Advocacy for Equitable Education in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Obstacles

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The symposium highlights new research by emerging scholars in field of educational advocacy. The papers present outcomes of initiatives designed to challenge inequities in educational institutions. The first paper demonstrates that engaging in family visits supports teachers’ culturally relevant pedagogy. The second paper presents outcomes of a program designed to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in marine sciences and STEM by connecting participants across island hubs. The third paper focuses on the experiences of parents resisting systemic racism in schools. It highlights strategies used by parent activists to influence decision-making, the role of media and social media in sharing counter-stories and holding school districts to account, and the importance of parent movements that engage intergenerational visions for racial justice.

Sub Unit

• World Education Research Association

Chair

• Vidya Shah, York University

Papers

• Fostering Culturally Relevant Teaching Through Family Visits (1) - Laura Szech, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

• Researching Underrepresented Islander Minorities in Science and STEM Informed by Indigenous and Culturally Responsive Design - Manuel Andres Perez, University of Illinois; María B. Serrano-Abreu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Rodney K. Hopson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Sharon Nelson-Barber, WestEd; Jonathan Boxerman, WestEd; Kimberly Nguyen; Jarvon Stout, University of the Virgin Islands : Virgin Islands EPSCoR; Howard Forbes, University of North Carolina

• Lies, Denials, and Cover-Ups: The Pervasiveness of Whiteness in School District Relations With Black Parents and Racialized Parents - Vidya Shah, York University; Diana Grimaldos, York University

Discussant

• Sue Winton, York University