This study investigates the hopes of a group of Finnish of ninth-graders and how hopeful they are. This study also explores how to teach in a way that promotes hope. The theoretical framework of this study combines two different theories of hope, C. R. Snyder's psychological hope theory and Paulo Freire's philosophy of hope. This study holds that…

This article reports findings from an ongoing study that examines the experiences and engagement of pregnant and parenting youth (PPY) attending an alternative school in Chicago and the sorts of instructional approaches and activities that can promote their social justice-oriented advocacy and leadership skills. This project used Youth…

In this tribute to Patricia Carini's lifework and her influence on our work, we wrestle with a challenging question: How do we understand and hold onto a focus on the individual as a key practice of education as liberation, given the ways that a radical centering of the individual has buoyed systems of racial oppression? We end with the kind of…

This article describes the author's journey into the world of teaching. The author begins with his transition into academia and his goal to become an antiracist educator. He reflects on teaching (and observation) moments in the classroom and moves to descriptions and insights of specific lessons teaching Eve Ewing's "1919" poetry…

"Because Democracy Is Difficult and Dangerous" is an excerpt from "Woke Is Not Enough: School Reform for Leaders with Justice in Mind" (2022). Each chapter of the book focuses on a domain of school reform relevant to school leadership today: racial justice, democratic governance, restorative justice, student activism, and…

This article discusses the ways that labeling students can contribute to epistemic injustices. The harms of labeling are discussed, and Patricia Carini's practice of descriptive review, along with her general philosophical approach to teaching and education, are offered as ways of mitigating against these harms. The main goals of this article are…

The article tells stories of how meaning can occur and be made in educational settings, using insights from the work of Patricia Carini and John Dewey to reflect. Dewey's description of what makes an experience meaningful and Carini's calls for an education grounded in meaning and value, along with the role of the Prospect descriptive processes as…

In this personal reflection, the author explores her own learning in becoming a language teacher educator who aims to develop preservice teachers' critical intercultural praxis. By revisiting the course reflections of one of her preservice teachers, the author confronts her failures and perceptions about what it means to be a "critical"…

This presentation was given in late 2020 in response to the ongoing racial justice uprising that had begun in May with the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. As with educators across the nation since that time, teachers, administrators, and other officials in the Independent Schools Association of the Central States felt a…

This essay examines the author's experiences with becoming a teacher-researcher-leader across many years within two contrasting urban public school contexts. The article works against a traditional "myth" that views teaching as de-professionalized, low-skill and instead argues for teaching as professional, collaborative, political, and…

The purpose of this discussion is to explore how the educational and social philosophy of John Dewey offers insight for those involved in education evolution in emerging economies, with a particular emphasis on nurturing leaders who are capable of recognizing and responding effectively to the challenges of a globalized economy now and for the next…

In this article, we tackle the disadvantaging conditions of zero tolerance policies in school settings and advocate using an alternative approach--critical restorative justice through peacemaking circles--to nurture resilience and open opportunity at the school level. In the process, this article builds on theory and qualitative research and…

If, as many allege, we are the stories that we tell, then these stories might well be seen as constituting a fundamental piece of the self. But stories need to be heard, just as the self requires witnesses. In the lives of most people, counselors and teachers, along with parents, represent the most significant witnesses in our lives and hence to…

At a time when serious pronouncements and decisions about education are made by noneducators, it is important to take note of the practice and impact of teachers' collective reflective resistance. This means foregrounding learning that is organic, artful, and contemplative--that puts first the humanity of students and teachers. This is a story of…

The article examines the enactment of culturally relevant progressivism on the part of the principal of the Social Justice School, a small urban public high school explicitly committed to democratic education. Drawing upon extensive interviews and field observations conducted over the course of an academic year by a teacher-researcher within the…