The Trifecta Framework: Preparing Agents of Change in Urban Education

Abstract

The research reported on in this article investigates a question that continues to perplex educators: How might a carefully designed course that provides opportunities for changes in participants’ learning and practices be used in the preparation of the next generation of scholars/practitioners as equity-minded agents of change? Data analyzed from a course, taught to students for over a decade, designed around this question revealed development of conceptual, epistemological, and behavioral change in participants. We propose that instruction that strategically combines three critical components of the course—referred to as a trifecta—could facilitate generative thinking and serve as a catalyst in preparing agents of change who are able to confront inequality and enact social justice in urban schools.