Action research, particularly done by teachers, has had a contentious, decades-long history. As a form of social inquiry, action research has been designed to make it easier for members of social groups to create social change within their communities. Rather than conducting research that focuses on an outcome, action researchers focus on the…

In this article the author presents an analysis of the hidden curriculum of school sports in mediating the achievement of Mexican immigrant girls in middle schools in the southwestern United States. Using Bourdieu's theory of taste, the author shows how symbolic boundaries expressed by students and teachers legitimize cultural practices that…

This study investigated differences in 50 fifth through eighth grade students' perceptions of caring teacher behaviors. The analyses revealed that African American and female students were more likely to value behavior that encourages academic achievement than were White and male students, who were more likely to value warm interpersonal…

Middle school classrooms can be fertile ground for positively impacting students' cultural and racial assumptions and understanding, given an effective multicultural curriculum and school structure. This article presents a narrative of the author's contrasting experiences teaching a text with racial themes. Applicable literature provides a…

This paper presents an inside look at the rhythms of a year-long teacher research group by highlighting the experiences of four alternatively certified urban middle school teachers of color as they engaged in practitioner research about issues of gender equity, racial identity, and culturally relevant teaching. Using examples from "data dilemma"…

Hispanic students' awareness of cultural, linguistic, and sociopolitical issues are influenced by their experiences in schools and affect their sense of identity. An examination of student discourse between bilingual gifted and bilingual general education students in an urban middle school is presented, with particular attention given to how…

This study was designed to examine the epistemological beliefs about the nature of knowledge, views of intelligence and motivational perceptions. Two samples were drawn from two large urban high schools in the Southwest portion of the United States with large Hispanic/Latino student populations while a third was drawn from a majority Anglo student…

Although the myth of public education as the "great equalizer" is alive and well in the minds of many, the reality is that the notion of public schools as the savior of the less fortunate is fundamentally compromised when institutional decision making does more to suppress low-income and minority students through low expectations demonstrated by…

American public schools, free and open to all, are one of the few public places where diverse groups of people can come together and make meaning of their lives. If public schools are to be the havens that people espouse them to be, they have to understand the sociocultural and historical processes that have impacted their beliefs, attitudes, and…

Often the victims of bullying are singled out because they are different from the majority. The fear of being bullied is a life-shaping fear that effects the lives of more than 160,000 students who miss school every day to avoid victimization by bullies. The damaging effects of bullying can lead to poor academic performance, low self-esteem, early…