No one rises to low expectations: Citizenship education in an “urban” charter school
Abstract
This dissertation examines how middle level teachers at HOPE Academy, an urban charter school with a majority African American student population, understand citizenship education and what it means to teach African American students to be good citizens. Specifically, the study: (a) investigated how teachers' personal histories and pedagogical knowledge informed their definitions and concepts of citizenship education (b) explored whether and how teachers practiced citizenship education/instruction at the school and (c) revealed complexities associated within the teachers' citizenship education constructs. Data collection took place during 2006-2007, while I was teaching Math and Black History as a long term substitute teacher at the school. I utilized teacher interviews, focus groups discussions, reflective journals, and classroom observations techniques to address the following research questions: (1) How is citizenship education/instruction taught in an urban, mid-level charter school where the majority of students are African American; (2) How do social, historical, and cultural forces shape teachers' citizenship education curricular/instructional decision-making, motivation, and teaching/learning expectations for African American students; and (3) How does citizenship education promote justice, while challenging social inequities? Because citizenship education/instruction constructs are not neutral, a critical racial analysis was beneficial to the exploration of important connections between teachers' personal histories, beliefs, classroom practices and discourses.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Malewski, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Social studies education|Curriculum development
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