SBP: An Alternative to Strict Control? Culture and Authority in Progressive Urban Public High Schools

低收入的有色人种青年在城市学校经常遭受排他性纪律和零容忍政策，这可能导致从学校到监狱的管道。我们知道这样的政策可能是有害的，这表明迫切需要替代模式和制度，以改变与青年犯罪化相关的动态。“渐进式”方法强调以学生为中心的教学，强调社会和情感以及学业目标，这可能是一种很有前途的策略。然而，这些方法在很大程度上仅限于私立学校及其相对富裕的（白人）选区。然而，最近，随着全国各地的学校和学区对这种模式表现出新的兴趣，为低收入学生服务的进步学校的数量有所增加。本研究深入分析了城市公立学校为有色人种低收入青年提供的进步计划。这项研究的结果将对教育工作者、执法官员、社区组织专业人员和其他致力于更有效地与这类人群合作的人产生重要影响，从而有可能改变教育实践，从而中断从学校到监狱的渠道。采用排他性纪律和零容忍政策的城市学校往往助长了从学校到监狱的渠道，这对低收入青年的社会和发展轨迹有害。这项定性研究将发展一种民族志驱动的学校文化概念，并更新和完善目前对学校权威的理解。本设计包括三个部分。第一个也是最大的组成部分是对两所为低收入有色人种学生服务的进步高中的人种学案例研究，这将在两年多的时间里进行，涉及近2000小时的参与者观察和98次访谈。二是实地考察10所进步学校，并在各种进步教育会议和活动中进行观察，包括130小时的观察和30次访谈。第三，通过对当地学区管理人员和教育工作者的10次额外访谈，这些数据进一步具体化。这项研究的发现将为有关学校权威的社会学理论、青少年发展轨迹（特别是低收入青年）以及关于社会经济地位较低与生活机会之间关系的争论提供信息。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Low-income youth of color often experience exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies in urban schools, which can result in a school-to-prison pipeline. We know such policies can be deleterious, suggesting an urgent need for alternative models and institutions that can change the dynamics related to the criminalization of youth. “Progressive” approaches, which emphasize student-centered instruction and social and emotional as well as academic goals, may represent a promising strategy. Yet these approaches have largely been reserved for independent schools and their relatively affluent (and white) constituencies. Recently, however, the number of progressive schools serving low-income students has grown, as schools and districts across the country have shown new interest in this model. This study provides an in-depth analysis of urban public schools offering a progressive program for low-income youth of color. Results from this study will have important implications for educators, law enforcement officials, community organization professionals, and others committed to working more effectively with such populations, thus potentially changing educational practices so as to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Urban schools that use exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies often facilitate a school-to-prison pipeline that is deleterious to low-income youths’ social and developmental trajectories. This qualitative study will develop an ethnographically-driven conception of school culture and update and refine current understandings of authority in schools. The design includes three components. The first, and largest, component is ethnographic case studies of two progressive high schools serving low-income students of color, which will occur over two years and involve nearly 2,000 hours of participant-observation and 98 interviews. The second is site visits to 10 progressive schools and observations at various progressive education meetings and events, including130 hours of observation and 30 interviews. Third, these data are further contextualized by 10 additional interviews with local school district administrators and educators. Findings from the study will inform sociological theories regarding authority in schools, adolescent development trajectories, particularly for low-income youth, and arguments regarding connections between lower socioeconomic status and life chances in our society.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.