Researching the Practice of Urban Schooling                            Fall 2004

The course employs an historical perspective on research in urban schools and the framing of theories and social structures. Researching the Practice of Urban Schooling extends beyond the boundaries of schools to explore how culture relates to urban schools and identify and study the institutions that are most salient to learning. Particular foci will explore the role of technology in urban schools and equity across the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, age, and social class. Intensive studies will be undertaken of the ten largest school districts in the United States in an exploration of such issues as the diverse types of schools in the district, the distribution and levels of funding, the impact of choice on factors such as the distribution of students from different ethnic groups and the incidence of out of field teaching, the ethnic distribution of teachers in relation to that of students, the turnover of teachers, employment trajectories for urban teachers, tracking, block scheduling, uses of standards and high stakes tests, and accountability criteria. Other large cities in the world also will be studied in comparative analyses of urban schooling in countries such as England, China, Japan, and Spain.

Logics of Inquiry

Spring 2004

The course is intended to introduce participants to a range of different research methods and to develop a sophisticated understanding of methodological issues and alternatives in urban educational research. The focus will be on issues, paradigms, strategies, and research methods that enable students to better understand what happens in various educational settings, in urban educational settings in particular, and what issues are involved when we collaborate with participants as [co]researchers. In addition, participants will have opportunities to think about their individual research interests and apply what they are learning to the design of a small-scale research project.

We will examine qualitative and quantitative methods and consider criteria for when to use one or the other or both in mixed method designs. This is an introductory course that focuses on the rationale and underlying theoretical rationale for research in urban education. Accordingly, we will not consider research methods in depth. In depth study will occur in subsequent courses. We will explore the advantages and limitations of a variety of methods in relation to critical problems of urban education.