Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School
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2005
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1118236067 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu11182360672021-08-03T05:50:01Z Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School Schmelzer, Michael Allen culture of practice Hispanic youth middle school literacy Catholic multicultural theory activity theory transformative education community solidarity empowerment This is a field study of what a small Catholic school community in an inner-city Latino neighborhood says and does in its mission to “empower” students through literacy. The purpose of my study is to describe how the literacy initiatives at Santa Cruz School resonate with culturally responsive education practices identified in effective schools research. I represent my inquiry in two interrelated discourses that form a macro-micro textual pattern. In the macro textual discourse, I describe culturally responsive, empowering qualities in the mission, visions, beliefs, and organizational structures of the Santa Cruz school community. In the micro textual discourse, I describe responsive, empowering qualities in the culture of practice in one 8th grade teacher’s language arts classroom. I use a social constructivist lens, multicultural orientation, and activity theory framework to illumine responsive features of the school and classroom cultures. I used two activity-centered questions to guide my fieldwork: 1) How did the Santa Cruz school community construct a culture that mediated the empowerment of students? 2) How did an 8th grade language arts teacher and her students construct a mediating, culturally responsive community of practice in the classroom? My findings suggest that: 1) shared vision, personal and communal witness, and collaborative decision-making are definitive qualities of the school community culture; 2) creation and maintenance of a mediative network of support programs are explicit expressions of solidarity with neighborhood students and families; 3) a joint, goal-oriented process of identity formation involves the entire school community; 4) reading as an empowering literacy is the core instructional commitment of the school community and one of its palpable daily cultural practices; and 5) recurring classroom themes of joint, goal-oriented activity and identity formation as a process of participation instantiate the Santa Cruz mission and vision of empowerment through literacy. My findings suggest strong philosophical and practical linkages between the Santa Cruz literacy initiatives and the culturally responsive education practices advocated in effective schools research. My findings also suggest coherent macro-micro images of the mediating processes whereby school members share in the construction of a transformative school culture. 2005-07-14 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1118236067 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1118236067 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
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English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
culture of practice Hispanic youth middle school literacy Catholic multicultural theory activity theory transformative education community solidarity empowerment |
| spellingShingle |
culture of practice Hispanic youth middle school literacy Catholic multicultural theory activity theory transformative education community solidarity empowerment Schmelzer, Michael Allen Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| author |
Schmelzer, Michael Allen |
| author_facet |
Schmelzer, Michael Allen |
| author_sort |
Schmelzer, Michael Allen |
| title |
Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| title_short |
Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| title_full |
Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| title_fullStr |
Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at Santa Cruz School |
| title_sort |
making a difference, transforming lives: mediating practices in a culture of empowerment at santa cruz school |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2005 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1118236067 |
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AT schmelzermichaelallen makingadifferencetransforminglivesmediatingpracticesinacultureofempowermentatsantacruzschool |
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