Urban Education Commons^™

Disciplining The "Unrestrained" Child Through Moral Rectification: The "Civilizing" Role Of The Us Educational System, Unleashing An Era Of Assimilation, Urnisha Dutta

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Moral education in the US frequently has centered on cultivating “civic sense” and developing citizens who are morally akin to the dominant culture’s ideals. Although implemented as preventive measures (to avoid an otherwise inevitable suspension), these interventions are colored with dominant cultural sentiments that visualize differences as immoral. The idea of disciplining the “unrestrained” child thus aligns with a Western historical “civilizing” mission that aims at creating “moral citizens” through cultural erasure and behavioral transformation. This article discusses the unpleasant reality of moral education in the US educational system, demonstrating an inherent acculturation politics underlying behavior rectification initiatives. The essay …

About The Contributors

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Early Intervention: Perspectives On Training And Practice, Christina M. Mirtes, Jessica A. Grimone-Hopkins, Audrey Farrugia

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Early Intervention (EI) Specialists/Professionals serve children from birth through age three with developmental delays/disabilities, and their families. They conduct assessments, create Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), collaborate with adjacent professionals, and use play-based interventions at home or in natural settings to support children’s development across the cognitive, communication, physical, sensory, social–emotional, and adaptive skills. The present study uses a mixed-methods approach, gathering qualitative data (focus group interviews) and quantitative data (survey) to evaluate participants’ perceived preparedness and self-efficacy of currently practicing Early Intervention (EI) Specialists/Professionals based on their higher education experiences, across various aspects and responsibilities of their jobs. Results …

Anti-Racist Teaching Today, Melissa Brooks-Yip

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Anti-racist teaching has a long history in education and there have been recent changes in DEI policy for public education. This article reviews equity-based pedagogies, whiteness in education, racial literacy, and the implications for teacher professional learning moving forward.

Front Matter

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Making The Case For Career Academies In Shaping Pre-Collegiate Students For Stem Career Pathways, Felix Quayson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Career academies are increasingly important in preparing pre-collegiate high school students for STEM pathways by connecting academic learning, technical skill development, career identity, and postsecondary readiness. STEM-focused career academies function as structured bridges between secondary education, higher education, and the labor market. Through small learning communities, interdisciplinary curricula, employer partnerships, work-based learning, and early exposure to college and career expectations, career academies help students understand STEM not only as school subjects but as possible futures. Research suggests that career academies can improve student engagement, support school persistence, and strengthen labor market outcomes when implemented with fidelity. The article concludes that …

About The Contributors

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Formatted Feelings: Rap As A Pedagogy Of Capitalized Emotion, Guanhua Yao

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This article examines mainstream rap as a key apparatus through which capital formats emotional life under platform capitalism. Utilizing grounded theory coding for ten Billboard No. 1 rap tracks released between 2005 and 2025, the analysis identifies durable affective templates, commodified desire, spectacularized power, and curated vulnerability, that standardize how emotion becomes legible, repeatable, and marketable. Synthesizing affect theory, media sociology, and social dramaturgy, the article argues that rap teaches listeners how to perform feeling in ways compatible with visibility regimes and datafied attention economies. Rather than treating these songs as expressive artifacts, the study reframes them as pedagogical infrastructures …

Teacher Representation In Film And Television, Kailey Deweever

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This article explores teacher representation in film and television, highlighting four main archetypes. It discusses how positive portrayals improve public perceptions and teacher self-image, while negative depictions harm both. Additionally, it critiques how infrequent depictions of actual teaching often trivialize the complexity of the profession.

Keywords: Teacher self-image, popular culture, teacher archetypes, teacher representation, film, television

Latisha King: Queer Confusion, Aggression, And Correction, Hannah Bollin

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Latisha King was a 15-year-old biracial and transgender student at E.O. Green Junior High who was shot and killed by one of her peers on February 12, 2008. Latisha’s untimely death was followed by a court case during which she was blamed for her own murder due to her gender identity and sexual orientation. Through a thematic analysis of scholarly work alongside public media sources surrounding the case, this study argues that the transphobia that Latisha faced in her classroom was continued in the courtroom and media. More specifically, this article argues that the classroom, murder trial, and public media …

Notes On Redefining "Popular" Culture, Paul J. Ramsey

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This article critiques the classic literature on popular culture, redefines the concept for the contemporary era, and introduces the following articles in this special issue of Impact. The articles in this issue demonstrate not only the ways in which popular culture has evolved in recent decades but also reveal the deeply educational aspects of that culture by shining a light on what is learned through it. 

