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Dominant education ideology focuses on the numerous challenges encountered by low-income Black youth in urban education settings. Although much of the research seeks to highlight structural challenges faced by these students, the general interpretation of these studies may reinforce the popular belief that academic underperformance by low-income Black students is the result of family structure and maladaptive familial behaviors. The implications of this ideology is that these family characteristics foster low achievement because students enter schools without normative skills and knowledge, in addition to adhering to beliefs that do not value education (Ogbu & Simmons, 1998). Some research argues that low-income Black students that demonstrate success in schools do so because they have adopted White middle-class normative capital (Hubbard, 1999). Yosso (2005) argues that the analysis of student narratives of success through the lens of Critical Race Theory offers a critique of deficit theorizing and shifts the perspective away from White middle-class culture to the cultural capital of minority communities. Yosso posits that low-income minority communities have cultural capital that is not widely recognized in research that she describes as community cultural wealth. This qualitative study explored if community-derived “capital” is utilized by high-achieving, low-income Black high school students in order to succeed academically in educational institutions. This inquiry privileged the narratives of high-achieving Black students from disadvantaged communities in order to understand the factors that contribute to their academic success, from their perspectives. Seven high achieving Black high school students from Philadelphia who were enrolled in a college access mentoring program were chosen for this study. Interviews and observations were conducted to allow the researcher to examine the experiences of study participants in a naturalistic setting while engaging with their life histories through narrative. Participants were selected and observed once a week at their mentor site, in addition to participating in three rounds of interviews during spring/summer 2015. Two of the seven participants were also observed in their high schools. Student-participants engaged in three rounds of interviews that focused on family background and dynamics, educational experiences, and aspirations. Additionally, one mentor for each student-participant was interviewed. This examination of community cultural wealth found that aspirational, familial, and navigational capital are vital in the academic success of the participants in this study. Linguistic capital and social capital only moderately apply to rationalizations for their high academic achievement, and resistant capital does not apply in the explication of their success. / Urban Education

Despite increasing gains in the number of African Americans obtaining university degrees, they remain underrepresented in many career paths. This dissertation examines how low-income, urban, African American students, who attend university, discover and select careers. By examining this process, I attempt to make more explicit the reasoning behind their career choices. Using a phenomenological approach, I investigated the lived experiences of 12 students who were part of an auxiliary educational program and who were attending a large research university in their home city. Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, social capital, and practice, along with the concept of code-switching, provided the framework to examine the student's experiences and choices. Interviews were also conducted with 2 staff members from the auxiliary program and 2 staff members from the university career center. All twelve students exhibited a strong sense of self-efficacy and expressed confidence about the career choices they made. However, they appear to make career choices based on very limited and generic career exposure opportunities. Recommendations for how to expose and encourage low-income, urban, African American students towards fields in which African Americans are underrepresented include more concentrated efforts to generate alternative networking/social capital building relationships, increasing the number of career research projects students complete while in high school, and more resources and support for guidance staff/career counselors at urban high schools. / Urban Education

This qualitative study focused the experiences of a white educator who spent twelve months working with a group of 8-12 African American adolescent girls at a community center in an urban community. Data collection methods included fieldnotes, interviews, questionnaires, photographs, participant's journals, and other artifacts. The study focused on the use of performance activities to stimulate critical reflection about issues that were generated from the daily experiences of the girls involved. Performance activities were based on the work of Augusto Boal in liberatory theatre and the notions of Maxine Greene about opening critical space through the arts. Activities engaged in during the twice weekly sessions included drama, poetry writing and reading, singing, and visual arts. The purpose of these activities was to stimulate the girls' development of critical literacy, a concept that may be defined as reading the written text and reading the sociocultural dimensions of society for the purpose of transforming society toward greater justice and equity. The researcher examined her own developing critical literacy, as well, throughout the study, particularly as it relates to issues of race and white supremacy. While the development of critical literacy is something that is a lifelong project, not something to be achieved in one year of work, analysis of data reveals many times when the girls were able to identify conditions in their experiences that worked against them. They were able to consider possible ways of changing negative situations in their lives. Working together as a group enabled the girls to pool their ideas and to learn from one another. They were also able to experience how powerful collective action can be. Comments by the girls in interviews, journals, and questionnaires showed that they believed that their understanding of issues important to their lives had changed as a result of participation in the group. The things learned as a result of this study are useful for understanding how to work with adolescent African American girls in urban communities, as well as how to prepare teachers to work in such communities. / Ph. D.

