Community Action Plans
Students demonstrate the ability to speak/write/think about real-world problems.
Introduction
In my Algebra II classroom, students engage with real world contexts for the math they learn. A transformational math classroom focuses less on memorization and practice, and more on understanding how math is applied. Interpretation plays a huge role in my approach to teaching mathematics. In order for students to advocate for themselves, they have to understand the way data impacts their lives.
This fall, my students participated in a community action project that centered around collecting, analyzing, and presenting data about issues that affect them. They learned how to use their voice to speak about real-world problems. They see the value in informing themselves and others, and are using data about real world problems to advocate for their needs.
My explicit teaching was focused on how data is used to tell stories and how students can use anecdotal and survey data to make a case for change. Students used my methodology for creating surveys and gathering the relevant data necessary for thinking about real-world problems more deeply. These community action plans served as applications of what students have learned about the process of self-advocacy. Rather than present a single issue, students were able to engage in this process with issues personally meaningful to them. They generally fell into three categories: school, city-wide, or relevant to a specific community. My assistance focused on connecting these students to the relevant power structures for their issues and guiding their approach to the most effective method for advocating there.
Table of Contents
Explicit Teaching
Lesson Overview
The goal of the community action project was for students to learn the process of advocating for themselves. Students were free to choose whatever topic was significant to them so long as they met the criteria. The projects students pursued had to focus on an aspect of the school, neighborhood, or community in which they live that they wanted to have an impact on. The purpose of this opening lesson was for students to explore concerns they felt about their community and identify ways their voices can be used to make their actions have value.
Within this lesson, I shared with students the impact school funding has on many of the issues they care about. As they tangled with nationwide data, they gained knowledge of injustices in the world. The content covered helped them better understand the way their school and community look and are better informed about the injustices that their community faces.
Inequity Discussion
To begin conversations about injustice, I asked students to share issues they saw in their community. The city and school both have a reputation of poverty and violence, and students identified these issues in addition to other common concerns among teenagers. Students used these issues as starting points for understanding the way inequity impacts their community. The very same issues they brought up in this discussion show up in the article they read about school funding. This helped them connect the challenges they face to the broader systemic issues that need to be addressed. It also showed them that the solutions to these problems is not simple; it will take a plan and patience to achieve the impact students want to see.
A reoccurring theme in these conversations was the quality of the lunches provided by the school. This issue relates directly to school funding and was salient to every student in my class. A student's project on this issue is highlighted throughout the sections below.
This gallery displays a collection of responses from students during the discussion about issues in our community. These are responses I wrote on the board as students shared their own experiences in each of my classes.
I wanted students to explore the broad impact of inequity nationwide. My students read about school funding and how it shapes educational outcomes. The article gave context to the complaints they have about their school and community and showed them that their experiences are not isolated. The explicit focus on school funding provided an explanation for the everyday experiences my students have in an under-resourced school.
This student, DD, was particularly interested in the food quality in the school cafeteria. She continued on this idea for her community action project.
Students used some of the examples from the “Why America’s Schools Have a Money Problem” as a basis for their community action projects. They were connecting the discussion of inequity to issues in the way schools are funded. Framing the project this way provided a concrete end goal: students need to make the case that their projects are worth funding.
The article itself is included below. It started a conversation about how data is used to tell stories. The researchers and journalists behind this article made the data approachable and provided the context necessary for the reader to draw conclusions about the data. I wanted students to have informed opinions about the injustices within their school and community and understand how to present data in effective formats.
This article from NPR lets students explore the impact of school funding nationwide. The interactive map included let students connect this information to their lived experiences.
Collecting Data
Being informed does not end at the level journalists and academics approach my students’ lived experiences. Similarly, one individual’s experience cannot be extrapolated to define a community. To make this clear to students, I wanted them to survey their peers and get an idea of how well their peers’ perspectives reflect their own. To effectively address an injustice, students need to be prepared to cite proof that their issue is large enough in scope or impact that it is worth addressing.
This lesson guided students through the process of gathering data. Asking quality questions is important, and my students needed a great deal of support in crafting questions that provide useful insight. I led a class discussion, prompting students to extract meaning from various scenarios. They saw examples of both effective and ineffective methods of gathering data to inform their own approach. The data they collect will inform how they think about the real world problems facing their school, and it is vital that these data are robust.
I worked through each bullet in the slide, prompting students to consider the reasoning behind this arrangement. I provided examples of good and bad questions to fit each rule. Students suggested their own as they began to consider how their survey would look. To drive these points home, I referenced an example survey that I created to provide a template for students to build from. This was a key part of the advocacy process, as my students needed a great deal of guidance in crafting productive questions. It pushed them to think about their issues in new ways and made them consider how their actions will have value.
I provided students with an example survey to demonstrate my expectations for what they will include in their own surveys. The rationale for including each question was included for students to reference as they constructed their own surveys.
To give students context for the end goal of their research, I shared this outline for an effective presentation of data. Students will use this framework to think about real-world problems in productive ways. The "components of the presentation" on page 2 explicitly prepare students to use data to speak about real-world problems.
STudent Engagement
Data Collection
Students created their own surveys about topics that were significant to them. They had free choice in the topic they chose. I wanted students to pick something they were invested in so that there was a natural investment in the project. Some common themes in student projects were school lunch funding, gun violence, and the lack of opportunity in the community. These are issues students were trying to advocate for already, but it was unfocused and ineffective. Having guidelines centered their approach on crafting a compelling narrative. They were telling the story about how the issue impacts them, not just complaining about it.
This is a copy of the survey made by DD. The descriptions under each questions are added by me to demonstrate how this student is using my teaching to inform her questioning strategy.