Keywords: popular culture, education, informal education

Front Matter

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

The Role Of White Racial Identity Development In Leadership Practices: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study In White Educational Leaders, Kaitlyn Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how white educational leaders experience and make meaning of their racial identity development as they lead adult professional learning focused on racial equity and culturally responsive practice. Grounded in Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) model and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study explored the lived experiences of ten white leaders across PK–12 and Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Data were collected through three semi‑structured interviews per participant and analyzed using IPA’s six‑step process. Five major themes emerged: transformational experiences that shifted leaders’ understanding of race and privilege; the critical role of white affinity …

About The Contributors

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Transpositions: Reflections On Friendship And Nine Days In October With Peter Beilharz And Sian Supski, Christopher G. Robbins

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

In this essay, the author uses the idea of transposition to reflect on Peter Beilharz and Sian Supski's historic visit to Eastern Michigan University and southeast Michigan in October 2024. Transposition is used to deprivatize Robbins's reflections to consider broader and more generalizable concerns relative to pedagogy and educational philosophy. Further, transposition, in this regard, provided a way to reflect on the (increased) importance of friendship in academia.

Keywords: transposition, translation, friendship

"Through A Medium Of Fordism": Images And Ideas On Utopia, Lisa Voelker

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

The concept of utopia, which has long captivated human imagination, offering a vision of an ideal society that can be inspiring, is elusive at best and harmful in many of the actual attempts we’ve seen throughout history. This photo essay takes me through the philosophical underpinnings of Fordism’s Utopian ideas, the cultural intersections between the United States and Australia, and the enduring fascination with antiquity that shapes our modern identities (Gray, 2018). I aim to learn more about the contradictions and patterns that define our collective and individual pursuits of an ideal world.

Keywords: utopia, contradictions, liberation, photography

The Flaying Of America's Utopia: What New Dreams Can Be Imagined?, Rachel Robbins-Whited

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Amid the collapse of American constitutionalism and the crisis of late capitalism, this paper argues for the urgent reimagining of global education through Critical Globalization Studies (CGS). Drawing from world-systems analysis, Fordism, and utopian theory, it traces how the United States exported capitalist hegemony globally, contributing to our current interregnum. The paper proposes CGS and Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE) as pedagogical tools for cultivating ethical, justice-oriented youth capable of imagining post-capitalist futures. Emphasizing glocalization and the legitimacy of non-Western epistemologies, the work calls for a reversal of hegemonic flows, where peripheral cultures help to reshape global education. It addresses …

Road Trip!: U-Turns, Detours, And Construction Aplenty In Fordist Modernity, Eric Ferris

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Beginning with Peter Beilharz’s (2015) assertion that the modern and its active form, modernization, are often reductively conflated with both Fordism and Americanism, this essay teases out the idea that modernization is multifaceted, contested, and global in scope, despite the pains that both Fordism and Americanism have taken to obscure this unevenness in an attempt to monopolize the narrative of modernization. From there, it takes seriously Beilharz’s (2015) assertion that modernization imprints itself onto both production and consumption, and that among its paramount innovations is its impact on culture. The essay asserts that in addition to the automobile, Fordism has …

Forging Desire Paths In Undesirable Times, Rachel Dick

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

Drawing on the visit of Dr. Peter Beilharz and Dr. Sian Supski to Eastern Michigan University in October 2024, this essay explores the relationship between desire paths and our intersectional identities. Examining the impact of modernity on our lived experiences and conceptions of utopia, the essay explores the reality of the paths we must navigate daily to function in a society built on systems of power and oppression. Ultimately, the essay argues that marginalized individuals must draw survivance and insurgent lines, rather than truly desirable lines, in order to strive towards utopia.

