This course looks at the changing dynamic between cities and suburbs and how schools have been central to this process. Using historical and sociological sources, this course examines the government role in bankrolling the suburbs, desegregating schools, the rise of school choice through magnets and charters, and how the current desegregation of inner ring suburbs and urban gentrification are affecting the landscape of education reform. Part of the course will focus on researching New Haven and its surrounding suburban school systems. Through this course, students will develop the following research skills: 1) write, code and interpret field notes 2) evaluate data and the implications of policy 3) predict unexpected outcomes of seemingly neutral policies and 4) synthesize and create reports. By the end of the course, students will have gained an understanding of how school choice, represented generally as a positive market option has consequences for where people live, the demographics of communities, where children go to school, and the reproduction of inequality.
This course is inspired by Jack Dougherty’s class at Trinity College, Cities, Suburbs and Schools. In the Spring of 2016, the Trinity and Yale classes acted as “sister” seminars, with several opportunities for students to connect and share research.
2016 Student writing:
Final papers
Borowski, Julia, Special Education and School Choice: How Families of Special Education Students Navigate School Choice in the Decentralized Public Schools of New Orleans
Campbell, Ryan, An Alternate Path: Exploring Yale University Graduates’ Tendency To Enter Alternative Teacher Certification Programs
Del Bosque, Analia, Choosing Catholic Schools
Garris, Kate, Tracking: Focusing on the New Talented Tenth
Kentor, Corinne, Finding where you fit, Limitations for Students with Disabilities within the School Choice System
Larimar, Julia, Reconsidering the Implementation of Brown v. Board of Education: Use of Social and Emotional Learning to Integrate School Systems
Marty, Anabelle, College Ready Scholars or “Repeat Offenders?”: Perspectives of Black Educators’ on No Excuses Charter Disciplinary Practices [Literature Review]
Miller, Rudi-Ann, Information, Identity and Inclusion: Marketing School Choice in New York City
Negrete, Mayra, Los Angeles Magnet High Schools and Unmet Desegregation Goals
Nelson, Jessica, Breaking the Dichotomy: How being black and wealthy affects parenting choices
O’Brien, Kate, A System of Choice or A System of Control: Who has the Power in the New Haven Public Choice System?
Riccardi, Lucas, Switching Schools: Conversations Around Climate and Choice for LGBT Students in Online Forums
Sufi, Arsalan, From Pedagogy-Driven to Market Driven Theme Development
Tomchak, Joseph, Defining what “works” in No-Excuses schools
Layla Treuhaft-Ali, The Power of Pedagogy: Why We Shouldn’t Teach Like Champions
Analysis of the desirability of a New Haven suburb:
Fish Stark and Ryan Campbell, Madison, CT: The Desirability of a New Haven Suburb
Anabelle Marty and Layla Treuhaft-Ali, Analysis of a New Haven Suburb: Branford, CT
Josesph Tomchak/Julia Larimar, Woodbridge
Corinne Kentor and Lucas Riccardi, Milford, CT
Kate O’ Brien and Jessica Nelson, The Desirability of a Suburb: Orange
Analia Del Bosque and Mayra Negrete, The Desirability of a New Haven Suburb: A Profile on Hamden, CT
Arsalan Sufi and Chris Rice, West Haven, CT
Julia Borowski and Rudi-Ann Miller, Cheshire, CT- Desirability of a New Haven Suburb
Abby Cobb and Kate Garris, North Haven
Cities, Suburbs and School Choice 