Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research

Cathy C. Caro-Bruce - Madison Metropolitan School District
Ryan Flessner - University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
Mary R. Klehr - Madison Wisconsin Metro School District
Kenneth (Ken) A. Zeichner - University of Washington, USA
Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research
August 2007 | 328 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781412936675
Available from January 0001

Description

"Recognizing the importance of race, class, gender, culture, and ability, the authors provide a window into the difficulties that professional educators grapple with as they face the challenge of teaching all children. This text is both authentic and practical, and it demystifies the issues of equity that pervade today's classrooms."
—Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Associate Professor
University of Florida, Gainsville

"Action research of this caliber on the subject of equity is critically needed for all children to have access to the same level of rigor and high standards. This is a must-read for districts that really want to turn action research into action that affects student learning."
—Terry Morganti-Fisher, Director of Professional Development
Austin Independent School District, TX

Utilize the power of action research to narrow the achievement gap!

Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instructional leadership.

Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Educators will discover:

  • Ten action research studies on narrowing the achievement gap
  • Guidelines for implementing an action research project that supports culturally relevant instruction
  • Authentic examples for discussion and reflection

Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource for systemwide improvement efforts helps schools provide more equitable learning environments for all children.


Read a review published in Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research.

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Editors

About the Editors

About the Contributors

About the Contributors

Part I. How Action Research Can Promote Equity

  • 1. Classroom Action Research With a Focus on Equity
  • 2. Implementing a School District Action Research Program

Part II. Action Research Studies

  • 3. Been There Done That: Student Inquiry About High School Dropouts
  • 4. What Strategies Can I Incorporate So That the English Language Learners in My Classroom Will Better Understand Oral Directions?
  • 5. Understanding High School Black Male Students' Achievement and School Experience
  • 6. What Teacher Behaviors Encourage One At-Risk African-American Boy to be a Productive Member of Our Classroom Community?
  • 7. But Then It Got Real
  • 8. We Want to Work With Our Friends
  • 9. Ribbons, Racism, and a Placenta: The Challenges and Surprises of Culturally Relevant Teaching
  • 10. Conclusions on Using a Constructivist Approach in a Heterogeneous Classroom
  • 11. Using African American Students' Preference for Working in Self-Selected Partnerships to Promote Math Achievement
  • 12. Crossing Bridges of Culture, Color, and Language

Part III. Conclusion

  • 13. Tying It All Together: Implications for Classrooms, Schools, and Districts
  • Index

Description

"Recognizing the importance of race, class, gender, culture, and ability, the authors provide a window into the difficulties that professional educators grapple with as they face the challenge of teaching all children. This text is both authentic and practical, and it demystifies the issues of equity that pervade today's classrooms."
—Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Associate Professor
University of Florida, Gainsville

"Action research of this caliber on the subject of equity is critically needed for all children to have access to the same level of rigor and high standards. This is a must-read for districts that really want to turn action research into action that affects student learning."
—Terry Morganti-Fisher, Director of Professional Development
Austin Independent School District, TX

Utilize the power of action research to narrow the achievement gap!

Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instructional leadership.

Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Educators will discover:

  • Ten action research studies on narrowing the achievement gap
  • Guidelines for implementing an action research project that supports culturally relevant instruction
  • Authentic examples for discussion and reflection

Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource for systemwide improvement efforts helps schools provide more equitable learning environments for all children.


Read a review published in Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research.

