Beyond Posters and Pennants: College-Going Messaging at Three Racially and Economically Diverse Public Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Martinez ◽  
Isaac Torres ◽  
Katherine Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
College Going ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
College Going Culture

Context It has been argued that high schools with a majority of students of color and from low-income backgrounds must be purposeful in fostering a college-going culture in order to address the challenges and inequities historically underserved students face in preparing for and accessing a higher education. However, what this looks and sounds like in practice is not always clear, leaving schools seeking common ground on how to create a college-going environment. Purpose Through a symbolic and ecological model of college readiness framework, the messaging associated with the college-going culture at three racially and economically diverse Texas high schools that had consistently high college ready graduate rates was examined. The research questions that guided the study included: What types of college-going culture messages are conveyed at the schools, and how? How might such messaging impact students, school staff and leaders? Research Design This study drew on data from a three-year, multi-site descriptive case study of three public high schools in different regions of Texas that all served approximately 50% or more of students with financial need and 72% to 97% students of color, specifically Latina/o and Black students. Data Collection and Analysis Data was collected during week-long, yearly visits to the three schools and included: school and district documents; individual and group semi-structured interviews with 194 individuals including administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community members; observations of common areas and classrooms; archival data; and researcher-derived documents including field notes, memos, and photographs of the school grounds and school activities. This paper primarily drew on the pictures taken of the schools (in hallways, classrooms, and shared spaces like cafeterias and libraries), field notes, memos, and interview data that specifically spoke to the visual and verbal messaging associated with the college-going culture. Analysis of data revealed six themes: college is a revered goal with many options; varying degrees of integration; support and resources are at your reach; think college and career; finding funding for college is vital; college is an individual and shared success. Conclusions This study's findings suggest the need to: reconsider what a strong college-going culture entails, re-envision college-going cultures as dynamic, multi-layered, and responsive, reframe postsecondary opportunities so they are more expansive and varied, and re-evaluate inequities in college-going messaging and academic rigor.

scholarly journals University-Partnered New School Designs: Fertile Ground for Research–Practice Partnerships

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Hunter Quartz ◽  
Rhona S. Weinstein ◽  
Gail Kaufman ◽  
Harold Levine ◽  
Hugh Mehan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Urban School Districts ◽  
School Design ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
New School ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
Fertile Ground

This commentary suggests that new school design is a fertile policy context for advancing research–practice partnerships. The authors represent four public universities that have created new school designs in partnership with urban school districts. Unlike the laboratory schools of previous generations, these university-partnered public schools were intentionally designed to disrupt persistent patterns of inequity and prepare low-income students of color to flourish in college. The authors argue that these schools provide a promising context for marrying research and practice to bring about fundamental change in schools, with potential for spread of innovation to districts and universities.

scholarly journals Approved to fail: a case study of leadership at three new high schools

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Melvoin Bridich
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
School Design ◽  
New Schools ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis paper explores how leaders of new public high schools – one charter and two innovation schools – navigated the journey from school-in-theory to school-in-practice during the school's first three years. School leaders at charter and innovation schools have increased freedom over curriculum, budget, scheduling and personnel when compared to leaders in traditional public schools.Design/methodology/approachUsing case study research, this qualitative, multisite study of school leaders at three schools in an urban district in Colorado examined the realities leaders experienced during the first three years of their schools. School leaders participated in semi-structured interviews, which were coded and analyzed for data individual to each school and across the three schools. Initial school design plans and district accountability data were also reviewed.FindingsThe study identified two distinct challenges for leaders of these new schools: (1) opening a new school contributes to burnout among school leaders and (2) school leaders face systemic, district-level barriers that impede implementation of a school's founding mission and vision.Research limitations/implicationsA qualitative study of three standalone charter and innovation schools in one urban school district limits generalizability.Originality/valueThe lived experience of school leaders at new, standalone charter and innovation schools is largely neglected in empirical studies. This research illuminates key struggles school leaders experience as they seek to establish new schools with fidelity to district-approved school plans.

