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Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research
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Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research

Edited by:

Foreword by Elizabeth Burmaster



August 2007 | 328 pages | Corwin

"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.


Elizabeth Burmaster
Foreword
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Editors
 
About the Contributors
 
Part I. How Action Research Can Promote Equity
Cathy Caro-Bruce, Mary Klehr
1. Classroom Action Research With a Focus on Equity
Cathy Caro-Bruce, Mary Klehr
2. Implementing a School District Action Research Program
 
Part II. Action Research Studies
Erik J. Shager
3. Been There Done That: Student Inquiry About High School Dropouts
Shannon K. Richards
4. What Strategies Can I Incorporate So That the English Language Learners in My Classroom Will Better Understand Oral Directions?
Quynh T. Nguyen
5. Understanding High School Black Male Students' Achievement and School Experience
Barbara Williams
6. What Teacher Behaviors Encourage One At-Risk African-American Boy to be a Productive Member of Our Classroom Community?
Jane Hammatt Kavaloski
7. But Then It Got Real
Diane Coccari
8. We Want to Work With Our Friends
Kate Lyman
9. Ribbons, Racism, and a Placenta: The Challenges and Surprises of Culturally Relevant Teaching
Van E. Valaskey
10. Conclusions on Using a Constructivist Approach in a Heterogeneous Classroom
Julie A. Melton
11. Using African American Students' Preference for Working in Self-Selected Partnerships to Promote Math Achievement
Denise Hanson
12. Crossing Bridges of Culture, Color, and Language
 
Part III. Conclusion
Ryan Flessner, Ken Zeichner, and Kalani J. Eggington
13. Tying It All Together: Implications for Classrooms, Schools, and Districts
 
Index

"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

"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

"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

"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
Key features
  • Includes 10 action research studies that focus on equity, race, and the achievement gap
  • Explains how to implement a school-wide or district wide action research program that will promote equity and help close the achievement gap

For instructors

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Paperback
ISBN: 9781412936675
$45.95

Hardcover
ISBN: 9781412936668
$99.95