Teachers Research Human Rights in San Francisco Bay Area Schools

• In Event: Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Social Justice Education Through Human Rights Education Praxis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to engage San Francisco Bay Area teachers in participatory action research on human rights education (HRE) to add to the body of knowledge of HRE in U.S. schools. At a time when few teachers, and fewer students, are well versed in human rights (Hart, 1997), "the primary and secondary public schools of the U.S. need transformative, systematic human rights education" (Stone, 2002, p. 538). Individual teachers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are developing and implementing HRE curricula. However, classrooms exposed to human rights based curricula are few and far between (Stone, 2002).

Theoretical Rationale

Freire’s (1970) critical consciousness will serve as the theoretical framework for the study. Critical consciousness is used to look deeply and critically at political and social contradictions and to act against oppression. Using a lens of critical consciousness, this study will explore HRE, where students can begin to understand complexities of the cultural, social, and political contexts of international human rights issues. The action component of critical consciousness also fits squarely within the goals of HRE as a transformative pedagogy.

Methodology/Data Collection

A participatory action research (PAR) approach will be used for this study in order to include teachers using a human rights and/or social justice framework in the research process. The research team will represent a variety of voices, each bringing his/her own experiences, knowledge, and questions. “Research is therefore a collective process enriched by the multiple perspectives of several researchers working together” (Cammarota & Fine, 2008, p. 5). In this collective process, the research team will follow in the tradition of Freire producing knowledge through dialogue and scientific inquiry.

The study will be approved by the University of San Francisco’s institutional review board before data collection begins in October, 2011. Data will consist of conversations from team meetings detailing the research process; other possible methods of collecting data include: teacher reflection journals, interviews, surveys, classroom observations, and samples of student work. The research team will decide upon appropriate procedures for data analysis once the collection methods have been chosen. Finally the team will put knowledge into action through a culminating experience that brings their research to a larger audience. Research may still be in progress at the time of AERA, but current finding and themes will be presented.

Significance of the Study

Possible impacts of this research include: gathering information regarding the prevalence of HRE in Bay Area classrooms; knowledge of teacher motivations in HRE; sharing of human rights curricula and practices among research team members; creation of a supportive network of engaged human rights educators; and the spread of HRE in the team members’ schools and communities. As a developing discipline, research on the application of HRE is still scarce. This research will expand the body of knowledge and practical implementation of HRE. Additionally, this study will expand conversations about social justice based education to include teaching built upon a human rights framework.

Author

• Page Hersey, University of San Francisco