Transformative Researchers And Educators For Democracy

The 2012 Critical Transformative Educational Leadership and Policy Annual Conference hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth met head-on with issues of neoliberalism, educational democracy, cultural politics, public education, and seeing teachers and administrators as critical transformational leaders. This book is a collection of the highlights of that conference that addresses these arenas of debate, from the presentations of Deborah Meier, Ken Saltman, Clyde Barrow, and Joao Rosa, among others, to the works of emerging academics and intellectuals in the field of education. The book to serve as an antidote to such ill-informed thinking before it becomes a part of the cultural commonsense, much the way the manufactured realties of high stakes testing, standardization, and police-guarded schools have become normative. “It is urgent to learn to accurately read reality in a world in which language and discourse are being resignified to confuse people and turn reality into a board game, a world which large corporations and global financial powers play the role of the old mythological gods, creators of dogmas and flamboyant realities that they want us to submit and worship. This volume is an outcome of an important political critical transformative pedagogical project that challenges the lethal consequences of the impact of neoliberal policies in education. We need to welcome Paraskeva and LaVallee’s contribution since it offers a crucial tool to help us articulate accurately a critical diagnosis as well as solutions for a more just and democratic public education that cultivates humanity.” – Jurjo Torres Santomé, University of Corunha, Spain “This new collection Transformative Researchers and Educators for Democracy: Dartmouth Dialogues is one of the most impressive outcomes of a critical transformative program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. João M. Paraskeva and Thad LaVallee provide their readers with a careful selection of chapters that explore the idea of critical and transformative leadership for a democratic conception of education, focusing on a range of related themes in understanding the dimensions of cultural and organizational change. A crucial volume focusing on aspects of the critique of neoliberal globalization in education and a needed book that insightfully combines critique and robust analysis with a utopian and positive agenda for critical transformation.” – Michael A. Peters, University of Waikato (NZ) and University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, USA) “This edited volume is the result of an amazing critical transformative program in educational leadership and policy studies chaired by João M. Paraskeva. Paraskeva and LaVallee produced an important contribution to a timely topic that provides clear evidences that the free market model of education it is not a hope for good public education. This book is not only important to US educators but it is really crucial for educators all over the world. What is analyzed in this book is taking place in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.” – Alvaro Moreira Hypolito, University Federal de Pelotas, Brasil

As the title of this book suggests, how we understand, perceive and experience democracy may have a significant effect on how we actually engage in, and with, democracy. Within the educational context, this is a key concern, and forms the basis of the research presented in this volume within a critical, comparative analysis. The Global Doing Democracy Research Project (GDDRP), which currently has some 70 scholars in over 20 countries examining how educators do democracy, provides the framework in which diverse scholars explore a host of concerns related to democracy and democratic education, including the impact of neoliberalism, political literacy, critical engagement, teaching and learning for and about democracy, social justice, and the meaning of power/power relations within the educational context. Ultimately, the contributors of this book collectively ask: can there be democracy without a critically engaged education, and, importantly, what role do educators play in this context and process? Why many educators in diverse contexts believe that they are unable, dissuaded and/or prevented from doing thick democratic education is problematized in this book but the authors also seek to illustrate that, despite the challenges, barriers and concerns about doing democracy in education, something can, and should, be done to develop, cultivate and ingratiate schools and society with more meaningful democratic practices and processes. This book breaks new ground by using a similar empirical methodology within a number of international contexts to gage the democratic sentiments and actions of educators, which raises a host of questions about epistemology, teacher education, policy development, pedagogy, institutional cultures, conscientization, and the potential for transformational change in education.

A 2020 SPE Outstanding Book Award Honorable Mention Many people believe that “education” has a disproportionately negative effect on them and those close to them. With so much wealth, technological prowess, innovation, and economic development, why do we still have marginalization, social inequalities, conflict, mass incarceration and generational poverty? The connection to democracy, Education for Democracy (EfD) and social justice is, for Carr and Thésée, clear, and this volume interweaves a narrative within these themes based on a Freirian theoretical backdrop. This book presents a vision for transformative education and EfD, seeking to cultivate, stimulate and support political and media literacy, critical engagement and a re-conceptualization of what education is, and, importantly, how it can address entrenched, systemic and institutional problems that plague society. Based on over a decade of empirical research in a range of contexts and jurisdictions, the authors strive to link teaching and learning with agency, solidarity, action and transformative change within the conceptual framework of a critically-engaged EfD. Perfect for courses in: Sociology of Education; Social Justice and Education; Democracy and Civics; Community Engagement; Education Policy; Service Learning; Education Reform; Citizenship Education; Transformative Education; Politics of Education.

