Books by Sheila Coleman

Social Justice: Empowering Students to Lead Educational Change is a culturally congruent curriculum designed for low income, African-American urban youth. The significance of this thesis project is that it serves as resource for teachers whom are working with a similar demographic and aim to empower their students with self-determination. As a culturally congruent curriculum, the effects were positive. Because the curriculum incorporates multicultural educational approaches, students were engaged through becoming active participants in their own learning and the learning of others.

There is a great diversity of opinions in American education stemming from important and controversial questions of what, who, and how children should be taught. Although Americäs socio, economical, and political landscape has changed since the beginning of public schools in the mid-1800¿s, the method of educating has barely evolved. The teacher-centered model seen in the mid-nineteenth century that favored student imitation and rote learning disconnected to contemporary life continues to dominate to this day. The lack of student-centeredness in education has failed our students and our country. One third of American students will drop out of high school. For Black and Latino students, the statistics are more staggering: nearly fifty percent will drop out (Thornburg/Shelbville, 2006). The vision of an American public education system that is of high quality and accessible to all American children has yet to be fully realized.