Urban Ed. Essay #2
The Home-School Connection
Remember, this is about the connec

Urban Ed. Essay #2
The Home-School Connection
Remember, this is about the connection (or lack thereof) between home and school…it is not about home schooling!   
In this 1,500-word essay (about 7 and a half double spaced pages) you will analyze the connection (or lack of connection) between families and their students with schools and teachers.
Your essay should answer the following question: What issues affect the relationship between families/communities/students and schools/teachers? To answer this question, you should consider the role of race/ethnicity, class, immigration status, language, gender, plus sub-categories (below).  If you want to focus on just one big issue, that’s fine; if you prefer to examine a selection of issues, also fine.)
Essays should include references to the ideas of and quotes from five scholarly sources (all may come from the class sources in Canvas, or up to two can be outside scholarly sources). Feel free to add other sources to augment (not replace) the scholarly sources. 
              [As a reminder: scholarly sources include the following: articles from a peer-reviewed journal, peer-reviewed books or chapters, or data from websites ending in .edu or .gov.]
Suggested outline (Remember: lengths are suggested…use your discretion in allotting space to topics as appropriate for your paper):
Introduction- Describe the issues you will be focusing, why they are important, and provide a thesis statement — what question are you trying to answer? (1 page)
Description of the first issue, analysis, including references to sub-topics, and reflection (1.5 pages)
Description of the second issue, analysis, including ref. to sub-topics, and reflection (1.5 pages)
Description of the third issue, analysis, including ref. to sub-topics, and reflection (1.5 pages)
Conclusion- Summarize the essay, remind the reader of your thesis statement, and consider what can be done to resolve the issues you have focused on (1.5 pages)
*For sections 2-4, provide examples from the reading. Assume that the reader is not taking the class to make sure you properly introduce any concepts/ideas from class.
 
Some sub-topics to incorporate in your essay to expand upon your larger themes can include any of the following [If you think of others, feel free to use them]:
High suspension/ disciplinary rates for students of color
The barriers and success a particular ethnic or cultural group faces in education
Cultural mismatch between students and teachers
Language – ELL education practices, Dual Immersion programs
Special Education issues
Standardized Testing
Cultural assimilation and “acting White”/camouflaging intelligence & “cool pose” culture
Fitting in at school (sexual orientation, race, and/or socioeconomic class differences, etc.).
Issues of gender at home that may affect girls or boys’ behavior and academic success at school
Peer pressure at school or in the neighborhood
Issues of violence in schools and in neighborhoods
Tracking in schools
Health issues such as nutrition at home and at school (hunger, food insecurity, etc.)
School curriculum: relevant to students’ lives/multicultural education?
Parent involvement/lack thereof and its outcomes
Biases in rules (dress codes, etc.), textbooks, classroom practices
Please remember to follow APA format for all aspects of the paper – 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1” margins,  APA citations in text and on works cited page. 
**Please also use the provided links for 3 articles to use and 2 use outside scholarly articles. Also, look at the outlines for information and use it while writing the essay. Thank you!