Education Commons^™

Meritocracy And Marketization Of Education: Taiwanese Middle-Class Strategies In A Private Secondary School, Amanda Shufang Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the 20th century, economic growth in Taiwan has brought social prosperity and fundamentally altered Taiwanese social structure. While successive generations of young people have climbed the social ladder and experienced upward mobility, being successful is still narrowly defined through academic achievement. This study argues that, despite constant education reform, a solution to class inequality in education has yet to be found. The mandate of the 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum in 2019 was an answer to local, global, and international transformations. While citizens celebrate the neoliberal concepts of autonomy and deregulation embedded in the 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum, coercion is …

Research On Global Citizenship Education In Asia: Conceptions, Perceptions, And Practice, Theresa Alviar, Mark C. Baildon

Faculty Bookshelf

This edited book provides new research highlighting philosophical traditions, emerging perceptions, and the situated practice of global citizenship education (GCE) in Asian societies. The book includes chapters that provide: 1) conceptions and frameworks of GCE in Asian societies; 2) analyses of contexts, policies, and curricula that influence GCE reform efforts in Asia; and 3) studies of students’ and teachers’ experiences of GCE in schools in different Asian contexts. While much citizenship education has focused on constructions and enactments of GCE in Western societies, this volume re-centers investigations of GCE amid Asian contexts, identities, and practices. In doing so, the contributors …

Brookings, South Dakota: Learning Lab, Doriane Paso

Empowering Research for Educators

The following paper explores the possibilities of education in one local setting using both an insider and outsider perspective. Education is a part of society, and as society changes, why should education not change with it?

On Teaching, Without Disciplines, Thomas Wolfe

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Processes of becoming know no disciplines. And yet professors cannot teach without first absorbing the priorities and protocols of a discipline. This means that we have to be attuned to the ways in which our teaching of persons gets usurped by the teaching of a body of knowledge or a method of knowing that is only tangentially connected to where students are. K-12 teachers understand this better than university and college professors. This article suggests professors experiment with the idea of a "defense of teaching," which would be a moment to articulate one's teaching aims apart from one's disciplinary and …

Illinois Democracy Schools: Preparing Students For College, Career, And Civic Life, Shawn Healy

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The current focus of school reform centers on college and career readiness, casting aside the original purpose of schools in this country-- preparing America’s youngest citizens to be informed and active participants in our democracy. Since 2006, seventeen Illinois high schools countered this trend and achieved recognition through the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition (ICMC) as Democracy Schools.

The Democracy Schools Initiative of the ICMC invites high schools to demonstrate commitment to their civic mission by completing a school-wide civic assessment and charting future plans for developing and sustaining high quality civic learning. Successful applicants are recognized through the ICMC and …

Service Learning In The Social Studies, Shaun Conway

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Education reform of the future starts with public service. Over the last two and a half years, I have built a public service program at Lake Park High School in Roselle, IL. The class allows students to pursue topical areas of self-interest in a classroom setting, while supplementing those subject topics with in-depth public service opportunities and experiential learning methodology outside the school building. Students can opt to take the semester elective during their junior or senior year (although the course was recently approved to be offered in full year format).

Reform of the future must start with public service …

The Attack On Social Studies Teachers And Teaching In 1970s And 1980s Hollywood Movies, Robert Dahlgren

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This proposed article explores the dramatic shift in the image of social studies teachers, as represented in popular films of the 1970s and 1980s. It is based on a survey of 40 movies created during this period that feature significant interactions between social studies teachers and their students. This study employed a textual analysis method involving viewing the films alongside original script material, which reveals that the narratives involving public high schools during the 1970s and 1980s are distinct from those involving other types of schools or eras. Rather than the romantic figures of earlier portraits, such as Eve Arden’s …

Mid-Century Education Reform And The Character Of Citizens, Molly Jessup

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Amid the movement to address perceived problems in American education, some reformers have turned to the notion of character building.

Character training is education is reminiscent of an earlier effort to shape the development of youth. Life adjustment education, a mid-twentieth century reform movement intended to infuse the curriculum with practical life skills, with a goal of preparing youth to fulfill their role as citizens. Life adjustment education has often been characterized as a failed movement, resulting in as much controversy as many current reforms. This article argues that character training in life adjustment education materials reveal a connection to …

Striking Back Against Corporate Education Reform: The 2012 Chicago Teachers Union Strike, Kurt Hilgendorf

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The Chicago Teachers Union went on strike against the Chicago Pubilc Schools in September 2012. The strike was not just about teachers' pay and benefits. Rather, the strike was a response to more than 15 years of a the latest iteration of corporate school reform. This essay situates the 2012 Chicago teachers' strike in the legal and policy contexts for corporate school reform in Chicago and Illinois and assesses the strike's outcomes locally and nationally. The strike was the largest teacher-led response to corporate school reform to date. It catalyzed a larger national conversation about the nature of school reform …

The Hidden Curriculum Of Teach For America, Andrew Hartman

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

By way of a close reading of Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp's two books, this article examines TFA's role in the so-called education reform movement, and offers a critique of TFA and the movement.

