved math performance weeks after the program ended; the later group showed a sharp decline in math achievement after the program ended. While it is inconclusive which elements of culturally relevant pedagogy, or cognitive apprenticeship directly affected student math outcomes, this study sets the stage for continued empirical research on how the culture of the learning environment can be adjusted to support minority student engagement and persistence in STEM domains. / Educational Psychology

Grounded in theories of culturally relevant and hip-hop pedagogies, this ethnographic study of a demographically diverse "community nominated" cohort of urban public high school teachers who integrate hip-hop pedagogies into their English/language arts classrooms responds to the methodological and theoretical shortcomings of a burgeoning body of research known as "hip-hop based education" (HHBE). HHBE has argued that curriculum and pedagogy derived from hip-hop culture can be used to transmit disciplinary knowledge, improve student motivation, teach critical media literacy, and foster critical consciousness among urban students in traditional and non-traditional K-12 learning environments. However, the field's overreliance on firsthand accounts of teacher-researchers, the vast majority of whom position themselves as members of the "hip-hop generation," discounts the degrees to which teachers' cultural identity informs hip-hop based curricular interventions, pedagogical strategies, and minority students' academic and socio-cultural outcomes. I argue that the hip-hop pedagogies evidenced by non-researching "hip-hop based educators" were diverse and reflected different beliefs about hip-hop, pedagogy, and the politics of education. Three primary findings emerge from 280 hours of classroom participant-observations and ethnographic interviews (January-June 2010): (1) teachers psychologically and discursively construct and perform individual hip-hop cultural identities through "necessary and impossible" politics of difference, (2) teachers' respective curricular approaches to hip-hop as literary texts are closely linked to their respective hip-hop cultural identities, and (3) hip-hop pedagogues employed hip-hop methodologies and literacies that reoriented conceptions of self and other, teacher-student relations, and notions of knowledge around "pedagogies of hip-hop." Study findings are salient to the fields of hip-hop studies, critical multicultural teacher education, and English/language arts education as they provide robust portraits of the instructional and relational nuances, as well as cultural-political implications of HHBE for a largely White, middle-class prospective teacher workforce and an increasingly diverse hip-hop nation. / Urban Education

This study explored best practices for teaching creative movement to twenty-four urban second graders by examining their perceptions of self and others. Creative movement education programs rarely focus on the exploration of self and group identity through the lens of diversity. More importantly, few studies have examined how to implement creative movement programs through pedagogies best suited to urban children. Over 12 weeks of practice, observation, and reflection, extensive data were collected regarding the children's interactions and creative processes. The curriculum focused on individual and group identities and examined the experiences of the children with the aim of developing pedagogical methods that best suited their urban cultural backgrounds. The study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the children's perceptions of themselves and others throughout the creative movement learning process? ; and 2) How can teachers use this knowledge to devise creative dance pedagogy for urban children and create holistic curricula that develop these perceptions? During bi-weekly dance sessions, the students and teachers explored the concepts of "self" and "group" by moving, discussing, sharing different dance styles and images, using props and being actively involved in creative movement and expression. The project culminated in a school performance, in which the children presented dances that they had developed that represented the content explored in the sessions. The data collected included video recordings of the children's actions and comments, reflective drawings and texts that the children created, and observational notes recorded by an assistant teacher and the children's homeroom teacher. The video recordings of each session were transcribed and analyzed. The children's drawings and written texts, and the teacher's observational and reflective journals, were also reviewed. All data collection involved in the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human subject protocol. A qualitative research approach guided the analysis, with a focus on Action Research and ideas drawn from the philosophical doctrines of Phenomenology and Phenomenography. The recorded video sessions and resulting transcriptions were used to create narrative descriptions that shed light on the children's experiences and uncovered specific elements that were of use in the development and refinement of creative movement teaching practices. Despite presenting occasional challenges as a group, the children spontaneously improvised and developed movements that expressed their preferences. They used the class as a creative outlet-aesthetically, physically and, at times, emotionally. The children danced to express their individual and group cultures as well as their movement preferences, their personal traits, and their perceptions of others. The pedagogical approach to the class promoted identity and diversity in the teaching and learning environment, providing teachers with insight into best practices for teaching urban populations. The study's Action Research methodology involved a reflective cycle of planning, action, and result. It investigated students' perceptions of themselves and others through their responses to creative movement education, and studied how these perceptions impacted creative movement facilitation. It discovered best practices that take into account students' unique cultures and learning styles. These practices can be used as a foundation for facilitators of creative movement classes involving urban children, enabling the development of curricula that explore experience, promote cultural expression, and foster diversity in learning. They also offer disciplinary strategies that cater to the environmental standards and unique needs of urban students. / Dance