The collected essays in this book provide a comparative examination of the process of grassroots mobilization and the development of community-based forms of popular democracy in Central and South America. The first part contains studies from individual countries on organizations ranging from those supported by governments and integrated into the country's political structure to groups that were organized against the existing political system. The organizations studied included those focusing on a particular concern, such as housing, and those with wide responsibility for community affairs; but all were organizations based on common interests where people lived and, in some cases, where people worked. The second part offers theme studies on men, women and differential participation; problems and meanings associated with decentralization, especially in relation to devolution of power to the local level and the construction of popular alternatives; and the competing theoretical paradigms of new social movements and resource mobilization.

Considering how practices and processes of research and education can create fundamental, radical social change, Democracy, Education and Research assesses the meaning of ‘public impact‘ by rethinking what is meant by ‘public‘ and how it is essential to the methodologies of education and research. Focusing on empirical illustrations of the use of research and educational processes in contemporary and emergent forms of social organisation, this book: Covers the traditional forms to be found in education, health systems, community, business and public institutions, as well as emergent forms arising from innnovation in technologies. Explores the forms of learning and knowledge creation that take place across the everyday interactions in places of learning, communities or workplaces Discusses how learning and knowledge can be intentionally shaped by individuals and groups to effect social and political change Considers the research strategies required to forge new practices, new ways of working and living for a more socially just world Including practical examples of research that has created real change, Democracy, Education and Research will be a vital resource to professional researchers in their roles as teachers, educators and activists as well as students of education, sociology, politics, cultural studies.

In this provocative collection of essays with a distinctly critical and nuanced approach to how democracy is taught, learned, understood, and lived, authors from four continents share their visions on how democracy needs to be cultivated, critiqued, demonstrated, and manifested throughout the educational experience. The collective concern is how we actually do democracy in education. The essays argue that democracy must be infused in everything that happens at school: curriculum, extra-curricular activities, interaction with parents and communities, and through formal organization and structures. One of the book's central questions is: Are educators merely teaching students skills and knowledge to prepare them for the world of work, or is education more about encouraging students to thrive within a pluralistic society? This book reveals that democracy is an ethos, an ideology, a set of values, a philosophy, and a complex and dynamic terrain that is a contested forum for debate. From seasoned veterans to emerging scholars, these writers challenge the idea that there is only one type of democracy, or that democracy is defined by elections. Using a range of theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches, each essay makes a compelling case for how education can advance a more critical engagement in democracy that promotes social justice and political literacy for all. Diverse examples illustrate the theme of doing democracy. With its numerous models for teaching and learning to encourage critical thinking and engagement, this book is certain to be an invaluable resource to educators, researchers, students, and anyone with a passion for democratic ideals.

Democracy is neither inevitable nor guaranteed to last. To survive, democracy needs people adequately prepared to enact it. Such preparation for effective citizenship in a complex and plural world requires an adult civic education, one that goes beyond simple knowledge acquisition. It requires a transformative education to help learners become agents and co-shapers of their worlds. This book offers examples of the roles that civic education has played and can play in different communities. In this collection, scholars from around the world report and reflect on civic adult education, examining approaches, paradigms, and concepts that help us to act in culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse societies.

Exploring practitioner research and the possibilities it creates for increasing student participation and developing inclusive practices in educational contexts, this insightful text presents a range of original and innovative approaches to Action Research, and highlights the critical relationship between educational theory, research and practice in transformative action. Focussing on social constructivist approaches to teaching and learning, Action Research for Inclusive Education offers first-hand insights from researcher-practitioners from international settings including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Granada, Greece, Singapore and England. Chapters explore diverse participatory and collaborative research practices which draw on the strengths and contributions of teachers and support staff, pupils, and families to foster inclusive practices across the school community and strengthen the participation and independence of all students. Topics considered include collaboration in Participatory Action Research, friendships and the development of students’ social skills, student voice and the role of pupils as co-researchers and peer mentors. Making an important contribution to debates on inclusive education and the role of practitioners and students in bringing about change, this text will be key reading for students, teachers and educational researchers.