Research News

High school student curiosity drives new open-source science curricula

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:48:42 +0000

High school student curiosity drives new open-source science curricula Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/24/2024 - 15:48

A coalition of educators from 10 states and led by CU Boulder has released a new series of free science curricula for high school students—touching on issues critical to the lives of young people, from wildfires to rising sea levels and cancer biology. The new curricula, called OpenSciEd High School, is a three-year high school science program designed by a consortium of developers led by the inquiryHub, a research-practice partnership.

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Women of color disproportionately targeted by book bans, study finds

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 21:57:54 +0000

Women of color disproportionately targeted by book bans, study finds Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/02/2024 - 15:57

In 2023, the American Library Association documented attempts to remove more than 4,000 books from schools and libraries across the U.S. In one of the first comprehensive analyses of book bans in the U.S., Katie Spoon, a PhD candidate in computer science and a master’s student in the School of Education, and collaborators revealed that these bans disproportionally target women authors of color and books that feature characters of color.

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Meeting the needs of Colorado’s ‘newcomer’ K-12 students

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:37:44 +0000

Meeting the needs of Colorado’s ‘newcomer’ K-12 students Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/20/2024 - 11:37

This year, schools across Colorado experienced an influx of students, many of them migrants from Latin and South America. A small but dedicated group of scholars at the CU Boulder School of Education are helping teachers meet the needs of these new arrivals.

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Research partnership with youth in rural New Mexico centers collaborative discovery, action, transformation

Anonymous — Mon, 13 May 2024 21:25:54 +0000

Research partnership with youth in rural New Mexico centers collaborative discovery, action, transformation Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/13/2024 - 15:25

Iman Fagan

In the heart of Cuba, New Mexico, an impactful collaboration aims to confront systemic inequities in education by centering student voices. Launched in the summer of 2021, the collaboration brings together �鶹��Ƶ researchers and Cuba Independent School District (CISD) students, teachers and stakeholders during an annual six-week summer program focused on educational equity. CISD serves the diverse town of Cuba, along with several neighboring rural communities and Navajo Nation chapters. Cuba lies near the western edge of the Santa Fe National Forest, about 80 miles northwest of Albuquerque.

In a collaborative co-design process, the CU Boulder Research Hub for Youth Organizing faculty and graduate students worked with local school leaders and teachers to develop the summer curriculum. Led by School of Education researchers Michelle Renée Valladares, Vandna Sinha, Kate Baca, and Revaline Nez, this profound collaboration confronts barriers facing CISD's diverse student body.

The journey began with a pilot summer program, in which the CU Boulder team, plus colleagues Adam York, Matt Garcia and Siomara Valladares, engaged middle and high school students in youth participatory action research on educational equity within CISD schools. Youth participatory action research is an approach where youth identify pressing issues in their communities and engage in research to help inform social change and action in their lives, communities, and the institutions intended to serve them. Students in Cuba diligently collected data and elevated recommendations to administrators, spurring policy changes still reverberating today.

Each year brought fresh insights and challenges. The first summer examined educational opportunities within CISD schools, with students and researchers studying the past and present in hopes of developing plans for a more inclusive future. Subsequent programs explored language, cultural representation and student identities in relation to the land, by examining pressing local issues like oil and gas extraction, environmental justice and decolonization.

After the first summer, students recommended improved mental health services, student support groups, accessible transportation and extracurricular activities. This student-driven research led the district to implement policy changes to address these needs. In the second summer, students examined food justice, collecting data that showed limited healthy, affordable food access. They subsequently started a community garden and farmers market to increase food security.

Seeing the need for more reciprocal research practices, Nez reached out to Diné students, families and community leaders. Her outreach and open dialogue laid the foundation for an evolving collaboration rooted in trust, mutual understanding and elevating previously marginalized voices.

Last summer’s focus on language and cultural representation sparked greater integration of students' diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds into the school curriculum through translanguaging training for teachers, which helped provide educators with pedagogical supports for students moving between languages. The partnership has evolved to include teacher development and leadership coaching. The research continues expanding theoretical frameworks and challenging existing narratives – from teacher identity to student leadership. By pushing back against limiting beliefs, the project empowers educators and learners to see themselves as capable leaders who can actively shape their educational experiences and communities. It is particularly crucial to focus on rural school districts, especially those serving Indigenous populations, as these communities have historically been underserved and marginalized. By centering the voices of the community, the project shapes a more inclusive educational landscape, validating their perspectives and highlighting the transformative power of their actions.

Navigating challenges, supporting educators and nurturing youth leadership, the team models open communication, intentional reflection and community-centered praxis. While funding and capacity issues remain, the partnership has expanded possibilities for students, with educators reporting youth displaying greater confidence, leadership abilities and seeing college as newly imaginable despite limited exposure to recruiters and campuses.

Though complex, initiatives elevating student and community wisdom can drive meaningful change in rural education. By centering voices often left out of policy decisions, this project offers lessons for expanding equity across marginalized schools nationwide. As co-lead researchers and doctoral students Baca and Nez reflect, their understanding of the local context has been key for building authentic community relationships, uplifting youth experiences and confronting systemic barriers across CISD’s richly diverse student body.

