Leveraging Complex Understandings of Urban Education for Transformative Science Pedagogy

Overview & Synopsis

Despite the abundance of literature that attests to a myriad of complex and entrenched problems within urban education, the authors of this forum maintain that in addition to shedding light on oppressive structures and ideologies, critical pedagogues must remain steadfastly engaged in solution-oriented endeavors. Using Cheryl McLaughlin's analysis as a worthy starting point, we consider both old paradigms and new ideas regarding the transformation of public science education. Topics for discussion include theoretical framing, urban teacher preparation, science education reform approaches, and the role of scholarship. While it is evident that securing rigorous and empowering science education for diverse learners will require arduous, collective effort on many fronts, this text upholds a sense of optimism in the potential of activist-teacher-researchers to overcome barriers to liberatory science teaching and learning.