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Editors

About the Editors

About the Contributors

About the Contributors

Part I. How Action Research Can Promote Equity

  • 1. Classroom Action Research With a Focus on Equity
  • 2. Implementing a School District Action Research Program

Part II. Action Research Studies

  • 3. Been There Done That: Student Inquiry About High School Dropouts
  • 4. What Strategies Can I Incorporate So That the English Language Learners in My Classroom Will Better Understand Oral Directions?
  • 5. Understanding High School Black Male Students' Achievement and School Experience
  • 6. What Teacher Behaviors Encourage One At-Risk African-American Boy to be a Productive Member of Our Classroom Community?
  • 7. But Then It Got Real
  • 8. We Want to Work With Our Friends
  • 9. Ribbons, Racism, and a Placenta: The Challenges and Surprises of Culturally Relevant Teaching
  • 10. Conclusions on Using a Constructivist Approach in a Heterogeneous Classroom
  • 11. Using African American Students' Preference for Working in Self-Selected Partnerships to Promote Math Achievement
  • 12. Crossing Bridges of Culture, Color, and Language

Part III. Conclusion

  • 13. Tying It All Together: Implications for Classrooms, Schools, and Districts
  • Index
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Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research


August 2007 | 328 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/01/2025 9781412936675 $46.95
Hardcover 27/02/2023 9781412936668 $99.95

"Recognizing the importance of race, class, gender, culture, and ability, the authors provide a window into the difficulties that professional educators grapple with as they face the challenge of teaching all children. This text is both authentic and practical, and it demystifies the issues of equity that pervade today's classrooms."
—Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Associate Professor
University of Florida, Gainsville

"Action research of this caliber on the subject of equity is critically needed for all children to have access to the same level of rigor and high standards. This is a must-read for districts that really want to turn action research into action that affects student learning."
—Terry Morganti-Fisher, Director of Professional Development
Austin Independent School District, TX

Utilize the power of action research to narrow the achievement gap!

Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instructional leadership.

Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Educators will discover:

  • Ten action research studies on narrowing the achievement gap
  • Guidelines for implementing an action research project that supports culturally relevant instruction
  • Authentic examples for discussion and reflection

Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource for systemwide improvement efforts helps schools provide more equitable learning environments for all children.


Read a review published in Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research.


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Editors
  • About the Contributors
  • Part I. How Action Research Can Promote Equity
  • 1. Classroom Action Research With a Focus on Equity
  • 2. Implementing a School District Action Research Program
  • Part II. Action Research Studies
  • 3. Been There Done That: Student Inquiry About High School Dropouts
  • 4. What Strategies Can I Incorporate So That the English Language Learners in My Classroom Will Better Understand Oral Directions?
  • 5. Understanding High School Black Male Students' Achievement and School Experience
  • 6. What Teacher Behaviors Encourage One At-Risk African-American Boy to be a Productive Member of Our Classroom Community?
  • 7. But Then It Got Real
  • 8. We Want to Work With Our Friends
  • 9. Ribbons, Racism, and a Placenta: The Challenges and Surprises of Culturally Relevant Teaching
  • 10. Conclusions on Using a Constructivist Approach in a Heterogeneous Classroom
  • 11. Using African American Students' Preference for Working in Self-Selected Partnerships to Promote Math Achievement
  • 12. Crossing Bridges of Culture, Color, and Language
  • Part III. Conclusion
  • 13. Tying It All Together: Implications for Classrooms, Schools, and Districts
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

"Both the individual studies presented and the example of a school district investing in its teachers to create new solu­tions to enduring problems of schooling will provide the basis for dialogue and stimulate the creation of other opportunities for teachers to engage in action research in school districts across the country."
SirReadaLot.org, September 2007
"Provides teachers, principals, district administrators, and professional development specialists with compelling insight into the workings of a successful action research program, and offers ten excellent sample action research projects focused on increasing student achievement in diverse school settings."
From the Foreword by Elizabeth Burmaster
"Action research of this caliber on the subject of equity is critically needed for all children to have access to the same level of rigor and high standards. This is a must-read for districts who really want to turn action research into action that affects student learning."
Terry Morganti-Fisher, Director of Professional Development, Austin Independent School District, TX
"Recognizing the importance of race, class, gender, culture, and ability, the authors provide a window into the difficulties that professional educators grapple with as they face the challenge of teaching all children. This text is both authentic and practical, and it demystifies issues of equity that pervade today's classrooms."
Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Associate Professor, University of Florida, Gainesville

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