Willful Defiance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
School To Prison Pipeline ◽  
Girls Of Color ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Willful Defiance

Willful Defiance documents how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country. The book begins in the Mississippi Delta where African American families were some of the first to name and speak out against the school-to-prison pipeline and challenge anti-Black racism, exclusionary discipline policies that suspend and expel students of color at disproportionate rates and policing practices that lead students into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The book examines organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, showing how groups led by parents and students of color built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by centering the participation of people most impacted by injustice and combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. It shows how an intersectional movement emerged as girls of color and gender nonconforming students asserted their voice, the movement won victories to remove or defund school police and sought to establish restorative justice alternatives to transform deep-seated racism in public schools. The book documents the struggle organizers waged to build a movement led by community groups accountable to people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates. It offers a new model for federated movements that operate simultaneously at local, state, and national levels, while primarily oriented to support local organizing and reconceptualizes national movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted up and “nationalized” to transform racially inequitable policies at multiple levels.

Public School Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 124-135
Author(s):  
Dwayne Small
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
School Officials ◽  
Public School Education ◽  
The U.S

This chapter examines public schools in low income communities in the U.S. by example of two low income high schools in Chicago. It addresses how alliances between U.S. corporations and local government, and public-school officials do not work in the best interest of students of color in low income communities in their pursuit of higher education. The chapter posits that schools for low income communities do not prepare students for white collar corporate positions, putting them at risk of not qualifying for higher education. Considering the claimed school to prison pipeline, the author calls for closing the educational gap between low income and rich public schools in the U.S. by eradicating racism and classism that appears to prevail in U.S. institutions of education.

Göçmen çocuklar ve okul kültürleri: Bir bütünleştirme çalışması

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halis Sakız
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Culture ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
School Cultures ◽  
Inclusive School

Bu makale, Türkiye’de yoğun göç almakta olan Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki okullarda, göçmen çocukların okullara dâhil edilmesine yönelik olarak idarecilerin düşünce, inanç ve tutumlarını inceleyen nitel bir araştırmanın sonuçlarını bildirmektedir. Araştırma özelde, okul yöneticilerinin göçmen çocukların kendi okullarında eğitilmesine yönelik tutumlarını, bu eğitimin önünde duran ve okul ikliminden kaynaklanan engelleri ve göçmen çocukların kendini ait hissettikleri bütünleştirici okul iklimleri inşa edilebilmesi için eğitim sistemindeki mevcut fırsatları ortaya koymayı amaçlamıştır. Araştırmada, 18 okul yöneticisinden nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olan yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler kullanılarak veri toplanmış ve bu veriler tematik analiz yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda (i) okul yöneticilerinin göçmen çocuklara ayrıştırılmış ortamlarda eğitim verilmesini desteklediği ve kendi okullarında eğitim görmelerine dair olumsuz tutumlar beslediği, (ii) yapısal yetersizliklerin ve düşük toplumsal kabul düzeyinin göçmen çocukların eğitimine yönelik olumsuz tutumları önemli ölçüde etkilediği ve (iii) bütünleşik okul kültürlerinin oluşması için paydaşların psiko-sosyal ve yapısal anlamda desteklenmesi gerektiği ortaya çıkmıştır. ENGLISH ABSTRACTMigrant children and school cultures: A suggestion for inclusionThis article reports on the findings of an empirical research investigating the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes towards the inclusion of migrant children in the South-eastern region of Turkey which is currently exposed to intensive migration waves. Specifically, the article explores the attitudes of school administrators towards the education of migrant children in their schools, the barriers to this education stemming from the school culture and the opportunities in the education system to build inclusive school cultures in which migrant children can feel belonging to. The research employed 18 school administrators, utilized semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data and analyzed them through thematic analysis. Findings showed that (a) school administrators supported education of migrant children in segregated environments and possessed negative attitudes towards their education in public schools; (b) structural limitations and low social acceptance levels affected the negative attitudes towards the education of migrant children and (c) stakeholders needed to be provided with psycho-social and structural support in order to establish inclusive school cultures.  Keywords: Migrant children; inclusive school culture; qualitative research; Turkey 

SUSTAINING FAMILY ROUTINES AFTER TRANSITIONING INTO PARENTHOOD: COUPLES’ PERCEPTIONS OF ASSISTING FACTORS

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Christine De Goede ◽  
Abraham P Greeff
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Specific Problem ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Family Routines ◽  
Temporal Complexity ◽  
Context Specific

