Award Winners LetterFrom theDivisionChair Call ForPapers MemberPublications Chart of division sessions Letter FromNew Chair EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS Spring 2023 NEWSLETTER In this issue The Sankofa bird is a Akan symbol that reminds us thatwe must continue to move forward as we rememberour past . And at the same time we plant a seed forfuture generations. Business Meeting is July 20 at 2pm EST Here is the TEAMS link I know many people feel like it’s achore to do professional disciplinework, but I think that there is joy infinding ways to support, encourage,and learn from scholars, students,activists, professors, etc. Some ofmy friends and I refer, to this brandof sociology as the sociology offriendship. I want to encourage everyone whois attending the annual conferenceto support our sessions. The 73rdannual conference is scheduled inperson for Aug 18- 20 inPhiladelphia, PA. The conferencetheme is Same Problem, DifferentDay: Recognizing and Respondingto Recurring Social Problemscaptures the moment and I amlooking excited to hear the varietyof perspectives on moving societyforward. Just another reminder, theannual meeting is July 20 at 2 pmEST. The link is on the first link ofthe newsletter. Please follow us onTwitter @EpSssp and SSSP-Educational Problems Division onFacebook. I am excited for Kyla to becomechair and I know that the divisionwill continue to grow. If anyone ever needs anything feelfree to reach out. As I transition, Iwant to encourage you trysomething new, continue to chaseyou dreams and imagine wayscreate a better world. The longer I learn, research, andgrow, the more that I amfascinated by the way people’simagination lead to amazing workand adventures. I am alsofascinated with how narratives, inall forms, make me feel. As atransition, from chair of thedivision, I want to thank you forallowing me to share in yourjourneys. I would like to especiallythank Michele Koontz, KelseyWhitaker, and Linda Waldron foradvice and guidance. Also a shoutout to the social media coordinatorAlannah Caisey, who has done agreat job managing our Twitterand Facebook account and makingsure both are sustainable across theadministrations. I often think about a quote byAnthony Bourdain on traveling,who once said, “Travel isn’talways pretty. It is not alwayscomfortable. Sometimes it hurts, iteven breaks your heart. But that isokay. The journey changes you; itshould change you. It leaves markson your memory, on yourconsciousness, on your heart, andon your body. You take somethingwith you. Hopefully, you leavesomething good behind.” Theintersections between our journeysintersect, it’s meaningful and weleave a mark on each other. The longer I learn,research, andgrow, the morethat I amfascinated by theway people’simagination leadto amazing work. As I transition, Iwant to encourageyou try somethingnew, continue tochase you dreamsand imagine wayscreate a betterworld. . . Written by Myron T. Strong, Ph.D. Letter from the Division Chair Educational Problems Yet many moments are filled withexcitement and hope. This joy isespecially heartfelt for the Class of2023. They have taught usperseverance, among othernoteworthy lessons. Congratulations to our memberswho are graduating and theirfamilies and friends.Congratulations also to PhD,master’s, and undergraduatementors whose students are closingthis important chapter of their lives.Please take a moment to revel in thebeauty of achieving dreams andsetting new goals. I look forward to working with theDivision over the next two years.Feel free to email me atkyla.walters@sonoma.edu. Warm regards, Kyla It is a pleasure to introduce myselfas the incoming Chair of theDivision of Educational Problems. My sincere gratitude goes toMyron Strong, the outgoing Chairof the Division of EducationalProblems. His term ends shortlyafter this year’s Annual Meeting inPhiladelphia. It will be a challengeto fill his shoes, as Myron hasworked extensively to update andfortify our corner of SSSP. I hope the academic year is comingto a smooth close for each of you.The last days of the school year areoften emotional. Some less rosyfeelings arise during the end-of-the-year bustle to finish grading,complete projects, and bid farewellto folks who won’t be returning inthe fall. Written by Kyla Walters Ph.D. Letter from the New Division Chair Educational Problems Educational Problems Division Sessions For 2023Annual Meeting Educational Problems Graduate Paper Award Winner Graduate Paper Award Honorable