Solidarity in Community: Encouraging Positive Social and Academic Behaviors in Urban African American Children
WCER Working Paper No. 2007-6
Jeffrey L. Lewis, Eunhee Kim, Angel Gullón-Rivera, and Lauren Woods
September 2007, 26 pp.
ABSTRACT: We still have much to learn about how effective teachers promote positive social and academic behaviors in urban African American children. Through an analysis of videotaped data from two successful after-school programs, we introduce solidarity in community as a framework for understanding the process by which children develop these positive behaviors. We identify five components of fostering solidarity in community including: (a) developing a sense of “we-ness” in the children, (b) providing support and opportunity for all children to participate and develop skills, (c) supporting positive classroom identities through teacher-student interactions, (d) incorporating children’s ideas, interests, and experiences into the curriculum, and (e) creating classrooms in which children can maintain their integrity and feel comfortable.
keywords: Urban; African American; Cultural Relevance; Solidarity
