We speak with Dr. Sam Finesurrey, assistant professor of history at Guttman Community College, and three 2024 graduates of School in the Square (S2), a charter middle school in Washington Heights, Manhattan.  Dr. Finesurrey worked with 14 students on a research project studying S2 students’ social emotional learning, including reactions to the pandemic and faculty turnover.  Dr. Sam and the students talk about the process, what they found, and how the school modified policies in response to the study’s findings.

Overview

00:00-00:50 Intros

00:50-02:22 Critical participatory research

02:22-04:21 Participatory oral history project at School in the Square

04:21-06:12 Meaningful findings

06:12-10:05 Follow up on the results

10:05-11:17 School in the Square’s response to the findings

11:17-13:16 Role and impact of staff member Ms. Lilly

13:16-14:17 Public presentations

14:17-17:31 How the researchers have changed as a result of the project

17:31-18:45 Effects on interviewees

18:45-20:12 Confidentiality

20:12- Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

References

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear