SBP: An Alternative to Strict Control? Culture and Authority in Progressive Urban Public High Schools

Temple University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

Low-income youth of color often experience exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies in urban schools, which can result in a school-to-prison pipeline. We know such policies can be deleterious, suggesting an urgent need for alternative models and institutions that can change the dynamics related to the criminalization of youth. “Progressive” approaches, which emphasize student-centered instruction and social and emotional as well as academic goals, may represent a promising strategy. Yet these approaches have largely been reserved for independent schools and their relatively affluent (and white) constituencies. Recently, however, the number of progressive schools serving low-income students has grown, as schools and districts across the country have shown new interest in this model. This study provides an in-depth analysis of urban public schools offering a progressive program for low-income youth of color. Results from this study will have important implications for educators, law enforcement officials, community organization professionals, and others committed to working more effectively with such populations, thus potentially changing educational practices so as to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Urban schools that use exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies often facilitate a school-to-prison pipeline that is deleterious to low-income youths’ social and developmental trajectories. This qualitative study will develop an ethnographically-driven conception of school culture and update and refine current understandings of authority in schools. The design includes three components. The first, and largest, component is ethnographic case studies of two progressive high schools serving low-income students of color, which will occur over two years and involve nearly 2,000 hours of participant-observation and 98 interviews. The second is site visits to 10 progressive schools and observations at various progressive education meetings and events, including130 hours of observation and 30 interviews. Third, these data are further contextualized by 10 additional interviews with local school district administrators and educators. Findings from the study will inform sociological theories regarding authority in schools, adolescent development trajectories, particularly for low-income youth, and arguments regarding connections between lower socioeconomic status and life chances in our society. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.