Students were given a week to gather 50 responses from those affected by their issue. Some were passionate about the issue they selected, going well above and beyond the expectation. This demonstrates the buy-in from students in this community action project. Students transferred the survey data to a spreadsheet so they could analyze the data more thoroughly.
DD gathered responses from peers to get an idea of how many students eat lunch, why they do or don't, and what they would like to see improved about the school lunches. She was the first to finish her data collection, and ended up with over 100 responses to her survey.
This student was surprised by the data they collected, and that sparked interesting conversations about how they collected data, what biases they have, and whether or not their questions were effective at asking what they wanted answered.
Google Forms made it easy for students to collect and aggregate responses to their survey. Pie and bar charts are generated automatically, making it easy for students to understand the data they collected immediately. This gave students more time to consider how to present the data. Both of the students above gathered enough responses to create a compelling case for change in the community. Their surveys can serve as a representation of student voice, and they can use this data to advocate on behalf of others who hold the same grievances they do.
Research
I helped connect students to places they could find more information about the topics they were collecting data for. Part of their responsibility was to identify what else they needed to know and to ask me where they could find more. Students were pointed to other community organization such as UT's "The Project" and Covington's Center for Great Neighborhoods. They used these as a basis for their own action plans and students reference these data and organizations in their presentations below. Each student needed different information for their community action plan do to the nature of the project, so the information students are including varies from student to student and is less formally delivered.
DD wanted more thorough data about school lunches and how our school's compares to others'.
Citing Evidence
Presentations
Student presentations served as the culmination of the community action project. The goal was to ensure that students are taking their experiences and using them to speak and write about real world problems in ways that give their voices value. Students are showing that they have informed opinions on the injustices they see in the world.
The structure I provided for using data effectively is evident in the student work below. In the first lesson of the community action project, I shared examples of how data has been used effectively to tell define a narrative. Students are utilizing this approach in their presentations. The process of engaging with data was essential for preparing students to create presentations that go beyond listing grievances. The way students present the data as a tool for persuasion reflects my teaching. Students have different presentation methods, so the degree to which their data is reflected in the slide deck varies. However, every student delivered a compelling use of data that demonstrates their understanding of how collective assets can affect change.
DD's presentation on school lunches references the impact of school funding on her issue. As she discusses the issue, she provides specific areas of concern and explains the effect it has on students.
This student also focused on school lunches. Their data analysis draws from questions modeled after those provided in my explicit teaching.
This student used data to demonstrate the impact of an issues deeply personal to them - gun violence within the community. Their topic was more serious and broad than others', and they prepared this presentation with the city council in mind.
Multiple students focused on school lunches as an issue, and the data were consistent across surveys. This sparked an interesting conversations amongst my students about how large of an issue inadequate lunch funding is. In these presentations, students referred to the disparity in school funding between our school and other schools who don’t have the same struggles. Places where students referenced the article we discussed at the beginning of the process are highlighted on the slideshow above.
Students who were not able to present completed an alternative assignment. They wrote essays in which they used the same structure to justify a course of action appropriate for addressing the issue they researched. Both of these students below focused on homelessness in the City of Covington, but they took different approaches to presenting their data. I believe they provide a perfect example for asking the core question of this project - "Which is more effective at advocating for their plan?"
Reflections
As students reflected on the community action project, they were prompted to discuss how they would have impact on their issue. They cited how the data collected from peers reaffirmed their own experiences with injustice, serving as an impetus for collective action. These reflections show that students are developing deeper understandings of the process of advocacy. They have taken the first step by appreciating the perspectives of others and will be able to use what they learned to advocate on behalf of others. My goal was that students would understand how to develop informed opinions about the issues they care about, and it is clear that students are using the data the collected to connect their experiences to their peers'.
Initially, students were shocked to hear that others experienced the same issues. In the first lesson, very few students were able to articulate the root cause of the issues they noticed, and even fewer felt that something could be done about them. Students went beyond speaking about their issue by reflecting on what they learned in writing.
A major takeaway from the community action project was self-efficacy. The seven students above all better understand the role they play in impacting their community and are demonstrating the ability to write about these issues.
Some students were ready to take their advocacy skills to the next step right away. Beyond just speaking about the issue, Student #7 began a social media campaign using some of the strategies discussed in my classroom. Rather than simply complain about the quality of food in the school cafeteria, students were discussing the issue in terms of inequity. They spoke about the issue in ways that got others outside the school invested. The social media posts aren’t included here for obvious reasons, but a student shared her notes with me after several students met with the superintendent to discuss the issue.
Meeting Notes:
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District is focused on safety, including security for the elementary schools.
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The high school is very old and needs lots of updating.
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Students shouldn't have to fundraise for these things - he will work on getting funding.
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School lunches and lunch funding will be a topic at the next board meeting.
They advocated for themselves and others at the school. They showed him that they were informed about the issues, and he was receptive to their concerns about various issues throughout the school. Students are using their understanding of school finance to have conversations about their experiences in productive ways. The data they collected bolstered their case. In the meeting, students were prepared to create plans for fundraising the necessary funding to meet their demands.
The student who took notes during the meeting was able to understand the different forces impacting the superintendent's decisions and was more willing to listen than they thought they would be.
Conclusion
Both literacy and numeracy are central aspects of fighting systemic injustice. Students need to understand how data is used to mislead them and misrepresent information in a negative way. My students recognize and identify inherent unfairness in the systems that shape the world we live in, especially in terms of finances and data. They can think, write, and speak about their own interpretations of the numbers that surround us. Students are using data to think about real world problems in more formal ways, and they are using this to advocate for themselves and others.