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Youth Participatory

Action Research at Edmunds Middle School

January 2017 - Present

Miles Carr, Aoife Crainich, Amelia Dion, Isaac Doggett, Petra Fanslow, Walter Hood, Myriam Huener, Gretta Ketterling, Anyier Manyok, Adriel Mendez, Henry Tornwini

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Jeremy Demink [EMS Teacher],

Quin Gonell [UVM PhD Student], Lance C. Smith [UVM Faculty] Yusuf Abdi [UVM Undergraduate]

https://tinyurl.com/YPAR2020

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What is Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and It’s Mission?

https://tinyurl.com/YPAR2020

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Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Overview

Youth participatory action research is a process of collaborating with youth to generate research questions, design studies, collect and analyze data, and act for positive systemic change (Mirra, Garcia & Morrell, 2016).

The majority of YPAR work explicitly seeks to transform systems that perpetuate injustice and inequity.

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Key Components of YPAR/ A Flexible Framework

  1. Relationship/Trust-Building

8. How to conduct Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis

2. Critical Consciousness Education

9. Data Analysis

3. Knowledge Acquisition of Quantitative/Qualitative Inquiry-Based Research

10. Proposal Development

4. Initial Observations & Problem Defining

11. Action Implementation

5. Drafting of Research Questions & Hypothesis Statements

12. Measure Impact (if possible)

6. Instrumentation/Design

13. Celebrate small victories

7. Data Collection

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What Skills have the EMS YPAR Team Members Gained Along the Way?

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Outcomes of YPAR: Student Growth/Development

What EMS Students Would Like to Add:

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Empirical Findings

  • Leadership development
  • Critical thinking
  • Decision making
  • Executive function
  • Conflict resolution skills
  • Identity development (racial, gender, sexual orientation)
  • Advocacy skills
  • Self-efficacy
  • Self-respect
  • Community awareness
  • Civic responsibility
  • Awareness of inequity
  • Public speaking
  • Qualitative Coding
  • Survey Data Analysis

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Initial Findings

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Research Question

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YPAR Race Group Findings. Year 2

47% of Black student participants felt that students are discriminating against other students based on race.

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YPAR Race Group Findings. Year 2

Roughly 1/3 of White students and 1/3 of Black students agree that teachers engage in racial discrimination.

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YPAR Gender Group Findings. Year 2

About 70% (68.42%) of girls believe that more attention needs to be given to gender discrimination at EMS. 56.7% of all students believe that more attention needs to be given to gender discrimination

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YPAR Gender Group Findings. Year 2

Only 21% of female students at EMS feel that adults at EMS are taking action to address gender discrimination. Only 20% of self-described students feel that adults are taking action against gender discrimination at EMS.

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YPAR Gender Group Findings. Year 2

According to the survey half of the female students (49%) have seen gender discrimination at EMS. Also 50% of self described students, have seen gender discrimination at EMS.

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What has the EMS YPAR Team Accomplished Thus Far?

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Accomplishments

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Anti-racism Group

  • Conducted Mixed-Methods Racism Study Within EMS
  • EMS Faculty Presentation
  • Poster Presentation at UVM
  • BSD School Board Meeting Presentation Seeking Permission to fly the BLM Flag--Permission Granted

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Gender Equity Group

  • Conducted Mixed-Methods Gender Equity Study Within EMS
  • EMS Faculty Presentation
  • Poster Presentation at UVM
  • Documentary

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Dress Code Group

  • Conducted Dress Code Study Within EMS
  • Created Documentary Video
  • Drafted, New, Empirically Supported Dress Code Policy
  • EMS PTO Meeting Presentation Seeking Approval to Revise the Dress Code--PTO Approval Granted

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BLM Flag Raising Ceremony Today!

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What is the EMS YPAR Team Currently Working On?

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Current Action Items

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Anti-racism Group

  • Writing Script For EMS Documentary on Racism
  • Seeking Funding to Provide for School-Wide BLM Hoodies
  • Planning the BLM Flag Raising Ceremony
  • Assisting in Developing School Wide Anti-Racism Curriculum

Gender Equity Group

  • Organizing to Paint LGBTQ+ Mural on EMS Building
  • Advocating and building support for Mural in response to resistance
  • Creating Video Documentary of Gender Inequity at EMS
  • Interviewing and hiring artists to complete building banner.

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Dress Code Group

  • Adapting Proposed EMS Dress Code to District Wide Dress Code Policy
  • Organizing to Present District-Wide Dress Code Proposal to BSD Superintendent

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For a PDF copy of the slides please email:

Jdemink@bsdvt.org

-or log in below

https://tinyurl.com/YPAR2020

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