MULTIDISCIPLINRY NATURE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.pptx
Sj class Presentation Youth Studies Conference 5.2.14
1.
2. What is YPAR?
Youth Participatory Action Research
A class of students who research issues within their
community that concern them
Focusing on local issues of injustice
Collecting data such as surveys, interviews & reading research
& current events to familiarize ourselves with the issues.
We continue to use our research to bring the issues to light &
make a change
We will make recommendations to teachers and
administrators to make changes in the school
3. Topic Selection
Spent first quarter of semester learning about various social
injustices
Selection process
Was a democratic process
We brainstormed & discussed a list of possible topics
We anonymously voted
We compromised & not all topics were chosen because of
lack of interest
4. Final Topics
College & career pathways
Curriculum & instruction
School & district funding
School rules & structures
5. College & Career Pathways
This group is researching
Drop out rates for privileged vs. marginalized groups
Access to scholarships for minoritized students
AP course recruitment for minoritized students
6. College & Career pathways
Preliminary findings
More students from minoritized groups have or know someone who has
dropped out
Black and Latina/o enrollment in AP or AP prep courses is disproportionately
low, & those who are in enrolled are one of few in these courses. This is
problematic because these courses are designed to prepare students for
college
Connections to the conference theme
Adolescent development
Teachers, counselors and administrators need to work to help students, especially
students of color and English Language learners acquire resources to reach their
full potential and achieve their post high school goals whether it be college or
career.
Language & literacy
ELLs are marginalized and unable to fully develop in an environment that
specifically caters to native English speakers. When ELLs are segregated from
mainstream classroom opportunities they don’t get access to the rigorous academic
preparation necessary for college.
7. School & District Funding
This group is considering
How UHS textbooks are old, crumbling, & out of date
How some classroom materials (like calculators) are too
expensive for everyone to afford
How the school cafeteria food lacks nutritional value & is low-
quality
How students with mental health concerns are treated by staff
& peers, & what supports are available to them
8. School & District Funding
Preliminary findings
¾ of our student body is under the poverty line, and this is a 10%
increase from the previous school year.
60% of students in poverty are of color
Our school currently has a $6 million dollar field house that was
funded by a 1% tax increase. None of this money went to
improving our educational materials.
Connections to conference theme
Language and literacy
Text (such as textbooks) are a form of communication. Often times
students go home and ask their families for help, and the textbook is
a way for students to communicate with their families about what
they are learning in school as well use the text to seek assistance on
assignments.
9. School Rules & Structures
This group is considering
How dress code enforcement differs based on students’
identities
How PDA is mostly discouraged for same-sex couples
How the current gender structures & categories (bathrooms,
forms, etc.) in school impact transgender students
10. School Rules & Structures
Preliminary findings
Students need to be better informed about LGBTQ students &
their identities
Students perceive gender & sexuality as a binary and don’t
consider how it is a spectrum
Connections to the conference theme
Gender & sexuality
Students who identify as heterosexual are privileged (i.e.
heterosexism) because school rules & structures are designed to
support them & their identities. Because of this heterosexism we
don’t think about how schools academically disadvantage
students of LGBTQ identities.
11. Curriculum & Instruction
This group is considering
How marginalized identities are underrepresented in the
curriculum
How Eurocentric the World Studies courses are
How most texts we read are written by dominant groups
12. Curriculum & Instruction
Preliminary findings
Most marginalized groups noticed that there is a lack of identity
representation in the curriculum, where as most students of
dominant groups did not see an issue of representation.
Most concerning, almost all marginalized groups agreed that
their classroom settings were hostile when certain aspects of their
identities were brought up
Connections to conference theme
Adolescent Development
Students need to have aspects of their identity represented and
respected in the classroom situation to further the development of
their identities. With no or poor representation, it hinders students’
personal development