Date of Award

2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

This study explored the work of planning and opening a new high school writing center in a school with a student population predominantly of students of color. The action research study occurred over the first twelve weeks of the writing center opening to better understand how such work might begin to disrupt oppressive systems and structures inherent in the school site as well as education at large. The arts-based methodology included daily reflective journals, a series of four collages, and document analysis. The study utilized critical imagining as its theoretical framework by combining tenets of critical race theory (CRT) with elements of imagination from the works of John Dewey, C. Wright Mills, and Maxine Greene. The findings indicated that the practical work of the new writing center required the new writing center director to demonstrate flexibility, center students and community, and focus on messaging and advocacy. The findings also demonstrated that the use of critical imagining helped to view students as leaders, and to balance strategy with hope. Keywords: writing centers, high school, antiracism, imagination, student leadership, action research

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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