This qualitative study examines the teaching of urban education in introductory and foundational college courses. The research positions course syllabi as ubiquitous public documents that socialize students into discourse communities, and is framed within theories of social constructivism. An examination of course objectives, course assignments, and core required texts revealed varying levels of consistency in the stated learning outcomes on all (n = 31) syllabi. Overall, five conceptual approaches to introductory courses in urban education emerged: 1) schools and the social order; 2) historical perspective; 3) education policy analysis; 4) professional practice, pedagogy and research persona; and 5) teacher as change agent. Shared organizing features of all syllabi included references to education inequity, social stratification, structural racism, poverty, and social justice; however, the degree of topic emphasis varied substantially. Closer alignment between course objectives and course assignments was identified in two conceptual frameworks: a) schools and the social order and b) education policy analysis. However, minimal alignment between course objectives and assignments was identified on syllabi in c) professional practice, pedagogy; d) teacher as change agent; and e) historical perspective approaches. A review of core texts on the syllabi revealed notable consensus about required titles. Urban education is a field of study inhabited by many different academic disciplines. These findings suggest that for the field’s introductory courses, greater coherence of conceptual approaches and closer alignment of assignments with objectives deserve to be carefully considered. / Educational Psychology

Secondary agricultural education programs provide students an opportunity to gain a wide variety of knowledge about agriculture, as well as, the career opportunities within agriculture. The National FFA Organization is available for all youth enrolled in a secondary agricultural education program with a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. In order to continue to have youth interested in agricultural colleges and the potential for pursuing agricultural careers, students must be educated about those program areas. Student perceptions of these program areas can greatly influence their motivation enroll in secondary agricultural education programs, join the National FFA Organization, and pursue agricultural career. This study used a survey method to determine the perceptions of students not enrolled in a high school agricultural program of secondary agricultural education programs, the National FFA Organization, and agricultural careers, as well as, determine the demographic characteristics of those students.

