In this article, the authors share what they learned from considering a collection of narrative reflections written by six high school educators, all co-authors, who have integrated youth participatory action research (YPAR) into their instructional practice. Taken together, the written reflections shed light on teachers' reasons not only for…

We examine findings from an ongoing, arts-based youth participatory action research (YPAR) project that aims to make space for diverse high school students to express their experiences within structures of injustice, as played out through schooling practices. Over the past two years, our collective has gathered and collaboratively analyzed…

The purpose of this action research study is to understand how public school district administrators' leadership styles impact the success of high school Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. I used the action research model which included a literature review, Cycle 1 interviews and data analysis, and Cycle 2 action step…

Our planet is facing many environmental challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and pollution, while many of our populations are also experiencing marginalization due to poverty, race, gender, language, ability, and environmental injustices. Environmental hazards and policies often impact those in society who are…

The U.S. Education system is founded on a Eurocentric focus of curriculum, and students of color are not achieving as high as white students on the National Assessment for Education Progress in science. This research aims to repay the education debt owed to students of color by decolonizing science curriculum through the implementation of lessons…

In the summer of 2020, amidst state-mandated social distancing and protests for racial justice, youth participating in an ongoing YPAR initiative sought to design and facilitate a book club for the residents of their subsidized housing community to increase community awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. Through interviews, youth shared…

In the face of persistent racial injustice, critical literacy approaches to instruction frequently involve investigating and altering unjust racialized power structures through critical action. However, what happens when youth have become understandably skeptical of action for change? This analysis uses healing frameworks to explore the critical…

Many scholars and educators are moving toward an anti-oppressive paradigm in art education, transitioning away from imposing norms in an effort to think more creatively about teaching practices and classroom culture (Kraehe, 2019). Reflecting deeper on her position as a White, middle-class, female teacher who taught in an underserved community,…

This paper examines the utility of youth participatory action research (YPAR) and critical media literacy as strategies to promote the sociopolitical development (SPD) of Black youth. We use the case example of Our Voices, an afterschool program implemented with Black high school students in which participants analyzed the representation of Black…

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the critical literacies of high school students engaged in a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project focused on a roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, in a queer-led afterschool space. The paper illustrates how youth critique and resist unjust societal norms while simultaneously envisioning queer…

Background: The field of environmental education (EE) aims to produce an environmentally literate citizenry that is not only aware of environmental problems but is motivated to work toward their solution. However, much of the U.S. EE curricular focus has been on understanding the biophysical environment with rural populations, with little…

With a growing shortage of teachers of color in public schools, the author asserts a necessity for more Critical Educators of Color--educators from racially marginalized backgrounds willing to confront injustices plaguing under-resourced communities of color. Rooted in her formative K12 experiences as a student of color exposed to critical…

This humanscript is an attempt to extend the limits of our qualitative research, theorizing and praxis alongside youth engaged in social justice projects. Research must bend, shift, and transform to the needs and will of communities--especially youth--whose voices in research are often maligned or misrepresented, if heard at all. Imagination and…

In this article, the author reports findings from a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project, aimed to engage a group of Black girls from a low-income urban high school in a social justice project. The YPAR project conducted during the 2015 and 2016 academic year focused on a critical examination of the high school educational pathway to…

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is a form of critical participatory action research that provides young people with opportunities to identify injustices in their current social realities, to gather and analyze data about these phenomena, and to determine actions that will begin to rectify their negative outcomes. A growing body of…