Author Biography:

Andrew Hartman is an associate professor of history at Illinois State University. For the 2013-14 academic year, he will be on leave from ISU as the Fulbright Danish Distinguished Chair in American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. Hartman teaches and researches 20^th Century U.S. History with a focus on intellectual history. He also is one of the faculty members in …

Introduction: Education Reform Past, Present, And Future, Jeffrey Manuel

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This is an introduction to the special issue of The Councilor on the topic of education reform.

Author biography: Jeffrey Manuel is an assistant professor in the Department of Historical Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His research and public scholarship examine the social, cultural, and political consequences of deindustrialization and envirotechnical history. His research has appeared in several journals. He is currently working on a manuscript that describes efforts to fight industrial decline in the Lake Superior iron mining region. He is also active in public history, including exhibit design and oral history.

Descriptive Inquiry At Bank Street: Building Intellectual Community While Responding To Accreditation, Jessica Charles

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Over the 2016-17 academic year, Bank Street Graduate School faculty and staff participated in a school-wide Descriptive Inquiry process to examine their programs and pedagogy. As part of the process, faculty met regularly to share their practices and to strengthen their well-established programs in teacher and leader preparation, museum education, and child life. Dean Cecelia Traugh initiated this process, drawing on her extensive experience implementing Descriptive Inquiry in higher education settings, in order to help faculty reflect on their practice, improve program quality, and build organizational coherence.

The Purpose Of Education: What Should An American 21st Century Education Value?, Krista Shilvock

Empowering Research for Educators

A survey taken by 511 respondents dealt with such issues as past and current educational practice preparation, educational purposes in America, core class subjects, and soft skill teachings. Its results revealed a public opinion believing the primary goal of education as teaching students to adapt to any situation they find themselves in. Other results include a lack of preparation in current practices for life beyond education, although workforce preparation is adequate. Also, soft skills ought to see a curriculum of their own and taught explicitly to students in education instead of implicitly enforced, hoping parents alone taught these skills previously. …

Dewey, Freire, And Foucault And An Ever-Evolving Philosophy Of (Mathematics) Education, David W. Stinson

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

In this essay, the author provides a working definition of philosophy from a cultural point of view, and argues the need for mathematics educators to develop their philosophy of mathematics teaching and learning or, to speak more broadly, their philosophy of education. He then historically situates three scholars—John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Michel Foucault—who have been instrumental in the formulation of his philosophy of education. Next, he shares how the philosophies of these three scholars provide different languages to critique three aspects of education. He concludes with brief discussions on the process of his ever-evolving philosophy of mathematics teaching and …

Fixing Our Schools: Paving The Way To Mentorship, Taylor N. Zepp

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to examine how mentorship programs can be a solution for educational reform. Through taking a look at the complex problems facing America’s schools and at-risk students, this project combines existing research with personal experiences in mentorship to examine and evaluate programs that are already in place, such as the Boys and Girls Club, Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence, and Fostering a Collaborative Education at Barberton High School. Through a blend of research and student stories a vision of how mentorship can fit into America’s schools will begin to become clear.

The Fall And Rise Of The 8th Grade School, Stan Brimberg

Progressive Education in Context

Historical look at schooling and grade configurations.

Speaking Back To Structure: Critical Multimodal Media Literacy & The Politics Of School Reform, Kate Way

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the development of critical multimodal and media literacy skills in high school aged students against the backdrop of current state and national education policy. Following the progress of students in a semester-long writing course that focuses on critical multimodal and media literacy, the study examines how critical literacy skills develop within different modes and mediums – particularly those enabled by new media and digital technologies – and considers the implications of critical multimodal and media literacy skills for student engagement, agency, and achievement. The study further analyzes the impact at the institutional level of educational reforms incentivized …

Strengthening Nyc Middle-Grades Learning In & Out Of School: Five Recommendations To The Mayor, Partnership For After School Education, Ford Foundation, Bank Street College Of Education

Books

A paper urging Mayor de Blasio and his team to consider insights and recommendations about middle-grades learning in New York City. Moving away from outdated assumptions about adolescence and schooling, this work suggests and expands upon the following:

1. Reframe middle-grades learning as a community responsibility.

2. Focus accountability on student learning and development in and out of school.

3. Strengthen middle-grades schools as centers of youth development.

4. Incentivize innovative designs.

5. Prepare and support a range of adults to foster middle-grades learning in and out of school.

Education Revitalization Is The New Reform: Five National Classroom Trends For Idaho, Diane Boothe

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Critics have long assailed American education for failing to train a globally competitive workforce. All too often, we are faced with a shortage of highly qualified graduates in fields that are essential to our economic growth as a state and nation. An emphasis on education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is crucial for our children’s future.

