My research in this area has focused on how words, action routines, and performances serve to reinforce high standards, group achievement, discipline, and group cohesion among inner-city youth. It also looks at the role of community-based organizations in individuals' successful transitions to the workplace. This research investigates: the oral and written literacy practices within working- and lower-class communities and community-based organizations; instances of exemplary teaching in community-based organizations; and untapped literacy-related resources that can be useful in the design of alternative approaches for instructing urban students.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Ball, A. F. & Freedman, S. W. (Eds.) (2004). Bakhtinian perspectives on language, literacy, and learning.  New York: Cambridge Univ Press.

Ball, A.F. (2000). Empowering pedagogies that enhance the learning of multicultural students. Teachers College Record. (pdf)

Ball, A.F. (1998).  The value of recounting narratives:  Memorable learning experiences in the lives of inner-city students and teachers.  Journal of Narrative Inquiry, 8(1), 1-30. (pdf)

Ball, A. F. (1995). Community-based learning in urban settings as a model for educational reform. Applied Behavioral Science Review, 3(2), 127-146. (pdf)

Ball, A. F. & Heath, S. B. (1993). Dances of identity: Finding an ethnic self in the arts. In S. B. Heath & M. W. McLaughlin (Eds.), Possible selves: Achievement, ethnicity, and gender for inner-city youth. New York: Teachers College Press. (pdf)