Critical pedagogy is a liberatory praxis centered on social justice. The researcher believes that the use of critical pedagogy can transform students and communities in ways that deconstruct oppressive systems and ultimately lead to increased capacity for radical equality. This action research project investigates whether or not critical pedagogy is possible within the school district that the researcher lives in Northern Arizona. The researcher created a professional development group called “Critical Dialogues,” where teachers could learn about critical pedagogy and workshop ideas on implementing critical pedagogy in their classrooms. Critical Dialogues was a district sponsored professional development program that was held once a week for two hours, for the duration of one school semester. There were a total of six participants and professional development credits were awarded to teachers for participation in the group. The researcher audio recorded all of the group sessions and used her observations and recordings as data. The following thesis defines critical pedagogy, discusses the history and literature that support critical pedagogy, and connects these theories to educational reform, the U.S. economy, educational policy, and classroom practices. The data gathered in this research is discussed within the thesis and results in a list of recommendations for the implementation of critical pedagogy in Peoples Unified School District.

Keywords: Critical Pedagogy; Professional Development; Educational Reform; Classroom Practices; Democratic Teaching; Teacher Education