Education and Urban Society

Drewry, Julie A.; Burge, Penny L.; Driscoll, Lisa G.

doi: 10.1177/0013124510366799pmid: N/A

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to document and analyze students’ experiences with dropping out of high school, using a social capital framework. Examining the stories of high school dropouts provided valuable information related to the root causes of dropout behaviors. The context of this study was a high school in an urban school division in a Southeastern state. The participants were 5 high school dropouts who spoke English as a primary language and who were a part of the general education population at the school. Triangulation of data sources included field notes, interviews with the participants, and archival documents. Three-iteration code mapping was used for data analysis and was included in an audit trail of all the study procedures. Other points and thematic representations considered were: (a) results of this study presented as narrative descriptions of the dropout histories of each participant, (b) themes resulting from the analysis across all of the narratives as discussed within the social capital framework, (c) suggestions for the development of programs to increase social capital in the family, school, and community, as included in the Conclusion section.

Jeynes, William

doi: 10.1177/0013124510366648pmid: N/A

A meta-analysis is undertaken, including 11 studies, to determine whether there is a relationship between Bible knowledge on one hand and academic and behavioral outcomes on the other among those living in urban areas. The results indicate that increased Bible knowledge is associated with higher levels of student academic achievement and positive behavioral patterns. The analysis indicates that the relationship, as measured by degree of statistical significance, between Bible knowledge and academic outcomes is stronger than it is between Bible knowledge and behavioral outcomes. The possible reasons for this pattern and also the reasons for relationship that Bible knowledge has with academic and behavioral outcomes are discussed.

See, Geoffrey K.

doi: 10.1177/0013124510366207pmid: N/A

Urban life comes with diverse social, environmental, health care, and education problems. However, for many of the people seeking better economic, social, and education opportunities, the big city still holds a special allure. Jazz singer Frank Sinatra sings in “New York, New York” that he wants to “wake up in a city that never sleeps/and find I’m King of the Hill/ top of the heap.” The question then is whether there is a general solution capable of contributing in some small way toward alleviating these complex and diverse problems, bringing us one small step closer toward building an ideal city. As a youth activist, the author desires a solution that can be implemented at the grassroots level, which taps the entrepreneurship and enthusiasm of youths.

Scanlan, Martin

doi: 10.1177/0013124510366224pmid: N/A

This case study examines St. Malachy, an urban Catholic elementary school primarily serving children traditionally marginalized by race, class, linguistic heritage, and disability. As a private school, St. Malachy serves the public good by recruiting and retaining such traditionally marginalized students. As empirical studies involving Catholic schools frequently juxtapose them with public schools, the author presents this examination from a different tack. Neither vilifying nor glorifying Catholic schooling, this study critically examines the pursuit of social justice in this school context. Data gathered through a 1-year study show that formal and informal leaders in St. Malachy adapted their governance, aggressively sought community resources, and focused their professional development to build the capacity to serve their increasingly pluralistic student population. The analysis confirms the deepening realization that striving toward social justice is a messy, contradictory, and complicated pursuit, and that schools in both public and private sectors are allies in this pursuit.

Wassell, Beth A.; Fernández Hawrylak, Maria; LaVan, Sarah-Kate

doi: 10.1177/0013124510375598pmid: N/A

This qualitative study focused on the classroom experiences of 14 English Language Learners (ELL) students in urban high schools. The authors argue that specific structures within classrooms and schools affect ELL students’ agency, or their ability to access and appropriate resources to meet their learning and social needs. Using a narrative inquiry methodological framework, the authors found that these structures included resources, such as space, and time, and a schema of caring, which were created by teachers’ practices. They also included roadblocks, such as poor instructional practices, a lack of empathy of students’ experiences, and diminished access to the curriculum.

Khalifa, Muhammad

doi: 10.1177/0013124510366225pmid: N/A

This study investigated how school leaders recognize and validate cultural and social capital of hyperghettoized at-risk students. Two primary research questions drove this research: (1) Did traditional school leaders recognize the social and cultural capital of at-risk, African American students? (2) How did an effective school leader validate the cultural and social capital of at-risk African American students. The findings indicated that traditional school leaders did not validate, or even accommodate, the social and cultural capital of hyperghettoized students. However, the school leader highlighted in this study was able to validate the capital of what became very academically and socially successful hyperghettoized students. Findings also highlighted the implications of how school principals may lead in a socially just manner as they attempt to value children equitably.

doi: 10.1177/0013124510376878pmid: N/A