Date of Award
May 2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Cultural Foundations of Education
Advisor(s)
Dalia Rodriguez
Second Advisor
Gwendolyn Pough
Keywords
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Hope, Segregation, Spatial Dynamics
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
Education is said to be the great equalizer in the American society; however, poverty has shaped the educational experience for black and brown students in urban communities, like Syracuse, New York. White flight and unequal housing practices—redlining and the production of highway systems created segregated housing patterns, which in term has altered how we think about integrated schooling in America. Brown v. Board of Education ruled racial segregation unconstitutional; however, white supremacy managed to find a way around the system. Today, Syracuse is plighted with poverty, dilapidated schools, and a below average graduation rate. Not only are students exposed to subpar school conditions as compared to their white counterparts in neighboring towns, but the lack of resources continues to keep black and brown students from competing in the race for equity. As we move toward implementing policies and procedures to undue hundreds of years of educational oppression, culturally relevant pedagogy is one of the methods, educators can utilize in order to make deeper connections with their students, embrace cultural diversity, and minimize behavior mismanagement in the classroom. The lives of urban youth deserve an education system that will prepare them to challenge the social, economic, and political inequities, and address literacies to make higher education opportunities more realistic and attainable.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Garland-Smith, Alessa, "Shifting from Educational Inequality to Educational Equity: Bringing Hope to our Urban Youth" (2019). Theses - ALL. 332.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/332
