What's the purpose?: How urban adolescents of color interpret and respond to noble and ignoble purposes constructed in media texts (original) (raw)
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Urban Teachers Examine Reading Instruction through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research
What constitutes effective reading instruction for urban and ethnically diverse learners has been the topic of a great deal of debate. Particularly, during this time of sweeping mandates and increased calls for accountability. The response from urban schools to The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) serves as the backdrop for this paper which will examine reading instruction through the eyes of four urban elementary teachers. Data were collected through interviews, observations, focus groups, and document analysis. Findings address the impact of teachers' culturally responsive approach to reading acquisition, the implementation of research-based culturally responsive reading instruction strategies, and the role of race, culture and language in teaching and learning. The implications of the alarmingly high rate of illiteracy in the United States are costly and profound. School drop-out rates, unemployment, and crime are all associated with low literacy levels (National Institute of Literacy, 1997; Simmons & Kameenui, 1998). This is particularly distressing for those vested in the academic success of ethnically diverse students in urban schools. Critical issues associated with literacy, disabilities, and race have been linked throughout history and are still inextricably intertwined. Over 80 percent of students with disabilities experience significant reading deficits (Lerner, 1989), and the majority of these students are served in general education settings (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Yet, historically general and special educators have not been effectively prepared in the diagnosis and remediation of reading deficits in traditional teacher preparation programs (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Researchers have noted that if reading deficits are not remedied by fourth grade, they will persist and students will continue to read below grade level through high school (Lyon, 1995). This leads to disturbingly low rates of transition and retention of students with disabilities at the secondary level (Sheehey & Black, 2003). The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has monitored the literacy achievement of students around the country for over 25 years. African Americans have consistently scored below a basic level of proficiency in grades 4 and 8. According to Au (1993) "…African American, Hispanic American, and disadvantaged urban eleventh graders read only slightly better than seventh graders in the nation as a whole" (p.2). Although the achievement gap between students of color and their White counterparts has narrowed, the gap still persists (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001). The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law by President Bush in January of 2002. NCLB is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The purpose of this act is "…to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments" (Title 1, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965). Surely, there are few objections to the ideal of ensuring that all students have a fair, equal, and significant education. However, what is objectionable are the methods relied upon to ensure students
Exploring culturally sustaining pedagogy in urban classrooms
Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, 2017
We examine how culturally sustaining pedagogy that fosters linguistic and cultural pluralism might be taken up in writing instruction. Using data collected through semistructured interviews with nine urban elementary and middle school writing teachers, we document teachers' conceptualizations and enactments of culturally sustaining writing pedagogy. Findings indicate that these teachers tended to make space for explicit discussions of language, culture, and power in the writing curriculum and to problematize expressions of dominant culture, such as an emphasis on official languages. We also explore the tensions that these teachers experienced in their pedagogy while engaging in culturally sustaining methods; for example, we documented teachers' sense that writing needed to be more formal than speech and instances where their critical practices put them at odds with stakeholders in their schools. This work represents an emerging understanding of how culturally sustaining literacy pedagogy might be implemented in practice.
Trends and Issues In Urban and Minority Education, 1987. ERIC/CUE Trends and Issues Series, Number 6
1987
Social and demographic changes in American society have given rise to an abundance of educational literature about the role of schools. Schools must provide both basic and advanced academic preparation, but should they also compensate for and assume some of the roles of the family? This document identifies current trends and issues in education by presenting a profile of urban students as reflected in the current literature, and by describing current programs and practices in urban schools. Information is provided in the following categories: (1) the demographics of minority populations, immigrants, dropouts, and pregnant teenagers; (2) programs for dropout prevention; (3) school and classroom organization for learning; (4) creation and maintenance of a professional urban work force; (5) special programs for diverse students; (6) science and mathematics for minority and female students; (7) parents and schooling; (8) business involvement; and (9) minorities and nonpublic schooling. A 205-item bibliography is included. (VM)
The teacher is the most important in-school factor influencing students’ literacy achievement. Therefore, professional development supporting teacher effectiveness is a primary means of enhancing students’ literacy learning. This article describes the beginning of a longitudinal, collaborative professional development initiative that is based upon a school-university partnership in a high-needs, urban elementary school. A mere 28% of students scored at or above the proficient level prior to the initiative. This case study used mixed methods to study the professional development initiative. This study illustrates the complexity of school-wide PD. We found positive perceptions of the initiative as well as areas to focus on moving forward. In addition, after the first year of the initiative, while only 29% of students scored at or above the proficient level, students in this school showed statistically significant gains on standardized assessments of literacy.