ERIC Number: EJ1184899
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Sep
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0042-0972
EISSN: N/A
Authority or Democracy? Integrating Two Perspectives on Equitable Classroom Management in Urban Schools
Graham, Eliot J.
Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v50 n3 p493-515 Sep 2018
Classroom management is sometimes dismissed as behaviorist or even oppressive. However, as scholars concerned with issues of equity, we cannot afford to avoid the complexity of authority relationships in urban schools. Doing so undermines our ability to effectively combat the influx of authoritarian disciplinary approaches into these schools and to prepare new urban teachers for the challenges of classroom leadership. In the hopes of furthering consideration of these topics, this article highlights two distinct perspectives on equitable classroom management in urban schools: one emphasizing democratic classrooms, the other emphasizing teacher authority. Though these perspectives may seem contradictory, I argue that a conception of classroom management that incorporates "both" democracy and authority is critical to effectively addressing the issues highlighted above. Drawing upon theoretical conceptions of authority, studies examining the significance of racial and cultural differences in classroom management, and literature on restorative justice in education, I propose a framework that integrates these two perspectives. This framework suggests that rather than working in opposition to one another, democracy and authority are two sides of the same coin, and one may not be fully possible without the other.
Descriptors: Classroom Techniques, Urban Schools, Social Justice, Democratic Values, Teacher Role, Power Structure, Racial Differences, Cultural Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A