This report addresses the importance of multicultural education in early childhood classrooms as well as three essential practices for early childhood educators who value multicultural perspectives. The early childhood classroom is the first place in which children develop their identities and recognize cultural differences. Multicultural education can offer opportunities for children to value and understand cultural diversity as they have more experiences outside of their homes and neighborhoods. While there are many kinds of practices that support a multicultural perspective, this paper focuses on three multicultural practices that early childhood educators can incorporate in their classrooms in order to create authentic multicultural classrooms and to promote multiculturalism. The three practices are 1) integrating culturally relevant pedagogy/culturally responsive teaching, 2) understanding multicultural families, and 3) pursuing social justice. These practices can help early childhood educators better understand multicultural students and families and have more meaningful interactions and partnership opportunities with them. / text

This dissertation examines the potential congruencies and complementarities of Waldorf education, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), Culturally Responsive Schooling (CRS), Critical Pedagogy and Native American and Indigenous education. Waldorf education, a German education reform developed in the early 1920s, is a little researched schooling system, and previous research on this reform has examined its impacts within its traditional contexts, namely, private schools. At the same time, significant literature exists which addresses the importance and efficacy of reforms for students of color such as those in CRP, CRS and Critical Pedagogy. There is also a body of work which points to key pedagogical components which support Native American/Indigenous students in school. This dissertation examines the interplay between all three of these complex systems by examining attempts to integrate them in the classroom. By examining Waldorf education initiatives in three distinct contexts, I demonstrate that these reforms can work in concert without diminishing the efficacy of any of them. I explore three distinct contexts of Waldorf education. The first examined the impacts of Waldorf education on students who participated in the reform in a private Waldorf school, who transitioned to more traditional, mainstream classes. I conducted participant-observation of a local Waldorf school and in-depth interviews with 14 alumni to explore the impact of this reform. In the second context, I examined how students responded to the use of Waldorf-inspired methods in a community college course I taught, and I investigated their experiences of the reform. Seven students who participated were interviewed in order to investigate the impact of these reforms on their experience as college students. These interviews were complemented by teacher-research I conducted while teaching this Waldorf-inspired course. Finally, I explored the potential of Waldorf education as a reform for Native American students, examining my own incorporation of this reform with other pedagogical tools, such as CRP, CRS, and other forms of critical pedagogy. Included in this section of research are my reflections on a course I instructed with Waldorf-inspired reforms. I also explored various accounts of Waldorf-education reforms by tribal communities, like the Lakota Waldorf School in South Dakota. Several findings from the research conducted here are encouraging. Students from Waldorf school environments demonstrate critical skills and critique schooling environments, invoking stances familiar to critical pedagogues. Students from a Waldorf-inspired community college course were also critical of the typical schooling experiences they had encountered, and spoke of the enriching feeling in their Waldorf-inspired course. Investigation into the philosophical tenets of Waldorf education and Native American/Indigenous epistemologies shows several examples of overlap and similarity, the most striking being elements of spiritual belief and practice as foundational to Native American/Indigenous well-being, and the ability of Waldorf education to address this. While these fields may appear unrelated, this study explores the praxis of these seemingly disparate bodies of work, by examining their similarities and differences. Ultimately, I argue that these reforms can work in concert to support the academic success of culturally and linguistically diverse students and Native American/Indigenous students in particular. The research in these three contexts demonstrates need for further investigation into Waldorf education and its potential to support students of all backgrounds.

Disproportionality in special education has been examined from various perspectives over a 50-year period. English Language Learner (ELL) students have been included in the discussion among researchers in the past two decades as a disproportionate number of ELL students are referred to special education. Though the problem of disproportionality has been acknowledged, documented and discussed over a period of decades, there is a lack of research from the voices of special educators. The purpose of this study was to describe special education teachers' experiences teaching students currently or previously enrolled in an English language learner program who are receiving special education services. This study explored teachers' views of what supports, resources and strategies contribute to student success and their views of the eligibility determination and referral process. In order to address this gap in the literature, an exploratory descriptive qualitative study was conducted by interviewing special educators. The results indicate the participants lacked support in all areas examined including professional development, resources, instructional strategies and the referral and assessment process. This study indicates structural inequity, a systematic bias in the form of a patterned and differential distribution of resources, contributing to limited opportunities for students who are English language learners who are receiving special education. Implications of the study to address structural inequity include the use of culturally responsive pre-referral strategies and knowledge of the acculturation process when considering the needs of an ELL student who is struggling academically and incorporating culturally responsive teaching methods in both general and special education.