While uncertainties lie ahead, the partnership remains committed to this ongoing journey of collaborative discovery, action and positive transformation. Additionally, this partnership may shift mindsets on conceptualizing rural student populations, which are often presumed predominantly white. Centering the experiences of rural students of color in CISD could have ripple effects on educational equity across rural schools nationally.

Baca emphasized the complex value of partnership work, stating the partnership “is ongoing, relational, and messy but it's really important to find what is generative for both partners and have transparency in that.” This program's impacts show that valuing student voices and community expertise can help bridge divides and lead to humanizing, relevant education. This summer, Nez will advance research on translanguaging while continuing to support partners in Cuba by developing a guide for teachers to help them implement the recommendations formulated from previous summer programs.

This program has been supported by the School of Education Place-Based Partnership Initiative, the Women Investing in the School of Education (WISE) giving circle, and a CU Boulder Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship grant. This article was written by Iman Fagan as part of graduate research assistantship focused on collaborative partnerships between School of Education researchers and community partners working toward transformative change in education.

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Researchers warn of danger, call for pause in bringing AI to schools

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 05:05:46 +0000

Researchers warn of danger, call for pause in bringing AI to schools Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/21/2024 - 23:05

K-12 schools across the country are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence tools into the classroom. Alex Molnar, one of the directors of the National Education Policy Center in the CU Boulder School of Education, gives his take on why these tools could pose risks for students, and what concerned parents and others can do about it.

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Kevin Welner in The Conversation: Property tax breaks to businesses draining school budgets

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 05:56:05 +0000

Kevin Welner in The Conversation: Property tax breaks to businesses draining school budgets Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/21/2024 - 22:56

An estimated 95% of U.S. cities provide economic development tax incentives to woo corporate investors, taking billions away from schools. A new three-month investigation by CU Boulder's Kevin Welner and colleagues in The Conversation shows how that cash drain is not equally shared by schools in the same communities, often hurting the poorest students the most.

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5 lessons on improving US education—from high schools that beat the odds

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:03:29 +0000

5 lessons on improving US education—from high schools that beat the odds Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 15:03

Edited by a trio of CU Boulder education researchers, a new book titled Schools of Opportunity: 10 Research-Based Models of Equity in Action tells the stories of nine U.S. high schools that flourished despite the odds—overcoming tough challenges to offer students from a wide range of backgrounds rich and even joyful educational experiences.

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Your CU Boulder Guide to AERA 2023

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 18:52:22 +0000

Your CU Boulder Guide to AERA 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/17/2023 - 12:52

Each year, the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting represents the world's largest gathering of education researchers and is a showcase for groundbreaking, innovative research. We are looking forward to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting that will take place in Chicago, IL, April 13-16 and virtually May 4-5.

Our faculty, students and alumni will be busy presenting, learning, and exchanging ideas. Use this guide to follow and support CU Boulder researchers and their work. This year, we have CU Boulder faculty, students and alumni featured in over 90 sessions!

See the full CU Boulder AERA guide

Featured Presidential Sessions

Asian American Education Scholars Speaking Truth to the U.S. Empire

Thu, April 13, 2:50 pm to 4:20 pm CDT; Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower - Ballroom Level, Grand Hall K
Building a K-12 Asian American Studies Framework to Interrogate the U.S. Empire
Author: Noreen Naseem Rodríguez

Infusing Computational Thinking and Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Pedagogy in K-12 Learning Spaces

Thu, April 13, 4:40 pm to 6:10 pm CDT; Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower-Ballroom Level, Grand Hall L
Race-Conscious and Justice-Oriented High School Computer Science Pedagogies
Author: Tiera Tanksley

Systems for Equitable Educational Assessment

Sat, April 15, 9:50 am to 11:20 am CDT; Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower - Ballroom Level, Grand Hall I
Participant: William Penuel

Interrogating Educators' Working Conditions in the Era of Intersecting Crises

Sun, April 16, 9:50 am to 11:20 am CDT; Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower- Ballroom Level, Grand Hall K
Chair: Melissa Braaten

Consequential Research for Youth Programs: Insights about Racial Reckoning and Equity from Scholars, Youth Workers, and Young People

Sun, April 16, 11:40 am to 1:10 pm CDT; Hyatt Regency Chicago, East Tower- Ballroom Level, Grand Hall J
Chair: Ben Kirshner
Interrogating Program-Level Practices Toward Equity: Fostering Dignity and Belonging in Community-Based Youth Work and Out-of- School Time
Author: Ben Kirshner

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Crown Spotlight Story on Kalonji Nzinga

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 22:09:09 +0000

Crown Spotlight Story on Kalonji Nzinga Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/20/2022 - 15:09

Kalonji Nzinga is a cultural psychologist exploring how millennials and post-millennials develop their ethical world views. Check out this second installment of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute's "Spotlight Stories" featuring Dr. Nzinga and his work as a trans-disciplinary researcher and storyteller.

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The Assembly Issue 4: Educators Moving Towards Collective Liberation

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:24:43 +0000

The Assembly Issue 4: Educators Moving Towards Collective Liberation Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/01/2022 - 13:24

The latest issue of the Assembly, an open-access, peer-reviewed, online publication edited by School of Education doctoral students, is called "Educators Moving Towards Collective Liberation." It features a multimodal collection of reflections by educator-scholars who attended the Educator Institute for Equity and Justice hosted by A Queer Endeavor last summer.

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