Turnaround Strategies At An Underperforming Urban Elementary School: An Examination Of Stakeholder Perspectives, Angela Watkins Bass

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In August of 2007, Los Angeles Unified School District embarked on a new journey under the leadership of Superintendent David Brewer toward improving the achievement of some of Los Angeles’ lowest performing schools. By establishing a partnership with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, the goal of the improvements was to form a team of talented and experienced educators who would identify schools whose majority of teachers would be willing to be led and supported by these experienced educators under an umbrella organization called the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools in agreement with United Teachers of Los Angeles. The …

Deficient Policy Communication Deficient Outcomes – Capacity Building Policy Under Education Reforms In Sindh, Pakistan, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Education decentralisation in Pakistan started from 2001 through an all-out devolution programme of the government across sectors. To strengthen the decentralisation reform and build capacity of district educational managers a USAID sponsored programme Education Sector Reform Assistance (ESRA) was launched in 2003. In order to assess the impact of these capacity building initiatives, a research study was carried out during 2005-2006. The research used qualitative design and was carried out in one of the ESRA target districts in Sindh province. The paper argues the improper communication of policy severely compromised the achievement of intended policy objectives. The research noted that …

Bert Combs And The Council For Better Education: Catalysts For School Reform, Richard E. Day

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A history of the beginnings of the Council for Better Education and their successful litigation, Rose v Council for Better Education. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, published continuously since 1903, is among the oldest historical journals in America but continues to provide fresh perspectives on the history of Kentucky and its people. The Register includes the work of leading scholars on the commonwealth but is widely accessible to general readers interested in Kentucky history. Published quarterly, it is a benefit of Kentucky Historical Society membership. Leading scholars whose articles have appeared in the Register include James A. Ramage, …

Bert Combs And The Council For Better Education: Catalysts For School Reform, Richard E. Day

Richard E. Day

A history of the beginnings of the Council for Better Education and their successful litigation, Rose v Council for Better Education. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, published continuously since 1903, is among the oldest historical journals in America but continues to provide fresh perspectives on the history of Kentucky and its people. The Register includes the work of leading scholars on the commonwealth but is widely accessible to general readers interested in Kentucky history. Published quarterly, it is a benefit of Kentucky Historical Society membership. Leading scholars whose articles have appeared in the Register include James A. Ramage, …

Reforming Education In Pakistan – Tracing Global Links, Sajid Ali, Malik S. A. Tahir

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper is about tracing global links in national education reforms in Pakistan. The paper tries to describe globalization and its general effects on national policies. It particularly highlights the effects of globalization on education reforms, which are: competitiveness-driven, finance-driven and equity-driven. In light of these global education reform patterns the paper explores the major educational reforms being pursued in Pakistan since 1990s. The paper argues that globalization has seriously challenged the national reform policies, which are now becoming more and more globally driven. Rather than out rightly rejecting all global policies, engaging critically with them is the stance of …

The Influence Of Globalisation On The National Education Policies Of Developing Countries, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Globalisation as the most powerful phenomenon of the present time is widely contested for its positive and negative outcomes. This article distinguishes between political, economic and cultural globalisation and argues that globalisation as a process is mostly led and appreciated by the developed countries to meet their desired objectives, whereby underdeveloped countries are hurled into this process. Less equipped and less informed, these underdeveloped countries often stand in q disadvantaged position. The article maintains that several supra national economic, cultural and political organisations are the manifestation of the process of globalisation, which has made the policy making, process a complex …

Journal Of Pedagogy, Pluralism And Practice, Volume 1, Issue 2, Fall 1997 (Full Issue), Journal Staff

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

This issue of the Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice is dedicated to the memory of Paulo Freire who died on May 2, 1997 at the age of 75. Paulo Freire is the author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, The Politics of Education, Pedagogy of the City, Pedagogy of Hope and many other books that have created a radical discourse on liberatory education and have influenced teachers, theorists and cultural workers throughout the world. His last book, Pedagogia da Autonomia: Saberes necessários à prática educativa, is not yet translated in English, but is expected soon, possibly …

Using Portfolio Reflections To Re-Form Instructional Programs And Build Curriculum, Sarah Robbins, Nancy Brandt, Susan Goering, Jeanette Nassif, Kathleen Wascha

Faculty Articles

An educator who finds merit in both content- and student-centered instruction may find it difficult to develop a classroom learning program with a firm theoretical base drawing on strengths from both perspectives. The implementation of a collaborative portfolio project as an ongoing curriculum reformation is described.

What's Wrong With Reform?, James H. Case

New England Journal of Public Policy

The conservative educational reform movement, which still, after more than a decade, is the dominant force in school reform, has had little success in improving schools because it is based on invalid and self-defeating theoretical assumptions. Taken together, these assumptions have the effect of substituting nostalgia — a longing for the schools the reformers themselves attended —for policy and for increasing standardization at the expense of individual growth and development. The reformers (Bloom, Hirsch, Ravitch, Finn, Bennett, et al.) have particular difficulty, given their assumptions, in dealing both with individual differences among students and with ethnic and racial differences among …