The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the culture of an urban Christ-centered day school. the participants in the study included five administrators, fourteen teachers, five staff members, two board members, two donors, six parents, twelve students, and three alumni. The data collection process included 49 semi-structured interviews, 20 participant observations, and seven documents that were analyzed. By using a critical ethnographic lens, this study was able to identify how Freedom Academy integrated a Christian worldview, used the ethic of care, and implemented culturally relevant pedagogy into the curriculum. By combining these characteristics, Freedom Academy demonstrated their commitment to the spiritual and academic growth of their students and families. This study will help educate policymakers, urban schools, teacher preparation programs, and school districts about the importance of integrating care ethics and culturally relevant pedagogy into the classroom.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the culture of an urban Christ-centered day school. the participants in the study included five administrators, fourteen teachers, five staff members, two board members, two donors, six parents, twelve students, and three alumni. The data collection process included 49 semi-structured interviews, 20 participant observations, and seven documents that were analyzed. By using a critical ethnographic lens, this study was able to identify how Freedom Academy integrated a Christian worldview, used the ethic of care, and implemented culturally relevant pedagogy into the curriculum. By combining these characteristics, Freedom Academy demonstrated their commitment to the spiritual and academic growth of their students and families. This study will help educate policymakers, urban schools, teacher preparation programs, and school districts about the importance of integrating care ethics and culturally relevant pedagogy into the classroom.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Brown, Kristy A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education in Early Childhood Education (Ed.D)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Corrie Davis","Dr. Mark Warner","Dr. Debra Coffeey"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-08-28T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-08-28T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z","subjects":["urban christ-centered education","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/642","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Corrie Davis","Dr. Mark Warner","Dr. Debra Coffeey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Brown, Kristy A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-10-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education in Early Childhood Education (Ed.D)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["urban christ-centered education","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/642"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the culture of an urban Christ-centered day school. the participants in the study included five administrators, fourteen teachers, five staff members, two board members, two donors, six parents, twelve students, and three alumni. The data collection process included 49 semi-structured interviews, 20 participant observations, and seven documents that were analyzed. By using a critical ethnographic lens, this study was able to identify how Freedom Academy integrated a Christian worldview, used the ethic of care, and implemented culturally relevant pedagogy into the curriculum. By combining these characteristics, Freedom Academy demonstrated their commitment to the spiritual and academic growth of their students and families. This study will help educate policymakers, urban schools, teacher preparation programs, and school districts about the importance of integrating care ethics and culturally relevant pedagogy into the classroom.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Whispers of Hope: Urban Christ-Centered Education"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Corrie Davis","Dr. Mark Warner","Dr. Debra Coffeey"],"dc:creator":["Brown, Kristy A."],"dc:date.available":["2014-10-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the culture of an urban Christ-centered day school. the participants in the study included five administrators, fourteen teachers, five staff members, two board members, two donors, six parents, twelve students, and three alumni. The data collection process included 49 semi-structured interviews, 20 participant observations, and seven documents that were analyzed. By using a critical ethnographic lens, this study was able to identify how Freedom Academy integrated a Christian worldview, used the ethic of care, and implemented culturally relevant pedagogy into the curriculum. By combining these characteristics, Freedom Academy demonstrated their commitment to the spiritual and academic growth of their students and families. This study will help educate policymakers, urban schools, teacher preparation programs, and school districts about the importance of integrating care ethics and culturally relevant pedagogy into the classroom.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/642"],"dc:subject":["urban christ-centered education","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"],"dc:title":["Whispers of Hope: Urban Christ-Centered Education"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education in Early Childhood Education (Ed.D)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z"}