Writing to be Heard
Eva Gold, Kristine Lewis, Gretchen Suess, Cheryl
Jones-Walker, Sonia Rosen
sevans@researchforaction.org
Foreword
Research for Action (RFA) has worked with student members of Youth
United for Change (YUC) and Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) for the past
two and half years. Over that time, these young people have committed
themselves to learning social science research methods and conducted a study
of their changing schools. We think you will find their reports compelling;
they give voice to students' lived experience at their high schools.
The motivation of these young people to be youth researchers stems
from their activist commitment to make their high schools better places for
all students. As youth researchers, their research is intended to support
the YUC and PSU small schools campaigns at Kensington, Olney, and West
Philadelphia High Schools.
Some of the achievements of these youth researchers are their
willingness to do the hard work of learning new skills and completing the
entire research process, including creating outstanding research products.
Throughout, the youth researchers have developed their presentation skills
as they spoke about their work in a range of settings, including a public
action for their small schools campaigns, presentations to Teach for America
teachers, a panel discussion for Bryn Mawr College education students, and a
seminar with RFA research staff and board.
During the first year of the project (December 2004-May 2005), the
youth researchers learned the skills of participant-observation and taking
fieldnotes, and keeping reflective journals. Their fieldnotes and journals
became the data for their first product, a graphic road map that illustrated
the course of their small schools campaigns that year (see Appendix A). The
youth researchers then attended the RFA Youth in Action summer research camp
where they learned how to conduct interviews, focus groups and surveys, as
well as do document searches using the internet. In the second year of the
project, the youth researchers applied their new research skills to
questions they posed about their changing schools. From September 2005 to
May 2006, they read about small schools (see the Bibliography) and they
gathered data (see Appendix B for the research instruments that guided their
data collection). In addition, they kept reflective journals. In August 2006
the youth researchers attended an RFA Writing to be Heard Institute, where
they worked as an interpretive community, analyzing their data individually,
in school teams and across teams, and turning their research into written
products. Fall 2006 was devoted to revision, and finalizing their reports.
RFA staff served as guides, teachers and mentors throughout this
project. Marsha Pincus, a Philadelphia Writing Project Teacher-Consultant
and high school English teacher, helped design and lead the Writing to be
Heard summer institute. The principals of the three new small Kensington
schools, Olney 705 and West Philadelphia welcomed the students as
researchers. The teachers at the Kensington small schools and Olney 705 were
generous in their support of the data collection. Parents of PSU members
openly shared their experiences and beliefs with the youth researchers. The
adult chapter organizers worked with the youth researchers and RFA to
determine important audiences for the youth research and to help formulate
recommendations based upon the research findings.
As school reformers, there is much to learn from young people about
their learning environments. We believe these reports demonstrate the
powerful contributions young people can make to their high school
communities when they engage in rigorous and systematic investigations of
their schools and are surrounded by a community of caring and concerned
adults committed to urban youth and school improvement. The findings in
these reports are the conclusions of the youth researchers themselves. They
are now fully ready for the next phase of their work-- sharing their
research findings with a wide range of audiences concerned about the future
of urban public high schools. We welcome these youth researchers to the
broader research community concerned with social justice and high school
transformation.
The Papers
What Olney Teachers Say about Their Students and School
Parents Speak Up and Out About Parent Participation in Urban Public High
Schools
Acknowledgments
A Research for Action
project in cooperation with Youth United for Change and the Philadelphia
Student Union.
This publication is one of three in the Writing to Be Heard series:
This project was made possible through
the generous support of the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Edward W. Hazen
Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Philadelphia
Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation. The views expressed within are solely
those of the authors.
Copies of these reports may be
downloaded for free from
www.researchforaction.org. Printed bound booklets are available for
shipping and handling costs by calling 215.823.2500. Readers are free to
download, copy, and use this report provided the work is credited to the
authors and Research for Action and is not distributed or used for
commerical purposes.
Copyright © 2006
Related materials from Research for Action:
A Guide to Facilitating Action Research for Youth
This guide, developed for Youth United
for Change in 2004 to facilitate action research for youth, includes a case
study of Oakland youth and provides a framework for supporting youth action
research. The guide describes action research, how to address a problem and
develop a research question, how to analyze findings, and then how to use
the findings to promote positive change. It includes activities for youth,
as well as a number of additional resources and references.
RESEARCH for ACTION
3701 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Tel:
(215) 823-2500 Fax: (215) 823-2510 E-mail: info@researchforaction.org
Web:
www.researchforaction.org
Through research and action, Research for Action
seeks to improve the education opportunities and outcomes of urban youth
by strengthening public schools and enriching the civic and community
dialogue about public education.
Youth United for
Change
1910 N. Front Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 Tel:
(215) 423-9588 Fax: (215) 423-2468 Web:
http://yuc.home.mindspring.com
Youth United for Change (YUC) is dedicated to
developing young leaders in Philadelphia and providing them with training
and tools to improve the quality of their education and communities.
Philadelphia Student Union
1315 Spruce St Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tel:
(215) 546-3290 Fax: (215) 471-5970 Web:
http://www.phillystudentunion.org
Philadelphia Student Union's mission is to assist
Philadelphia public high school students in organizing to transform public
schools into places where all young people receive a high quality education,
and to help young people across schools and communities connect their issues
to build power locally and regionally.
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