Coming from a critical youth studies perspective, this article sketches a participatory action research project designed by youth and adults in New York City to evaluate the impact of neo-liberal public policies on young people. Through telling the counter-story of the Polling for Justice (PFJ) project, we propose that re-considering…

Speaking out against decades of injustice and challenging deficit perceptions of young learners and their families, "It's Not About Grit" pulls back the veil, revealing the social systems that marginalize and stigmatize mostly poor, urban students of color and their communities. At the same time, author Steven Goodman, founding executive…

Examines what is not discussed in schools and how "undesirable" talk is subverted, appropriated, and exported. Defines silencing as a process of institutionalized policies and practices that obscure the social, economic, and experiential conditions of students' daily lives and that expels critical talk about these conditions. (SRT)

Presents a case study of a New York City high school with a high dropout rate. Focuses on teaching quality, students' attitudes and stresses, and school structure and practice. Argues that school reforms must be developed along with efforts to improve the overall life conditions of students. (KH)

Through the work of Michelle Fine and others, researchers are encouraged to examine the processes of qualitative research in a manner that attends to the lived experiences of those who participate in a given research project. The authors explore identity relations in qualitative research, specifically asking how their research projects are…

A 2-year study of small Chicago schools found that small schools, especially small high schools, help students succeed. The study focused on about 150 small schools founded in Chicago during 1990-97 and their progress through 1999. Elementary schools had fewer than 350 students; high schools fewer than 400 students. Quantitative analyses covered…

This collection challenges the metaphor of the "at risk" discourse about minority groups, situating it in the context of the struggle over the power to define language and policy, and the right of all groups to material and psychological well being. Some chapters reframe oppressed groups in terms of "promise" and the potential…

Written by major players in the small schools movement, this collection of essays points to the ways that school restructuring strategies connect to the ongoing pursuit of social justice. Activists, scholars, practitioners, and theorists review how and why small schools work for students, provide thick descriptions of the small schools strategy in…