Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade

Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth through Engaging Hip-hop Culture

he Digest of Education Statistics forecasts that, during the next decade, the number of ethnic minority teachers will shrink to 5 percent, while the enrollment of ethnic minority children in America’s schools will grow to 41 percent. As classrooms across the country become increasingly diverse, determining how to connect in significant ways across multiple lines of difference may be the greatest challenge facing teachers today. Teachers in new century schools must meet this challenge and find ways to forge meaningful relationships with students who come from different worlds, while also helping these students

Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas: defining, developing, and supporting effective teachers in urban schools

Drawing from three years of research in the classrooms of four highly effective elementary and secondary teachers in South Los Angeles, this article considers theories of teaching in urban contexts by examining effective practices in urban classrooms. It outlines an original framework of five indicators of effective teaching in urban schools and uses examples from practice to illustrate those indicators and their relationship to increased achievement. Finally, it discusses possibilities for better preparation and development of teachers in these areas of their practice.

An Examination of the Sociopolitical History of Chicanos and Its Relationship to School Performance.

How does a history of discrimination and marginalization affect Chicanos’ perceptions of schooling? This article offers a brief analysis of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo as an instantiation of a historical metanarrative of colonialism. Using a critical theoretical framework, the article explores the destructive impact of this narrative on Chicano youth. Although it is clear that times change, certain essential elements of a colonial relationship remain; they are inescapable for Chicano youth and affect their view of schooling along with their school performance. Furthermore, students’ critical examinations of these metanarratives can empower young people to disrupt predictable educational trajectories. The article concludes with suggestions for creating a caring school culture through a culturally relevant critical pedagogy that empowers students to develop a sense of hope, purpose, and positive identity.

Toward Teacher Development for the Urban in Urban Teaching

This article examines the potential of critical teacher inquiry groups to promote urban teacher retention, professional support and development. While much has been written in recent years about teacher inquiry, generally, little attention has been paid to professional development programs that highlight a critical analysis of urban schooling. Drawing on analysis of videos of group meetings, Email conversations with participants and informal interviews, this article concerns itself with a group of seven South Central Los Angeles elementary teachers that use critical inquiry to support each other in tackling multiple forms of inequality and oppression manifest in their classrooms, school and community. Brought together by a commitment to social justice, these teachers engage a set of shared readings in social and educational theory as the foundation for bi‐monthly meetings. The article concludes with recommendations for on‐going critical professional development models that support teachers as they confron...This article examines the potential of critical teacher inquiry groups to promote urban teacher retention, professional support and development. While much has been written in recent years about teacher inquiry, generally, little attention has been paid to professional development programs that highlight a critical analysis of urban schooling. Drawing on analysis of videos of group meetings, Email conversations with participants and informal interviews, this article concerns itself with a group of seven South Central Los Angeles elementary teachers that use critical inquiry to support each other in tackling multiple forms of inequality and oppression manifest in their classrooms, school and community. Brought together by a commitment to social justice, these teachers engage a set of shared readings in social and educational theory as the foundation for bi‐monthly meetings. The article concludes with recommendations for on‐going critical professional development models that support teachers as they confront the challenges of urban schools.