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Story posted January, 2008

Results:
• Students produce a 40-plus-page research paper they present to the class and to the community
• Urban youth are civically engaged, voice their opinions and act on their convictions

Seniors at the Boston Community Leadership Academy have taken the notion of "action learning" to a new level. One of 20 public "pilot schools" in the city, BCLA launched the senior Capstone Project in 2006-2007 to engage graduating students in a rigorous program of historical study, participatory research, community internships and writing.

As a pilot school, the 367-student Boston Community Leadership Academy is free to create its own curriculum and a unique school mission. BCLA's mission - to develop students as community leaders - became the basis for the 2007 Capstone course: "Lead, Act and Change: Youth Empowerment and Possibility in a Democratic Society."

BCLA history teacher James Liou designed the course. He said the goal was to create "the academic capstone for our BCLA seniors, as well as to serve as the core evidence that they've met the mission of the school."

According to Liou, the yearlong course began with a review of how and why we study history. "The course started with an introduction the lenses and vocabulary that historians use," Liou said, "in particular to the importance of social forces and historical themes." The students then examined case studies of youth involvement in specific events from Boston's history, including the Lowell Mill girls' labor activism in the 1830s, the Boston busing crisis of the 1970s and the origins of the current Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, a resident-led community revitalization effort. Next, the students took a deeper look at Boston today before designing "participatory action research projects" highlighting the roles of young people as researchers and activists who address the city's present-day challenges.

"You might say that the curriculum shifts its focus from young people as the 'acted upon' to young people as the ones who can and must do the acting," said Liou.

As part of the students' research, they served as interns with community-based organizations throughout the city.  The final project was a 40-plus-page research paper that the students presented to the class and in other community venues.

BCLA student Chantel James's paper looked at differences between urban, suburban and rural school districts in Massachusetts.  Classmate Jessica Pina addressed the question of how to make sure Boston youth are more aware of the risks of sexually transmitted diseases.  And, Sebastian Witkowski assessed the reasons for differences in the level safety in various neighborhoods in the city.

Liou said the research paper is only the most tangible result of the course; there are other results that he says are equally, or more, important.  Among these: engaging the academy's students, 90 percent of whom are black or Hispanic, in the work of building a better future for all of Boston.

"I think the result that I most hope to gain is to help educate a core of young leaders, in particular urban youth, who are versed in the ideals of civic participation and who have the ability to voice their opinions and act on their convictions," he said.

Student Chantel James testified to the impact of the Capstone Class in an "e-portfolio" assembled by the students.  "I want to inform many that youth leadership can happen anywhere; it's up to us teens to make it happen," she wrote.

Source:
Interview with James Liou, What Kids Can Do
http://www.wkcd.org/your_stories/2007/capstone/index.html

For additional information, please contact:
James Liou
History Teacher, Boston Community Leadership Academy
Boston, MA
jliou@boston.k12.ma.us