Innovative education for diverse students in a changing era: One U.S. urban school's alternative teaching and learning

Abstract

This critical ethnographic case study describes and interprets how an urban K-8 charter school in the United States with a large number of students of color from low-income communities offers education that recognizes students' minority status in the broader society and envisions students as agents working toward a just society. The analyses show that the school's progressive teaching of diversity has a positive impact on minority students' identification with their heritages and their academic achievements. This study advances a critical understanding of creating equitable education at the school level.