Voices from the margins: Teenagers at a school informed by the ethic of care

This thesis considers the school experiences of marginalized youth in two kinds of contexts. The first is that of "regular" public schools; the second is Blue Mountain Educational Centre, which places a high priority on facilitating positive staff-student relationships and flexibly responding to individual needs. The data, comprising open-ended interviews of students, teachers, and parents, was collected in a previous study. The current investigation employed critical research methodology and a theoretical lens formed by the ethic of care and critical sociological perspectives. Findings suggest that while the relatively uniform and impersonal practices in regular schools further disadvantaged already marginalized youth, more responsive and personal practices at Blue Mountain led to a variety of positive outcomes, including greater engagement with schooling, greater hope for the future, and positive relationships within and outside of school. This investigation suggests a number of implications for educational reform and further research.