Beyond Liberation And Excellence

The authors' goal is to explore how an alternative, politically viable public discourse on education can be constructed. They examine the kinds of conditions, concerns, and subjectivities that must be attended to in order to develop an effective and resonant new language that can re-focus the purposes of education in this society. The authors' agree that educational discourse must be transformed into a visible, morally and politically vital, public commentary and debate - one that can begin to address the social, cultural, and spiritual crises that now confront humanity.

For peoples whose legal agreements, treaties, and other accords and conventions with the United States have been violated, multiculturalism as a pedagogical tool often becomes suspect of reinforcing the continued reification and abstraction of their cultures and nations with little if any real meaning for educational and social transformation. The continued oppression and repression of the exercise of self-determination for African Americans; the persistence of policies aimed at the destruction of indigenous populations and land; the insidious continuation of classical colonialism in the case of Puerto Rico are all vivid reminders to these peoples of the racist, classist, sexist, and homophobic patriarchy that characterizes their status. In order to restore people's rights to fully determine their own histories, Jackson and Solis point out that it is imperative to destroy the material foundations that breed and recycle the ideology, discourse, and cultural practices of domination. It is not enough to celebrate diversity and difference; there must be grand-scale social, political, economic, and educational transformation.

In a time of unprecedented social and economic crisis, this book represents a challenge to the orthodoxy that shapes our vision of educational purpose. It argues that now, more than ever, there is a moral imperative for educators to assume responsibility for helping to bring about a culture of peace and non-violence.

Focusing on the causes for the continuing marginalization of minority children, this book examines inner-city education, its teaching practices, curricular rationales, perspectives of teachers and students, and the institutions themselves.

Current Issues in School Leadership examines controversies about, and affecting, school practices. Focusing on two essential questions--what is important to today's school leaders? and what is interfering with schooling processes?--it includes chapters by a broad range of authors, with expertise on their specific topic. The text is organized in three sections: *Social and Political Issues; *Curriculum and Learning Issues; and *Organization and Management Issues. The goal of this text--designed for school leadership, educational administration, and foundations of education courses--is to challenge readers to think carefully and critically about each of the issues presented, leading to positive action and leadership.

Social education is quite a journey. Given the ongoing debate and struggle with “defining” social education, the following is at present a “working definition” - "While we resist ‘defining’ social education, we believe that social education emphasizes three areas of study: critical pedagogy, cultural/media studies, and social studies education. We also stress that education, interpreted broadly, has the potential to advance social justice." Thus emerged social education... a lifelong journey for all of us – to question, to challenge, to do, and to create. Connecting present and past, merging current issues with traditional curriculum, integrating alternative texts and perspectives, empowering and emancipating kids and educators, and transforming schools and society – the transgressions of social education scream out. Dewey, Freire, Kincheloe, Zinn, Greene, Giroux, Apple, hooks, McLaren, Kozol, Loewen, Said, Chomsky, even Bob Dylan and many others have provided the impetus. May we make them proud! The essays within this text demonstrate various journeys in social education. They are meant as stories, not maps or scripts. They are intended to serve as a primer of sorts, for those interested in a similar journey. Hopefully, this can be a meaningful experience for many – students, educators, parents, and society as a whole, of course. Well... the journey and struggle continues...

This txtbk presents the concept of curriculum as culture-a system of implicit & explicit beliefs, values, behaviors, & customs in classrooms & schools. Goal is to foster awareness, examination, & deliberation about the curricula planned for & carried out

This book takes a sharply critical view of contemporary society with a searing indictment of our morally and intellectually bankrupt educational system. Uniquely, the book contains both the original version of David Purpel's highly influential Moral and Spiritual Crisis in Education, first published in 1989, as well as an updated critique of that work - reflections from our current times of growing despair about the directions of education and the nation. Reflections on the Moral and Spiritual Crisis in Education focuses on the possibility - and necessity - of generating hope through the redemptive and energizing power of the human spirit.