This paper is an examination of the state of the social and physical ecology of schools and of the use of bottom up critical research to investigate this phenomenon. Conducted by a group of five urban high school seniors engaged in the process of becoming critical sociological researchers, this paper documents our findings and the process we went through to collect and analyze data in several urban schools in the Los Angeles areas.
It is clear that the physical and social ecology of a school is a very telling way to understand what students are experiencing on a day to day basis. It is also interesting to see the differing levels of conditions of schools and the ways that the surrounding communities often effect these conditions. When people discuss schools, it is often in the language of test scores and college going rates. These are often the numbers that appear on school report cards to tell parents about the quality of the school. This often leads parents to presume that all the other elements of schools are essentially equal and that the only real differences between schools is the way that students are performing. What our research has uncovered is the fact that there is much more that needs to be talked about when we consider the quality of a school. The social and physical environment is an element of the schooling experience that can and should be incorporated into the information that is given to parents and accountability personnel. Undoubtedly, student learning must be tracked, but it is equally as important to document and hold schools accountable for the conditions under which this learning is taking place. Without this type of information being made public, the myth of equal opportunity and access can persist, and the poorest students will continue to be asked to compete on an un-level playing field.
This process of gathering perspectives on urban school improvement is not a particularly original one. However, using the lens of students as the guiding force to gather this information is a revolutionary concept. The cumulative effect of this process resulted in the gathering of data on what is wrong, how it is affecting key stakeholders, when it is occurring, why it is occurring, and where it is occurring. This ground level information allows for much more diverse, collective suggestions for change. Ultimately, this means access to information which promotes sound solutions that must be put into action in official and unofficial spaces in order to improve our schools and community environments.
View full document of this group research paper. (PDF, 140K, 71pp.)
Look at the survey results for this group
View PowerPoint Presentation of group's research findings.
Watch the video documentary short "The Right to Safe Schools & Adequate Learning Facilities" by Diana Flores, Roger Lara, and Matthew Nzegwu
That’s Just the Way It Is: An Investigation of the Physical and Social Ecology of Urban Schools