Thesis advisor: Curt Dudley-Marling / This project was my attempt to rewrite the discourse of schooling within the context of my own classroom to transform it into a dialogic, multilingual, multi-literacy and critical literacy site that offered students opportunities for rigorous and relevant intellectual work. The purpose of this study was to deepen my understanding of the teaching and learning of language and literacies in diverse urban schools so that I might enhance my practice and contribute to the knowledge-base in the field. To that end, I asked: what happens when I broaden what counts as academic discourse and academic texts? Engaging in practitioner inquiry, I studied the discursive space of my ninth grade literacy class in the urban public school where I teach. Throughout the 2008-09 academic year, I collected data in the form of audio-recordings of class discussions and student interviews, student work and a teacher journal. Using critical discourse analysis, I analyzed the discursive space and situated those findings across local, institutional and societal domains. My analysis of the data suggests that urban schools need not rely on scripted and low-expectations curricula that limit ways with words in academic contexts. Instead, I argue that a student-centered and dialogic pedagogy, which centers students not only in classroom discourse, but also in the curriculum by including texts and instructional practices relevant to their lives beyond the school walls, creates a context for student engagement in rigorous intellectual work. To that end, teachers need not devalue particular literacies or ways with words as inappropriate for classroom discourse, but should instead draw on students' funds of knowledge as legitimate resources for learning. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Andy Hargreaves / This dissertation examines the nature of the longstanding cross-sector relationship between an urban public school district and a corporate-owned team franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The study found that while this collaboration is often talked about as a partnership, in practice, it advances a corporate philanthropic and promotional relationship that is characterized by mutual affinities but not mutually agreed upon goals. This philanthropic connection to a powerful national sporting institution provides benefits to local public schools through incentives for perfect student attendance, motivational assemblies with professional athletes, and periodic, one-time donations in much needed technology. However, this relationship also raises key questions related to the mechanisms for social accountability in leadership decision-making, the effective and equitable use of school and corporate resources, and the indirect and inadvertent consequences when schools rely on commercialism and sports stardom to sell the meritocratic value of getting an education to a generation of students. The dissertation addresses the implications of the rise of corporate philanthropy within the context of economic austerity in public education. A multi-disciplinary review of research, drawing on four bodies of literature, considers the assumptions underlying counter-related discourses about corporate involvement in the public sector: 1) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), 2) CSR as Greenwashing (i.e. disinformation disseminated by a firm to present misleading public images of corporate responsibility), 3) Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in education, and 4) PPPs as privatizations in education. The constant comparative method was used throughout to analyze multi-modal data from an ethnographic case study of one city's cross-sector collaboration with the NBA, including participant observations, review of news and media, and extended field interviews with thirty district leaders, school administrators, teachers, counselors, and coaches in three K-8 schools. The result is a critical examination of the confluence of altruism, elite professional sports, and the marketplace in urban public education. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Michael Barnett / Scientific proficiency is important, not only for a solid, interdisciplinary educational foundation, but also for entry into and mobility within today's increasingly technological and globalized workplace, as well as for informed, democratic participation in society (National Academies Press, 2007b). Within the United States, low-income, ethnic minority students are disproportionately underperforming and underrepresented in science, as well as mathematics, engineering and other technology fields (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2011; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009). This is due, in part, to a lack of educational structures and strategies that can support low-income, ethnic minority students to become competent in science in equitable and empowering ways. In order to investigate such structures and strategies that may be beneficial for these students, a longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted. The 15 month study was an investigation of science identity negotiation informed by the theoretical perspectives of Brown's (2004) discursive science identities and Tan and Barton's (2008) identities-in-practice amongst ten high school students in an informal science program and employed an amalgam of research designs, including ethnography (Geertz, 1973), case study (Stake, 2000) and grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings indicated that the students made use of two strategies, discursive identity development and language use in science, in order to negotiate student science identities in satisfying ways within the limits of the TESJ practice. Additionally, 3 factors were identified as being supportive of successful student science identity negotiation in the informal practice, as well. These were (i) peer dynamics, (ii) significant social interactions, and (iii) student ownership in science. The students were also uncovered to be particularly open-minded to the field of STEM. Finally, with respect to STEM career development, specific behaviors were indicative of students' serious consideration of STEM careers and two major patterns in STEM career interests were uncovered. The findings are discussed in relation to existing research in science education, as are implications for future research and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Dennis Shirley / The ability to express meaning in prose is a foundational skill in our society. Given the importance of being a competent writer, concern with the quality of writing instruction is a recurring theme among American educators (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010; National Commission on Writing, 2003, 2004, 2006). Research shows that teachers are unprepared to teach writing (Gilbert & Graham, 2010) and devote limited amounts of time to it (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010). In addition, national assessment data indicates that most students are not proficient writers (Salahu-Din, Persky & Miller, 2008). An embedded case study design (Yin, 2009), using mixed methodology (Greene & Caracelli, 2003a, 2003b; Hesse-Biber, 2010), was employed to determine whether a school-university partnership enacted systemic functional linguistics theory guided writing intervention changed fourth and fifth grade teachers' writing instruction over the course of three years in an urban elementary school. The study further investigated changes to 41 fourth and 27 fifth graders' writing performance during the third year of the invention. Examination of the relationship between students' performance in writing and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test in English language arts was conducted. The study also explored how teachers articulated their experiences with the partnership. Findings showed the content of teachers' instruction changed involving the use of metalanguage and the teaching of genre, language, and tenor. Similarly, instructional strategies evolved regarding negotiating field and deconstruction of text. Findings also indicated a significant improvement in writing performance for all students, and bilingual students had more growth over time than monolingual peers. Also, a moderate positive relationship existed between writing performance and MCAS performance, which suggests understanding of genre may support reading comprehension. Overall, teachers positively experienced the partnership and found value in the professional development. Implications of these study findings will benefit teacher education, administrators and policymakers, and allow for improved school-university partnerships. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.