Mentions Winner: The Commodification of Diversity in theContext of School Choice by J'Mauri Jackson,Indiana University Homorable Mention:The Labeling Power of CRT: Measuring Supportfor School Content using a Survey Experiment Andrew Myers & Crista Urena Hernandez Indiana University, Department of Sociology Outstanding Book Award Winner Educational Problems Outstanding Book Award Honorable Mention The Culture Trap: Ethnic Expectations and Unequal Schooling forBlack Youth by Derron Wallace, Brandis University The author argues that the over-reliance on culture to explain Blackstudents' success or failure in schools is not only tricky; it is a trap.He draws on the case of Black Caribbean young people in Londonand New York City public schools to illuminate the historical,political and educational implications of what he calls the culturetrap. He defines the culture trap as a faulty set of logics that over-emphasizes the role of culture and under-estimates the influence ofnational and institutional structures in shaping group outcomes inschools. Please watch this animated book trailer to learn more aboutthe book. You can also listen to me talk about The Culture Trap in arecent interview on FreshEd. Purchase book here Dr. Nora Gross Care-Based Methodologies reimagines relationships betweenresearchers and youth participants in school-based research.The book calls attention to care-based methodologies asessential to qualitative and ethnographic research in schools,particularly when participants are youth from nondominantcommunities. While researchers come to schools seeking tounderstand youths' lived experiences and become implicatedin the quotidian rhythms of their lives, it is rare that theyreceive training on how to navigate the complex interpersonaldynamics and relationships that take shape during long-termschool research. Purchase the volume here Care-Based Methodologies: Reimagining Qualitative Researchwith Youth in U.S. Schools. by Vasudevan, Veena, Nora Gross,Pavithra Nagarajan, and Katherine Clonan-Roy. 2022. Contribution to the Discipline Award Educational Problems Past Division Chair Linda Waldron wins thefirst "Contribution to the Discipline." In hisletter support Joseph Healey wrote amongother things, "I believe that Dr. Waldron is anexceptionally well-qualified candidate for thisaward. She is extremely talented, hard-working, dependable, personable, and easy towork with and a delight to be around. Herresearch agenda puts her at the forefront ofthe discipline. She is an accomplished andrespected instructor, and a valued andadmired colleague." Books that may interest the division members Freeden Blume Oeur and C.J. Pascoe. 2023. Gender Replay: On Kids, Schools, andFeminism Zalewski, J. M., & Brudvig, S. (2023). Encouraging Productive Behavior in Student Teams withInterventions. Teaching Sociology, 51(2), 127–138. Bruhn, S. (2022) “Me Cuesta Mucho”: Latinaimmigrant mothers navigating remote learning and caregiving during COVID-19. Journal of Social Issues. Gender Replay celebrates and reflects on Barrie Thorne’s Gender Playclassic, extending Thorne’s scholarship into a new and differentgeneration. The new volume brings together many of the foremost scholars onyouth from an array of disciplines, including sociology, childhoodstudies, education, gender studies, and communication studies.Together, these scholars reflect on many contemporary issues that werenot covered in Thorne’s original text, exploring new dimensions ofschooling, the sociology of gender, social media, and feminist theory.Over fourteen essays, the authors touch on topics such as youthresistance in the Trump era; girls and technology; the use of play tochallenge oppressive racial regimes; youth activism against climatechange; the importance of taking kids seriously as social actors; andmentoring as a form of feminist praxis. Click here to purchase Recent Announcements by Division Members Educational Problems Jackie and her collaborator Dr. Susan Brudvig (Northern Kentucky University) created a Podcast for the AmericanSociological Society describing why they conducted research on student teams, their research methodology, andtheir fi ndings on the value ofincorporati ng “team development interventi ons” into their teamwork pedagogies inthe classroom. Links to the Podcast here Strong, M. T., Cook, T., Belet, L. A., & Calarco, P. (2023). Changing The World: How Comics andGraphic Novels Can Shift Teaching. Humanity & Society, 47(2), 245–257. Call for Papers