Denise Yull | Binghamton University (original) (raw)

Papers by Denise Yull

New Directions in Educational Ethnography

Abstract While scholars recognize that parent engagement in children’s education is beneficial, m... more Abstract While scholars recognize that parent engagement in children’s education is beneficial, much of the normative parent involvement literature rests on the assumption that marginalized parents of color must be taught white middle-class norms of conduct in order to engage with the school system. In this chapter, we describe the ways our critical ethnographic implementation and analysis of the Parent Mentor Program – a parent engagement project in a small urban school district in Central New York – re-envisions parent engagement in three interrelated ways. First, we argue that the project is race-, class-, gender-, and power-conscious, drawing on the interrelated theoretical frames of Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies. Second, we argue that the program and research are unique in utilizing the toolkit of critical ethnography to not merely describe, but also to intervene in educational inequity. Third, we argue that the program has a more holistic goal than much of the parent engagement literature, as it seeks to connect parent engagement and activism with the larger antiracist goal of using restorative justice strategies to disrupt the disproportionate disciplining of Black students. Focusing on critical ethnographic methods in practice, we analyze the shifting positionalities of a multiracial research team as we grappled with methodological dilemmas in the first three years of the program. We document how we balanced the goals of introducing a race-conscious framework and catalyzing critical consciousness with the realities of constantly renegotiating entry in a school district characterized by colorblindness and colormuteness.

School Community Journal, 2018

Parents’ involvement in their children’s education is widely understood as a key component of edu... more Parents’ involvement in their children’s education is widely understood as a key component of educational success. However, schools typically expect parents to engage with the school system in ways consistent with White, middle-class parenting and behavioral norms and in ways that are deferential to the school’s agenda. In this article, we report on findings from a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project—the Parent Mentor Program—in a racially and economically diverse small city in Central New York. The project uses a raceand class-conscious framework to (1) understand barriers to the involvement of parents of color, and (2) reframe parents’ role in the school system as advocates whose primary purpose is to bridge cultural disconnects between White teachers and students of color. Drawing upon ethnographic methods of focus groups, interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, we argue that the Parent Mentor Program, in which marginalized parents of...

Race Ethnicity and Education, 2018

Educational research has established a link between zero tolerance disciplinary policies and incr... more Educational research has established a link between zero tolerance disciplinary policies and increases in racial disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions of students of color. This article reports on a critical ethnography of Rivertown, a school district with urban characteristics, where we have been working with parents of color whose children are subjected to exclusionary discipline. Using the framework of Critical Race Theory in education, specifically Derrick Bell's interest-convergence principle, we argue that several interrelated barriers prevent movement toward racial equity: a culture of colorblindness and white fragility that silences race talk; contested definitions of the problem that obfuscate its racialized nature; and the persistence of a zero tolerance framework even with the implementation of a restorative justice pilot. We conclude by discussing our ongoing strategies for creating interest-convergence between White power-holders and communities of color in Rivertown.

Critical Education, 2018

Using the complementary theoretical lenses of critical liberatory (Freirean) pedagogy, critical r... more Using the complementary theoretical lenses of critical liberatory (Freirean) pedagogy, critical race theory and blackcrit theory in education, this paper critically examines the experiences of researchers and Black parent activists engaged in grassroots activism directed at challenging the adultification of Black children and their subjugation to disproportionate and punitive disciplining. We look at the barriers Black parents and a multiracial team of researchers have faced when encountering an ideology of anti-blackness as they tried to push the school district away from the zero tolerance disciplinary practices which primarily targeted Black students in Rivertown.

Journal of Black Psychology, 2018

Black students in prekindergarten through Grade 12 (P-12) schools across the United States experi... more Black students in prekindergarten through Grade 12 (P-12) schools across the United States experience persistent educational disparities involving disproportionate disciplinary practices. This research study, using a qualitative methodological approach, describes and analyzes the impact of the Parent Mentor Program, which brings together Black parents, community members, school district personnel and university researchers working together to implement a race-conscious parent engagement project to transform the experiences of Black parents and Black children in the school district. Themes that emerged from the qualitative narratives include Black parents moving from marginalized outsiders to feeling accepted, teachers’ perspectives on the impact of the program, and the final theme—pushing kids into, not out of the classroom—which delineates the critical role of Black parents in addressing pervasive racialized disciplinary practices within school systems. Findings provide support for...

Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences Series, 2018

Issues Around Aligning Theory, Research and Practice in Social Work Education, 2018

Research in the Teaching of Developmental Education, 2008

Lifespan psychology recognizes that making a personally meaningful societal contribution is impor... more Lifespan psychology recognizes that making a personally meaningful societal contribution is important for psycho-emotional health in old age. Most people make such contributions through their work roles. Were mid-20 th century African Americans able to make such contributions despite circumscription to menial labor, work interruption, and unemployment? Answers to this question emerged serendipitously from a larger randomized controlled reminiscence intervention with older African-Americans who migrated north from the Southern United States during the Great Migration. In this qualitative analysis, transcribed audio recordings were coded for consistent work-related themes that surfaced unexpectedly as an important topic for the participants. The intention to locate personally meaningful work that also conferred a benefit to others persisted through daunting life circumstances and despite the great need to secure personal lives economically for 17 (68%) of the 25 participants. These...

Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 2018

The study of college choice among all students continues to be crucial in higher education. More ... more The study of college choice among all students continues to be crucial in higher education. More importantly, a critical examination of understanding the influences of college choice for ethnically diverse groups may provide better guidance for colleges and universities particularly in increasing and diversifying their student populations. This exploratory qualitative study examines the college choice of Southeast Asian American college students (SEAA). Implications for future practice and research are also presented. Although research on college choice is well documented (e.g., Hossler & Gallagher, 1987; McDonough, 1997; Perna, 2006), studies specifically on Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students continue to be limited (Kim & Gasman, 2011). A study by Kim and Gasman (2011) discussed the college choice process for Asian Americans in postsecondary education. They suggest that social networks play a major role in their decision to attend college. While studies like this provided critical and helpful insight into the factors that prompt Asian Americans to enroll in institutions of higher education, Asian Americans continue to be treated as a monolithic group. Numerous research studies suggest that given the ethnic diversity among the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population, researchers must be intentional about disaggregating the data on this group (National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education [CARE], 2011; Maramba, 2011; Teranishi, 2010). Disaggregating the data on AAPI students is particularly salient because it helps to mitigate the model minority myth often associated with this population (CARE, 2011). Many researchers have criticized this myth, arguing that it perpetuates stereotypes about AAPIs, masks serious issues and concerns that they may be experiencing, and hinder them from receiving critical support as they progress through K-12 and higher education contexts (Teranishi, Ceja, Antonio, Allen, & McDonough, 2004). Teranishi et al.'s (2004) research on college choice for AAPIs is illustrative of the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity among this ethnic community. This study examined postsecondary decisions, opportunities, and enrollment for diverse AAPI ethnic

Advances in Social Work, 2017

A faculty-led experiential learning project was implemented with Master of Social Work students a... more A faculty-led experiential learning project was implemented with Master of Social Work students at their field placement sites to teach macro practice skills and research methods. As part of a grant-funded school-university partnership, MSW students were placed in school social work field placements, where their practice focused on individual and small group interventions with youth. Ten MSW students participated in asset-based collective family engagement in diverse, low-income communities, using community organizing skills and community-based participatory research methods. To examine student learning, a pilot study gathered narrative data from seven of the students and three supervisors. MSW students’ learning from the project is discussed in the context of CSWE’s 2015 EPAS competencies. Participation in the experiential/service-learning project supported the ability of the MSW students to build a sense of themselves as professionals bringing value to the community, enhanced thei...

Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2015

Contemporary Mathematics, 2006

Contemporary Mathematics Vo1ume 421, 2006 Autocommutators and the Autocommutator Subgroup David G... more Contemporary Mathematics Vo1ume 421, 2006 Autocommutators and the Autocommutator Subgroup David Garrison, Luise-Charlotte Kappe, and Denise Yull Abstract. It is well known that the set of commutators in a group does not form a subgroup and numerous examples with this ...