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore what assists couples in sustaining family routines after the transition to parenthood. Participants were recruited from two day-care centres in Cape Town, South Africa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 couples, mostly from low-income households, who had gone through this transition between one and four years previously. Grounded theory analysis revealed one major theme, Factors that decrease task and temporal complexity, with seven subthemes: Support from the wider family network; Couple cooperation and tag-teaming; Planning and pre-empting future problems; Adhering to schedules; Facilitative characteristics and skills of individual family members; Parents’ sense of commitment and responsibility towards family members; and idiosyncratic accommodations. Results underscore the need for professionals to help parents gain support from relatives; strengthen partner teamwork; foster schedule consistency; improve skills such as planning; foster their caretaker self-concepts; and facilitate context-specific problem-solving.

scholarly journals Exploring the experiences related to postpartum changes: perspectives of mothers and healthcare providers in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahboobeh Asadi ◽  
Mahnaz Noroozi ◽  
Mousa Alavi
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Period ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
New Period ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Field Notes

Abstract Background Numerous changes occur in different aspects of women’s lives in the postpartum period. Women’s adjusting with problems and taking advantage of this opportunity can develop their personality. In this regard, accurate knowledge of their experiences and feelings is necessary to help them to benefit from this period. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the experiences related to postpartum changes in women. Methods In the present qualitative study, 23 participants, including women of childbearing age who gave birth and healthcare providers (midwives and obstetricians) in Isfahan, Iran were selected using purposive sampling with a maximum variation strategy. Data were collected through in-depth semi structured interviews, field notes, and daily notes, and simultaneously analyzed using the conventional qualitative content analysis. Results The data analysis results led to the extraction of three main categories including “feeling of decreased female attractiveness” (with two sub-categories of “ feeling of decreased beauty” and “feeling of decreased sexual function”), “feeling of insolvency and helplessness” (with two sub-categories of “physical burnout”, and “mental preoccupations”) and “beginning a new period in life” (with three sub-categories of “changing the meaning of life”, “feeling of maturity” and “deepening the communication”). Conclusions Findings of this study can provide a good context for designing interventions to improve the women’s quality of life by explaining and highlighting their experiences in the postpartum period. In this regard, providing sufficient empathy, social and psychological support from family members (especially husband), performing appropriate educational interventions and also regular assessment of women’s psychological state by healthcare providers in postpartum period can reduce their concerns and help to improve their health.

scholarly journals “My coupons are like gold”: experiences and perceived outcomes of low-income adults participating in the British Columbia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Caron-Roy ◽  
Sayeeda Amber Sayed ◽  
Katrina Milaney ◽  
Bonnie Lashewicz ◽  
Sharlette Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Farmers Market

ABSTRACT Objective: The British Columbia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) provides low-income households with coupons valued at $21/week for 16 weeks to purchase healthy foods in farmers’ markets. Our objective was to explore FMNCP participants’ experiences of accessing nutritious foods, and perceived program outcomes. Design: This study used qualitative description methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with FMNCP participants during the 2019 farmers’ market season. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data whereby the five domains of Freedman et al’s framework of nutritious food access provided the basis for an initial coding scheme. Data that did not fit within the framework’s domains were coded inductively. Setting: One urban and two rural communities in British Columbia, Canada. Participants: 28 adults who were participating in the FMNCP. Results: Three themes emerged: Autonomy and Dignity; Social Connections and Community Building; and Environmental and Programmatic Constraints. Firstly, the program promoted a sense of autonomy and dignity through financial support, increased access to high-quality produce, food-related education and skill development, and mitigating stigma and shame. Secondly, shopping in farmers’ markets increased social connections and fostered a sense of community. Finally, participants experienced limited food variety in rural farmers’ markets, lack of transportation, and challenges with redeeming coupons. Conclusions: Participation in the FMNCP facilitated access to nutritious foods and enhanced participants’ diet quality, well-being and health. Strategies such as increasing the amount and duration of subsidies, and expanding programs may help improve participants’ experiences and outcomes of farmers’ market food subsidy programs.

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