7289 research outputs found
Sort by
Transformative Change in Tutoring Programs to Address Social Justice
Get PDFAbstract
Assessing school-based programs to ensure that a social justice perspective governs key aspects of their delivery is vitally important, as educational institutions may unintentionally reimpose societal stratifications and injustices. The problem of practice is to address gaps between actual and optimal experiences and outcomes of a tutoring educational program from a social justice perspective involving public schools and an independent school in Ontario, Canada. The objective is to redevelop tutoring programs that involve different communities by inviting stakeholders to share their understandings of what they find valuable in the program and to determine if or how inaccurate conceptions of and divisions between social groups are perpetuated. The lens and leadership approaches of the transformative paradigm and positive organizational scholarship (POS) are used to advance change by analyzing the problem, contributing factors, and solutions. The collection and inclusion of stakeholders’ voices and perspectives, a research imperative of transformative theory, will inform change targets for program improvement. Facilitated appreciative inquiry workshops will discover stakeholders’ respective experiences and their dreams for an enhanced program, and iterative cycles of the plan, do, study, and act (PDSA) model will identify guidelines and resources to realize goals. POS strategies will facilitate change implementation, including supporting stakeholders by providing resources, ensuring open communication, and emphasizing their value in contributing to the social good. By putting forward a change implementation plan that involves community input to redress negative experiences and/or enhance positive experiences in educational programs, this paper seeks to engage educators to consider equity in cross-community learning models.
Keywords: social justice-based educational programs, transformative paradigm, cross-community educational programming, appreciative inquir
Girls as Thriving Leaders: Cultivating a Community of True Belonging in an All-Girls School
Get PDFIn an all-girls school, what conditions are required to authentically cultivate a community of true belonging? This inquiry explores what girls need in schools today to support each other now and as women. This Organization Improvement Plan is developed for an all-girls Canadian independent school. Challenges in maintaining true belonging stem from the systemic, patriarchal structure of education. This gap creates a culture of scarcity and competition, which leads to intragender microaggression. To implement change in this organization as an informal leader and teacher, I use a participatory-based approach that aligns with the feminist-transformative theoretical lens. The ethic of community and ethic of critique frameworks ensure that this inquiry goes beyond the narrative of the neoliberal definition of girlhood. To address this challenge, a skillset of competence, mindset of confidence, and heartset of connectedness must be present and continually developed as indicators of true belonging in all-girls schools today. I developed a conceptual model for leading, teaching, and learning to guide a multi-layered leadership practice in our learning community in order for true belonging to be possible. As a leader, my actions align with transformative, inclusive, and connective leadership styles. The chosen solution addresses true belonging by offering an interdisciplinary program that aligns with the conceptual model. This solution uses an iterative, cyclical framework for organizational development, with an emphasis on appreciative inquiry for positive change. The plans for implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and communication ensure active participation, opportunity for voice and choice, and reflection through generative dialogue
Differences in Returns to Education Across Ethnic Enclaves, Ethnoburbs, and Suburbs in an Era of Rising Anti-Immigration Sentiment
Get PDF
