Education as a rite of passage : an ethnographic study of an alternative adult education program

Graduation date: 1994This microethnographic study examines critical literacy\ud and the lives of participants in an urban, non-profit\ud organization, the Opportunity Center, serving low income\ud youth and adults in the Seattle area. The Center's primary\ud mission was to provide alternative educational opportunities\ud for youth who have been unsuccessful in traditional school\ud settings. The Center also provided ESL classes to the\ud area's homeless Hispanic population and writing workshops\ud for the homeless. The Center sought to provide literacy and\ud general education for empowerment, meaning education which\ud would encourage learners to think about society, their\ud lives, and to enable them to shape their own destinies. The\ud three programs use a student-centered curriculum, and they\ud encourage student participation both at the classroom and\ud organizational levels.\ud The purpose of this research was twofold: to describe\ud how a critical literacy approach works and to describe the\ud lives and needs of participants in such a program by\ud exploring the social and psychological factors in the\ud educational process. Case studies are included to provide a\ud deeper understanding of the clients who use literacy\ud services