The purpose of the paper is to take a problem in urban education (any level) that has an issue related to diversity at its core. You job is to describe, in a compelling, research-based way, what we know about the problem (the literature review), and what we still don’t know, making the case for additional research or a rethinking (for example for a policy). You could be writing about the interventions being used for a particular issue, or the policies being used – anything with practical applications.
Here is the general overview of what the paper should present in terms of focus as a means of supporting your topic.
School / District Research Project on York County School District in Virginia with a focus on Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, VA
As educators who will be teaching in urban and/or suburban schools in the Washington, DC metro area, it is important to know and understand both the students and community your school serves. To this end, students will choose a school they would either like to teach in, one where they are already doing preservice work, or a school that you would like to know more about the demographic makeup and the community surrounding it. The goal of this exercise is to create a working data map of each group’s school using demographic data on the school, information on the district the school resides (boundaries, when it was created, any recent controversies on redrawing district lines, etc.), and the community in which it is located. Groups should also consider whether or not the school you are researching fits the characterization of “urban” and explain your reasoning for why or why not. Groups need to use school district data available from district websites as well as 2010 or 2020 U.S. census data to create the school/district data study. Also make sure to include these parameters for your research:
• History of the school, i.e., when was it built and what district does it belong(ed) to
• Demographic data of the school (what is the racial and ethnic make-up of the school)
• Graduation Rate, AYP status, number of students, faculty to student ratio, how many languages are spoken at the school
• Is your school a Title 1 or Title VII school; how many students qualify for free/reduced lunch?
• What are the drop out/retention rates of your school/district?
• Other important information you think is helpful for being a prepared and culturally responsive educator
School and district research will be done in groups of no more than two. Each member of the group is required to contribute equally to the research project and each group member will be asked to return to me an evaluation on each member’s contribution to the project. Some time will be given in class to work on the project throughout the semester. Each group will have approximately 15-30 minutes to present on their findings to the rest of the class. Each group will turn in their presentation to me on the day you present. I would only like one copy of the research presentation per group which can be a print-out of your power point, Prezi, or any other format you choose to present your research.
The key components for the final paper are broken up below into individual, successive assignments. The goal is to introduce you to the style and format of papers that will be expected throughout the program. These pieces consist of:
Statement of the problem: You will select one specific topic for the paper. The first assignment due is the opening of your paper: make the case that there is a problem (what evidence would you use?), and that it is sufficiently compelling (significant – how would you demonstrate that?) that we need to be thinking about it. The statement should be about 2-3 double spaced pages, with a clear statement of the problem usually appearing no later than the bottom of the second page. Statement is due during Week 6 via the Moodle Drop Box. Please be sure you have had at least one class member review your paper for clarity prior to submitting it to me. (Value of 10 points)
Review of the literature: Once you have established a clear statement of the problem, you need to review what we already know about the issue from the research literature. Scour the library, sort the studies into general themes, and review what you have found with an eye towards, do we already know the answer to the question? (If so, why raise the issue?) If we do not , why not (for example, studies may have used samples that are not representative of the student population you work with). In the final paper, your review will be about 10 pages long, but for the intermediate assignment, you need to turn in an outline stating how you will open the discussion, the major themes/headings and related studies (to the extent you can locate them by the deadline), and how you think you will close the section, by Week 9 to the Moodle drop box. Note: I will make every effort to return feedback on your statement of the problem, electronically, so that you can incorporate that feedback into your thinking about the outline. (Value of 100 points)
The final paper, which will include your revised statement of the problem, flesh out your literature review incorporating my feedback, and add in a recommendations section addressing “what should we do next, based on your assessment of the literature,”
