Term

Summer 2025

Capstone

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Joe Lewis

Abstract

Turner, E. (2025). Freedom, Agency, and Relevance: Finding a Path to Revolution in a Suburban Public High School

Revolutionary pedagogy and revolutionary school transformation is usually confined to charter schools, alternative schools and micro schools. What happens when it is attempted in a large traditional suburban high school? That is the central question of this dissertation. This research focused on the autoethnographic reflections of the program coordinator going through the process of attempting to create a Project Based Learning program grounded in revolutionary ideals within the confines of a large traditional suburban high school. The research also involves informal interviews with students and adults involved in the program. This research is heavily influenced by the critical pedagogies of Love, Kumashiro, Ayers, Casey, and Au (among others) as well as Marxist and revolutionary theories. The major conclusions are that having and holding to revolutionary values, while difficult in a traditional setting, can lead to both short term benefits and set the stage for larger systemic change.

Keywords

Reflective Practice, Social Justice, Teachers/ Teaching, Alternative Education

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

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