ABSTRACT
This chapter examines an action research project in which college students worked with urban secondary school students in two sites to coresearch and take action on an education-related issue. At the high school, students investigated the dress code and presented their research and recommendations to the administration. At the middle school, students investigated the implications of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for urban schools, and wrote letters to the president and the Kerry campaign. In both instances, the processes of locating the issues, developing the research, and communicating findings required that the secondary students discover and express their perspectives in new ways and that the college students listen and respond in new ways. While both projects led to products or “actions,” the processes also offer insights and questions about youths’ identities in relation to making knowledge, coming to voice, and instigating change. Furthermore, through reflecting on this project, we have reached fresh understandings of literacy that we believe have implications for teachers, learners, and researchers.