Keywords: desire paths, utopia, identity, survivance, insurgent

Desire Paths: The Visible And Invisible, Audrey Farrugia

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This paper explores the concept of desire paths, unplanned routes created by people to move quickly through an environment, and their relationship to inclusivity and social justice. Building on Sian Supski’s public talk at Eastern Michigan University’s College of Education, sponsored by The Workshop for Community+Collaboration and the Morris Chair for Educational Transformation, which highlighted the use of desire paths in everyday life, this paper promotes the exploration of the unconventional and often invisible desire paths created and traveled by marginalized people.

Keywords: desire path, inclusivity, disorientation guide

Sowing The Seeds Of Utopia Collectively, From Australia To America And Everywhere In Between: A Methodology And Practice For Resistance And Emancipation, Rachelle F. Marshall

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

This reflection on internationally renowned scholars Peter Beilharz and Sian Supski’s visit to Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in October 2024 presents utopia as a sociological methodology useful for research in educational studies. Presenting a brief introduction and exploration of the methodology, this article considers the cultural changes that are necessary to teach toward democratic, ecologically sustainable utopias compared to capitalist visions of utopia. As a starting point for further discussion, this personal reflection merely scratches the surface to provide a glimpse into the conditions that would underlie a democratic, ecologically sustainable utopia and serves to document a few of the …

Letter To Peter Beilharz And Sian Supski, Dante Dorsey

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Editors' Introduction, Rachel Dick, Rachel Robbins-Whited

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Schooling: From Industrial Obedience To Techno-Autonomy, Seb Taylor, Ron Roberts Ii

Digital Laboratory: Publisher of Internet Journal

This paper examines the enduring architecture of the American education system as a mechanism designed for compliance, not creativity. Rooted in 19th-century industrial logic, the structure of schooling, its physical design, time constraints, and assessment methods, has remained largely static despite seismic cultural and technological shifts. Through historical analysis and contemporary critique, this work interrogates the persistence of standardized methods, institutional prestige, and top-down instruction as barriers to meaningful learning and value creation. Drawing from interdisciplinary research and live case studies, including Alpha School’s AI-powered, mastery-based model, the paper advances the concept of techno-education: a student-centered paradigm informed by feedback …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Quality Control: How School Districts Define, Recruit, And Retain High-Quality Teachers, A Qualitative Case Study, Tandalaya White

Dissertations of Practice

This research investigates how school administrators define, recruit, and retain highquality teachers and examines the implications of these efforts on student outcomes. Emphasizing the distinction between teacher quality: skills, abilities, and dispositions and teacher qualifications: certificates, degrees, and credentials, the study explores their overlap and importance in meeting the unique needs of districts, particularly in high-needs areas such as English as a second language (ESL) and special education. The presence or absence of such teachers critically impacts academic performance and social-emotional development, disproportionately affecting students of color and those in impoverished areas. Inadequate practices may contribute to the misidentification of …

Bridging Language Barriers: How Secondary Teachers Support English Language Learners In The Classroom, Mason Daniel Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

English Language Learners (ELLs) represent a growing student population in U.S. secondary schools, yet many educators feel underprepared to support their unique needs effectively. This mixed-methods study examines how Pennsylvania high school teachers approach the teaching of ELLs, focusing on their self-efficacy, instructional decision-making, and strategies for fostering an inclusive classroom community. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, data was collected through surveys from a limited group of 40 high school educators followed by in-depth interviews with three participants. Findings revealed that while teachers express a strong desire to support ELLs, they often experience uncertainty and frustration due to …

Early Career Teachers' Perceptions And Preparedness For Culturally Responsive Teaching When Teaching Black Youths With Behavior Challenges., Erica Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In my study, I explore the perceptions and preparedness of early career teachers in the context of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) when instructing Black youth with behavior challenges. Early career teachers play a vital role in shaping the educational experiences of their students. Their beliefs and readiness to employ CRT practices are critical factors in addressing the unique needs of Black youth, particularly those facing behavioral difficulties. I investigated the perceptions of early career teachers regarding the importance of CRT and its effect on the learning environment. I examined how these teachers perceive the value of cultural responsiveness in managing …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …