Community Organizing and Mobilization to Address Educational Inequities: A Case Study of Rochester, New York, 1964 to 2014

• In Event: 70.066 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 70.066-13 - Community Development and Collaborations

Abstract

In order to understand the importance of coalitions in educational change, our case study examines Rochester, NY an urban community with low performing and inequitable schools since the 1960s. Rochester lends itself to an examination of the advocacy role of various actors (i.e. educators, parents, clergy, and business owners) and organizations within and outside of the educational system. Through this, we demonstrate the ways that those with insider and outsider status leverage power and target different types of change. This contributes to the literature on educational policy, equity, and community organizing by focusing on community mobilization at different points in time to create more equitable learning environments for those educationally marginalized in our nation’s schools.

Authors

• Tricia J. Stewart, Alabama State University

• Kara S. Finnigan, University of Rochester

• Nadine D. Hylton, University of Rochester