The Courage to Critique Policies and Practices from Within: Youth Participatory Action Research as Critical Policy Analysis. A Response to “Buscando la Libertad: Latino Youths in Search of Freedom in School”

Authors

Anjale Welton, University of ConnecticutFollow

Abstract

This response to “Buscando la Libertad: Latino Youths in Search of Freedom in School” by Jason G. Irizarry demonstrates how youth participatory action research (YPAR) as an instrument of subverting oppressive school policies and structures is a form of critical policy analysis (CPA). As an evolving method, CPA acknowledges the absent voices in policy, questions policy inequities, fosters empowerment, and influences policy. Youths who engage in YPAR, as demonstrated by Project FUERTE, have the courage to critique school policies that have the power to alter their educational trajectories, which offers more hope for change than scholarly elites who critique policies from the ivory tower. This response concludes with suggestions for educators. In order for sustainable changes in school policies and structures to occur, youths partaking in YPAR need collaborative support from principals and teachers.

Response to Article

Jason Irizarry, Buscando la Libertad: Latino Youths in Search of Freedom in School

Recommended Citation

Welton, A. (2011). The Courage to Critique Policies and Practices from Within: Youth Participatory Action Research as Critical Policy Analysis. A Response to “Buscando la Libertad: Latino Youths in Search of Freedom in School”. Democracy and Education, 19 (1), Article 11.
Available at: https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol19/iss1/11