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If You Don't Read, It Is Like You Don't Exist": the Transformative Power of Critical Literacy at an Alternative Charter High School

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If You Don't Read, It Is Like You Don't Exist LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations Summer July 2009 "If you don't read, it is like you don't exist": The Transformative Power of Critical Literacy at an Alternative Charter High School Jesse Sage Noonan Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons Recommended Citation Noonan, Jesse Sage, ""If you don't read, it is like you don't exist": The Transformative Power of Critical Literacy at an Alternative Charter High School" (2009). LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations. 251. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/251 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY "If you don't read, it is like you don't exist": The Transformative Power of Critical Literacy at an Alternative Charter High School by Jesse Sage Noonan A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the School of Education, Loyola Marymount University, in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education 2009 Loyola Marymount University School of Education Los Angeles, CA 90045 This dissertation written by Jesse Sage Noonan, under the direction of the Dissertation Committee, is approved and accepted by all committee members, in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. ________________________________ Date Dissertation Committee ________________________________ Marta Baltodano, Committee Chair ________________________________ Martin Connell ________________________________ Yvette Lapayese ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grateful to the members of my dissertation committee: Thank you Dr. Martin Connell for facilitating great discussions that always helped me ground my thinking, for steering us away from conspiracy theorizing, for introducing me to both Google scholar and Myles Horton, and for always emailing the .pdf of what you knew I needed. Thank you Dr. Yvette Lapayese for doing a valiant job of fitting all of critical theory into six of the most important weeks of my doctoral career, serving as a role model of libratory teaching, and asking why I didn’t go to poetry school. I offer my most sincere gratitude to my advisor, guide, and chair, Dr. Marta Baltodano. Thank you for introducing me to Freire in 2000 and being a better guide on this project than I could have asked for. You knew exactly what I needed: the story of the neighbor boy and all his arduous studying. You never let me do less than my best, and for that I will always be grateful. A great big thank you to Dr. Mary McCullough to being the mother of the program and of Cohort 3, and to Elizabeth Polidan, for making this process so smooth by being a beacon of organization and helpful support. To my school, particularly to Bill and Jenner, for supporting me on this venture in more ways than one, and for being open to alternative ways of learning and teaching. To my family and friends for sustaining me during this time-consuming undertaking and always helping me keep it in perspective. To mom and Matt, thank you iii for keeping it light, and for always calling me a nerd. To Charly for giving Chapter 1 a college try. To Carrie, thank you for always telling me to take the nap. I am most sincerely grateful to Ben Hurwitz (S.T.) for always being proud and encouraging, and for always editing even when you did not want to. You are mightily loved. iv DEDICATION This project is dedicated to all of the students I have ever worked with, particularly the 12 co-researchers from the Summer of 2008: you are the people who made me a teacher by teaching me to truly listen. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Page Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... iii Dedication............................................................................................................................v List of Tables.....................................................................................................................xii List of Figures...................................................................................................................xiii Vita....................................................................................................................................xiv Abstract.............................................................................................................................xvi 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….…..1 Background…………………….............................……………………..……….2 Reading and Literacy………………………………………..…………….2 Literacy Injustices…………………………………………………...…….3 Future Horizons Charter High School………………………...…………10 Problem Statement……………………………………………………….……..12 Purpose of the Study……………………………………….……...……………14 Theoretical Framework…………………………….…………………………...15 Social Reproduction and Resistance…………………………...………...15 Critical Pedagogy………………………………………………...………16 Critical Literacy………………...……………………………...………...17 Bicultural Education and Empowering Education……………………….18 Popular Education and Citizenship Schools……………………………..19 Classroom Practice………………………………………………………20 Research Questions………………………………………….………………….21 Methods…………………………………………………..……………………..21 Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)…………………………..22 Participants……………………………………………………………….24 Method of Data Collection…………………………………………….…25 Significance of the Study………………………………………………….……27 Organization of the Study……………………………………………….………30 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………………………....31 Introduction: “Standing on Shoulders” …………………………...……………31 Theoretical Framework……………………………………………….………...32 Critical Pedagogy: “Theory is always becoming”……………………….32 Myles Horton………………………………………….…………33 Freire and the elements of critical pedagogy…………………….34 Giroux, Apple, and McLaren………………………………...…..36 Critical Literacy: “What is needed and what is possible …….…………………39 Early roots………………………………………………………………..39 Critical literacy in the U.S. context…………………………………...….39 Traditional Literacy Instruction……………………………………...………….40 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued CHAPTER Page Comprehension Skills: Reading the Word…………………………...…40 Secondary Literacy and NCLB…………………………………...…….42 Critical Literacy in Action…………………………………..………….……….43 Critical Classroom Practices: “Education is problem-posing …………...43 “Reading, Writing, & Rising Up”………………………………..45 “Writing Words, Changing Worlds…………………………..….46 Teaching Literacy with Low-Income Latino/a Students………………...47 Bicultural Education…………………………………………………..…48 Secondary Literacy Instruction: “But they can barely read”…………….49 Charter Schools and Alternative Education…………………….………………53 Charter Schools…………….………………………………...……..……54 Critiques………………………………………………………….54 Charter school history…….…………………………………..….55 Alternative Education…………………………………...….………...….56 Conclusion……………………………………………..……………………..…59 3. METHODOLOGY..……………………………..………..…………….……….61 Introduction…………………………………….……………………………….61 Organization……………………………………………………..………65 Research Approach……………………………………………………..………65 Roots and Features of Participatory Action Research……………….......65 PAR and the YPAR Critical Literacy Group.............................................71 Youth Participatory Action Research: An Emerging Praxis…………….73 Qualitative Methods and the Emancipation of Knowledge....………...…74 Site and Participant Selection………………………………………………...…75 Description of the Site…………………………………………………...75 Student Demographics…………………………………………………...78 Description of Participants………………………………………...……..81 Recruitment through Snowball Sampling…………………………….….84 Description of the YPAR Critical Literacy Group....……………………85 Data Collection…………………………………………………….….………...86 Data Analysis………………………………………………….………………..88 Ethical Concerns, Limitations, Role of the Researcher…………………....……89 Ethical Concerns…………………………………………………………89 Access and Negotiation……………………………………………..……90 Limitations……………………………………………………...………..91 “Valid” Outcomes…………………………………...…………………...92 Role of the Researcher…………………………..…………….…………93 Race and Power in the classroom……………………………...94 Conclusion……………………………………………………...……………….95 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued CHAPTER Page Definition of Key Terms………………………………………………………..96 4. FINDINGS……………………………………………………………………………99 Restatement of Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………..…99 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………100 Introductory Summary of Findings…………………………………………………100 The Process…………………………………………………………………………101 Recontextualizing Future Horizons Charter High School………………….101 First Incarnation of Youth Participatory Action Research Group…...…..…104 The Participants…………………………………………………………………….109 Jacqui…………………………………………………………………….…110 Genny…………………………………………………………………….…112 Natalie………………………………………………………………………114 Catelina……………………………………………………………………..115 Eva………………………………………………………………………….116 Karen…………………………………………………………………….….119 Samantha……………………………………………………………………120 Hugo.. ………………………………………………………………………122 Iris……………………………………………………………………….….123 Kat……………………………………………………………………….….125 Ray……………………………………………………………………….…127 Paulina…………………………………………………………………...….130 The YPAR Critical Literacy Project in Action…………………………………..…132 Curriculum Planning……………………………………………………..…132 Choice and Academic Focus………………………………………………..135
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