Valuing the Voiceless

Students from traditionally marginalized groups lack voice and become invisible within the educational setting, subject to the pacing of curriculum delivery by those who speak out. Evaluation of assessment data finds an overrepresentation of students from traditionally marginalized groups falling in the lower tiers of student achievement creating achievement gaps (Ginter and Barnett, 2011). According to Jones and Gerig (1994), 25-33% of the students in schools cannot or will not speak out. These students are often over-looked and over-represented in our dropout rates (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Christian (2011) found that students who have been retained during high school are 50% more likely to dropout. Schultz (2009) identified the following categories as silence as resistance, power, protection, and response to trauma, and she noted that students who have these issues often have academic difficulties. Participants in this study included eighty-five high school students in one rural, eastern Kentucky school district over a two and one-half year period. Surveys and interviews were conducted to answer the question of why students are silent in the classroom. Using Schultz's (2009) phenomenology study as the foundation another category became evident as the interviews continued. This method showed that social expectations, hence social conformity, have begun to emerge as a classification. This study used a qualitative approach to action research with supporting data (i.e. grades, attendance) together with a grounded theory approach to identify external and internal factors of what impacts student voice. Results from this study have been recorded and analyzed. Results indicated that all but two research participants have since experienced improved grades and attendance, some have gotten involved in extracurricular activities, and eight have recently graduated while five are seeking higher education. One of the students dropped out to avoid truancy charges, but attained his GED within weeks of withdrawing.