One of the results of the industrialization of Victorian England was a further straining of the relationship between the rich and poor. This was evidenced by events such as the Preston Strike, a prolonged labor battle between the workers and the masters of the cotton mills. Charles Dickens’s periodical Household Words covered the strike on two occasions, with Dickens himself writing the second article on the event. An attempt to bridge this cultural divide between the classes was undertaken by Elizabeth Gaskell in North and South, a novel that first appeared in Household Words and by Dickens himself in his novel Hard Times. While both novels focus on interior domestic spaces, their intended results are dramatically different. Elizabeth Gaskell uses interior space in North and South to defend English Paternalism by asking for increased sympathy for both master and worker, while Dickens uses interior space in Hard Times as a metaphor for the tyranny of Utilitarianism and to criticize the idea of mastery.

This study will focus on these various causes in an attempt to pinpoint the reasons for decline, not for the purpose or laying blame, but to set the groundwork for possible solutions that will stem the decline. The methodology for this study includes an examination into the roots of the decline of Buffalo and the past attempts to reverse it. Using census data, state and city transportation reports, federal grant reports, interviews, city budget data, news articles and other primary sources, the study will narrow from the broad picture presented by the experts listed in the secondary sources.

The research for this thesis suggests that the emphasis placed on the negative effects of organized labor, and taxes have been over exaggerated, while the effects of poor race relations, faulty leadership, the automobile, and limitations on immigration have been understated. Exposing these discrepancies may lead to more effective solutions.

The study found that there was a strong negative correlation between test scores and the rate of low-income students in those schools. The average drop in score for a one percentage point increase in students that qualified for free and reduced price meals was about .3 points for 4^th graders and about .2 points for 8^th graders. The study also found that 100% of elementary schools in Erie County with fewer than 60% low-income students averaged a proficient score on the 2011 Math and ELA exams, while just 23% of schools with above 60% low-income students averaged a proficient score.

This study concluded that to improve educational outcomes in areas where poverty is heavily concentrated in schools, an approach that involves socioeconomic integration of the Buffalo Metropolitan Area schools is needed. Other metro areas have successfully implemented such policies and should be used as a model to develop a plan going forward for the Buffalo region.

Fighting for Recognition

The Role African Americans played in World Fairs

In the years following the Civil War African Americans were locked in a struggle for equality. Persevering through racism and the institution of Jim Crow laws, African Americans made advancements socially, economically, politically, and educationally.

As the U.S. ushered in the dawn of the 20^th century, World Fairs became the altar on which blacks could showcase their progress since Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. From the 1889 fair in Paris to Buffalo’s Pan American Exposition of 1901 African Americans fought for a ‘Negro Exhibit’ to factually portray their race. If it were not for the diligent efforts of the staff at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, the existence of the ‘Negro Exhibit’ at Buffalo’s fair could have been lost to history. The library staff’s work has given African Americans a voice in Buffalo’s 1901 Pan American Exposition as well as an opportunity for future historians to glimpse into the culture of early 20^th century America.

My findings demonstrate what can be learned from studying an art teacher’s use of sketchbooks in an urban arts high school. I discovered that student interests and personality make a tremendous difference in their attitude and effort towards sketchbook assignment and a teacher’s willingness to listen and hear the opinions of her students changes can be made to make the sketchbook process more advantageous to both teacher and students.

I started off planning research through a feminist and engaged pedagogical lens, specifically adhering to bell hook’s (1994) principals of “holistic teaching”, which focuses on emotional as well as curricular needs of students (p. 20). I documented the study through the use of a field journal in which I kept copious notes during class and individual discussions. Students filled out questionnaires, kept a reflective journal, and created artwork, all of which served as documentation of my findings.

My goal was to find what these perceptions of visual culture and popular media are; how the use of text and narrative could help teens reflect on personal issues, and to discern how teens feel about the portrayal of their generation in the media. Before conducting this research I presumed that the promiscuity shown in media outlets that are geared toward teens was a true reflection of what a typical teen would seek to emulate. This is not the case with the students in this study. According to this group, teens are not nearly as promiscuous as they are depicted in popular media. That stereotype does exist and some are more influenced by what they see than others, but students made it clear that they felt this was not the norm.

My findings illustrate the preconceived notions that were holding students back, what students needed to commit to green habits, and what classroom practices would help them learn more about the environment. My findings support the benefits of employing a participatory action research paradigm in a high school art classroom. They showed that students were willing to work towards change with a little extra push, that the preconceived notions of students could change with increased knowledge, that a community could be positively affected by a campaign to go green, and that I, as the teacher could create change through this research project.

Incorporating democratic teaching practices in the art room encouraged students to participate in democratic practices such as voting, freedom of expression and speech, and creating a classroom bill of rights. Through my research, I was able to discover that implementing democratic teaching practices in the art room helped students to create artwork that is rich in ideological content and rich in personal meaning, allowing them to connect with themselves and their peers on a deeper level. By creating a safe classroom environment students felt encouraged to share their own personal stories with their teacher and peers. There are many positive effects that come from implementing democratic practices in a middle school art room, particularly when used as a tool to encourage students to have a voice in their learning experiences in the art room.

Do creative process preferences exist among ice hockey players?

Is there a dominant profile evident by position of play?

In what ways do creativity preferences translate into on ice behavior?

Implications of these findings are discussed as well as limitations and recommendations for future research efforts related to the topic of creative cognition. Beyond adding to the body of knowledge of creativity and athletics, the intersection of these two burgeoning fields may help in leveraging creative-thinking skills in order to enhance team and individual athletic performance.