Innovations in Addressing the Education and Poverty Crisis: The Importance of Researching “Outside of School”

Session Type: Invited Session

Abstract

The session focuses on outside of school, bringing together sociologist Karl Alexander and developmental psychologist Lenora Fulani, whose combined work offers new directions for educating children living in poverty. Alexander has taken a broad look at the differing lives and life courses of children, bringing to light “summer slide,” and the effects of disadvantage in multiple spheres of influence. Fulani is the developer and practitioner of a cultural approach to learning and development, carried out in five U.S. cities by the privately funded All Stars Project. She looks at problems in poor communities as developmental ones. They present their understandings of outside of school, which differ from current policy debate. All Stars teenagers and two scholars who work at the intersection of research and policy are discussants

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chair

• Bonny L. Gildin, All Stars Project Inc.

Participant

• All Stars Youth, All Stars Project Inc.

Papers

• The Seasonality of Learning: Implications for Poor Children - Karl L. Alexander, The Johns Hopkins University

• Discovering the Development Line: Helping the Poor to Grow - Lenora B. Fulani, All Stars Project

Discussants

• Ross Danis, Newark Education Trust

• Anderson J. Franklin, Boston College