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Journal of Educational Change

, Volume 15, Issue 2, pp 153–178 | Cite as

Educators and youth activists: A negotiation over enhancing students’ role in school life

  • Cynthia Taines
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Recent attention to youth activism for school reform reveals positive student outcomes. Yet educators may object to the use of social actions in schools, diminishing opportunities for these benefits to accrue. This paper analyzes educators’ conceptions about the proper exercise of student voice within schools and how these coincide with activists’ tactics for school reform. The qualitative investigation rests on interviews with principals, teachers, community organizers, and students—all touched by a community-based program that encourages urban youth to organize and transform their schools. The paper seeks to bridge the perspectives of educators and activists in ways that enhance acceptance of a more robust role for students in school life.

Keywords

Youth activism Youth voice Student involvement Educators’ perspectives Student role Relational power 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations, College of EducationNorthern Illinois UniversityDeKalbUSA

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