Within the broad discussion of social justice in education, multiple conceptualizations of the term have been posited. Although there is no uniform notion of social justice, most would concur that, "Social justice, broadly defined, refers to a condition whereby all people are afforded fair opportunities to enjoy the benefits of society" (Miller,…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the misalignment between public school assessment policies and teaching practices in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), and the human capital, curricula, and soft-skill needs of the global economy. The authors suggest that changes regarding the nature of learning, how it is…

This article explores the sociopolitical context of education policy, particularly as it relates to Latina/o education. The authors highlight the status of Latinas/os within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to examine the impact of education policy designed to benefit few and disenfranchise most. They draw attention to the injustices of Latinas/os…

In 1982 civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized President Ronald Reagan's attacks on busing to coerce school desegregation for targeting "not the bus, but us." Two decades later, the United States Supreme Court ended the thirty-two-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, plan which had launched the era of court-ordered busing…

This article takes up what people might learn about resistance and surveillance by looking at how students at a Bronx, New York, high school have responded to security initiatives recently imposed on them. It discusses three responses: the protest; tactical avoidance; and what the author calls emergent participation. The author addresses each of…

In this article, the author discusses African American researchers' perspectives on the experiences, impact and success of Black teachers with Black students in public schools. This study builds on an earlier study that focused specifically on these researchers' insights about the impact of the "Brown versus the Topeka Board of Education" decision…

When addressing the problems for today's educators, Jonathon Kozol has joined with teachers' unions like the National Education Association to "stave off an onslaught of misguided federal dictates" in order to "help mobilize teachers to take action politically and launch a new movement for racial integration" (Jehlen, p. 17). Unfortunately for…

Highlander Folk School is an adult education center located in eastern Tennessee that was formed in 1932 by Myles Horton and continues today. Myles Horton (1905-1990) hoped to create an independent adult learning center where people could come together and address their problems. He wanted to create a public space where people could learn from…

In this article, the author evaluates the policy choices sanctioned by state systems of performance-based accountability. She notes how first-generation models of educational accountability were mainly bureaucratic and regulatory in nature and how the accountability movement of the 1970s and 1980s evidenced a shift from an emphasis on rules to a…

This document highlights a dozen people who are believed to represent the vibrant heart and optimistic soul of education. Each one has gone above and beyond, frequently overcoming bureaucratic hurdles or professional skepticism. They come from all corners: Classrooms, the business world, academia, research labs, even the Library of Congress. The…

Examines a 1920s campaign to implement the project method in Milwaukee public schools, following the perilous road it traveled from exemplary model to urban classrooms, and arguing that public high schools have been very resistant to pedagogical innovations which might unleash students' learning potential. The impact of this reform, started by…

Examines adaptations made by one high school when the surrounding city shifted from a textile mill-driven manufacturing economy to a post-industrial service economy. Using data from an extended field study, the paper examines how school discourses emerged from three related sources (a corporate sponsor, competition for good students, and preparing…

Examines various key positions that have been put forth in the dispute concerning religion and public schools, discussing several important rulings concerning religion and public schools, noting that religious differences pose a special challenge to the conduct of a pluralist public life, and calling for a closer examination of other perspectives…

Discusses how various Christian fundamentalist groups have succeeded in imposing their ideology on public schools. Such groups have been disrupting school practice since the 1980s, with school curriculum and reading material content usually at the center of disputes. Recommends that local school districts take such groups seriously to keep them…

This study used preservice teachers' autobiographical essays to explore their beliefs about race, class, and gender. Findings indicated that, although some students were taught equality and still held views of equality, four factors helped initiate change in their beliefs toward greater equality (education, travel, experience with discrimination,…