Using Organizing Techniques in Education: A Case Study of Two Community Schools in North Carolina

• In Event: Teacher Activism for the Profession

Abstract

Organizing connects people to their power. It is a potent tool for making meaningful changes for school and student success. This research focuses in on how organizing techniques have been used to make community schools possible and develop the leadership of those working and learning in two schools in a mid-sized district in North Carolina. Using a Foucauldian-inspired frame, I argue that the process of organizing is a process of connecting to one’s power. Findings suggest that without organizing tactics, the project would have never come to fruition, nor would school community members have been engaged in leadership roles. This study looks at the importance of applying organizing practices to the improvement and development of locally run community schools.

Author

• Jessica Ferra Benton, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill