(2023). Time to Rethink: Educating for a Technology-Transformed World. ECNU Review of Education, v6 n2 p189-214. Purpose: We hope to provoke a conversation about preparing students for an uncertain future that unforeseeable technological innovations will transform in ways we cannot predict. The unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes this an opportune time to reconsider all dimensions of education. Design/Approach/Methods: We present information on how technology is transforming virtually every aspect of our lives and the threats we face from social media, climate change, and growing inequality. We then analyze the adequacy of proposals for teaching new skills, such as 21st-Century Skills, to prepare students for a world of work that is changing at warp speed. Findings: Despite harbingers of a radically different future, most schools continue to operate much as they have for centuries, providing a one-size-fits-all education. Technology now enables an unprecedented degree of personalization. We can tailor learning opportunities to individual students' interests, talents,… [PDF]
(2002). Confronting Tensions in Collaborative Postsecondary Indigenous Education Programs: A Reader's Theatre Presentation. This conference "performance session" addresses the tensions encountered by indigenous educators in colleges and universities as they collaborate with tribal offices of education to create culturally responsive educational practices. Colonial schooling has left a legacy of institutionalized racism and sexism, sustained by postsecondary institutions grounded in Western epistemology and cosmology. Debate and dialogue among scholars of all races is needed to address this situation. There is mounting energy supporting a new worldview that acknowledges the human relationship with Nature as mutually sustaining. Indigenous worldviews have much to contribute, as they emphasize an eco-centered perspective and more integrative ways of understanding human/earth relations. Place-based education contextualizes curriculum within an awareness of the balance of life systems. Because the indigenous worldview does not separate health, education, and spirituality, the Dine wellness center… [PDF]
(1984). Issues for an Evaluation of Freire-Inspired Programs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Paulo Freire is a Brazilian educator whose theories link educational processes with revolutionary political aims. This report describes attempts by predominantly Latino proponents of his theories to develop "liberating education" (educacion liberadora) in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Section 1 describes the national, political, and religious context in which Freire developed his theories. Section 2 analyzes the ways in which his philosophy has been romanticized by radicals in the United States to justify Third World revolutionary tactics. Section 3 describes efforts by liberating educators to utilize Freire's theories against racism and exploitation, and discusses Alvin Gouldner's theory of the emerging "cultural bourgeoisie." Section 4 summarizes activities of liberating education practitioners in the United States from 1978-83, including a federally funded project to start an Information and Resources Center for Educacion Liberadora (IRCEL). Section 5… [PDF]
(1997). Diverse School Populations and the Corresponding Need for Multiple-Identity Coalitions. To make public education more democratic and to move toward greater social justice and inclusivity, it is necessary to respect diversity, and to examine difference and identity in the contexts of materiality and social class. Social theory must be built to integrate racism and sexism with class relations and illuminate how oppressive structures are reproduced and can be changed. Rapidly changing demographics in schools and society suggest the need for changes in educational systems, and these changes should include improvements for those who have been oppressed. Safe multicultural frameworks have been proposed that marginalize or obscure the important issues of economic wealth and power underlying our society, but real educational reform must be driven by umbrella coalitions of adults who demand that the State as central government act on behalf of the democratic rather than the capitalist imperative. The new multiculturalism recognizes that education for democratic empowerment must… [PDF]
(1997). Perspectives on the Mexican Education System: Prejudices, Problems, Possibilities. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1997 (Mexico). This paper examines the complex Mexican educational system and how numerous factors influence its success, depending on one's point of reference. Many ideological and subjective judgments are made in this evaluation. Non-compulsory preschool enrollment figures show tremendous growth in the past 25 years, as does the growth in the number of children 6-14 years old attending school. In 1992 the process of educational reform undertook four important movements: (1) decentralization of the system from federal to state control; (2) curricular reform of basic education; (3) in-service teacher retraining courses; and (4) reform of teacher training programs. The paper argues that this reform procedure represents a tendency toward greater democracy, autonomy, and self-rule in the Mexican educational structure and process, but these tendencies have been circumscribed by prejudices within Mexican society. The paper cites the various kinds of prejudices to be found in Mexico, including racism,… [PDF]
(1984). Ethnic Minorities in Small Cities: Organizing Support Systems. The Case of the Southeast Asians and Mutual Assistance Organizations. Focusing on the experiences of Southeast Asian refugees in small Wisconsin cities, this paper addressed two broad issues: First, how do non-white ethnic groups survive in their majority white environments? And second, what creative support systems have emerged from within these groups or from the interested efforts of non-minority community leaders? In the first part of the paper, problems that Southeast Asian refugees face in Wisconsin are reviewed; areas discussed include employment, language and adult education, racism, and cultural misunderstanding. This is followed by an assessment of the challenges that this ethnic group has presented for the small cities in which they have resettled; problems include demographic shifts, changes in service delivery, financial costs, and changes in community relations. Next, the primary ethnic support system used by the Southeast Asians and their advocates, the Mutual Assistance Associations, is described. The purpose, structure, location, and…
(1997). A Critical Approach To Teaching Educational Technology. In this paper, an educational technologist describes his critical approach to using computers in instruction. He discusses his development from high school English teacher to educational technology instructor in a university setting, focusing on people, literature, and films that have shaped his view of technology as well as on his disappointment at how the technological culture has bred repressive attitudes in many of his colleagues. The importance of helping learners understand why they are in school is at the heart of the author's critical theory. This helping students to understand the importance of their education means allowing for student responsibility for self and curriculum; for example, "action projects" that take students beyond the classroom make learning more experiential and authentic. One subject of future research the author advocates is full-scale tracking of disappointments and dangers associated with educational technology: classism, racism, ecological… [PDF]
(2004). Expectations for Opportunities Following Prison Education: A Discussion of Race and Gender. Journal of Correctional Education, v55 n1 p24-39 Mar. In 2000 the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University received an award to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a mid-western state's prisoner education program in reducing the recidivism rates of respondents. As part of this evaluation, researchers held several focus groups with ex-inmates in order to determine how useful the education that they'd received in prison had been in finding and maintaining employment post-release. Ex-inmates were also queried as to whether they felt that the education that they'd received had been beneficial to them in their efforts to remain outside the prison system. Not surprisingly, the groups were divided by race and gender. White males were more likely to perceive college courses in prison as being beneficial, reported a higher level of self esteem post education, more often reported that they had taken courses post release to continue their education and were not likely to perceive barriers to employment post release. Black… [Direct]
(1996). Anti-Racist Education Project: A Summary Report on the Extent of Implementation and Changes Found in Wards 11/12 Schools: 1991-92 to 1994-95. No. 223. This report documents how a family of elementary schools in Wards 11 and 12 of the Toronto Board of Education (Ontario, Canada) have carried out their plans for the antiracist education (ARE) mandated by the school board between 1991-92 and 1994-95. Results, based on a variety of data collection methods, reveal areas of accomplishment and challenges still to be met. Among other sources of data were surveys of: (1) 213 parents of students in grades 3 through 8 in 1994-95; (2) 155 teachers in 1992-92 and 71 in 1994-95; (3) 625 students in grades 3 through 8 in 1994-95; and (4) 1,169 elementary school students in 1991-92. Findings indicate that teachers have succeeded in validating the racial and ethnic backgrounds of the students and that curriculum materials have become more reflective of the student population. Racial incidents reported by principals and students have declined during the study period. In addition, teachers have become more willing to acknowledge that racism exists… [PDF]
(1970). Evaluation of an E.P.D.A. Institute \Teachers for Multicultural Education.\. An institute to retrain teachers (K-8) for multicultural education was evaluated to determine 1) types of knowledge relevant to teaching in a minority community that can successfully be taught in an 8-week summer institute and 2) changes in attitude and conceptual structure associated with the institute. The program included sensitivity training sessions, role playing activities, and educational seminars. Participants were certified teachers with at least one year of experience in the district (Ravenswood, California); they were employed for the succeeding year to complete the inservice curriculum-development part of the project. Instruments developed for use in evaluation were a 28-item attitude inventory to measure attitude toward racial and ethnic groups; two 20-item word association scales to assess attitude toward concepts given emphasis in the training; and a 150-item final examination covering the six instructional units: Black Experience in Literature, Racism and Prejudice,… [PDF]
(2001). American Indian Completers and Noncompleters in a Tribal and Community College in Northern Minnesota. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and identify societal, institutional, organizational, family, and individual factors associated with American Indian students' completion and noncompletion rates in a tribal college in northern Minnesota. Data collection included a series of in-depth interviews and two focus groups with seven completers and six noncompleters from a tribal college in northeastern Minnesota. All data were collected between January and April, 2000. The study found that both the completers and the noncompleters were confronted with five key issues: physical abuse; emotional abuse; alcoholism; poverty; racism, and the "crabs in a bucket" notion. "Crab in a bucket" refers to the phenomenon that when any member of the community attempts to leave it for higher education or better employment, others in the community try to retain that person by shaming, insulting, teasing, or ostracizing him/her. Although the completers and the… [PDF]
(1976). Asian Americans: Then, Now, and Tomorrow. This paper documents American discrimination against Chinese and Japanese groups from the 1850s through the 1940s. Social prejudice against these groups began in the late 19th century when the demand for Chinese labor in California lessened but the immigrants remained and were seen as a threat to American laborers. Japanese immigrants who were successful in small farming were seen to be a source of economic competition. Segregation in schools and legal abuse of Asians ensued. Press statements and other media contributed to prevailing stereotypes. American-born children of Asian parents suffered double problems of racism and acculturation. The publishing industry conformed to local prejudices in order to sell textbooks; thus, American public education did not help to correct misinformed discrimination. Many readers and teacher's manuals omitted the existence of other cultures in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Anglo-American values were stressed. History books skimmed Japanese… [PDF]
(1991). Literacy in the USA: The Present Issues. Empowering grassroots efforts in literacy is paramount in the literacy education movement. Six issues face literacy work, research, and policy in the United States today: (1) although there are many exciting and innovative literacy projects being conducted, their lessons are unexamined and they are not part of a larger organizing strategy; (2) although there are a number of leaders in the literacy field, their positions are fragile and their work is hindered by reliance on a traditional notion of leadership; (3) participatory research is barely acknowledged in the United States, although it is used in other countries; (4) the literacy experience for most learners is separate from social issues such as racism, sexism, class inequality, and poverty; (5) there is a continuing naive faith in the power of information to transform political structures; and (6) the central policy question has to shift from \how many\ to \how does change happen?\ The literacy field must work cooperatively…
(1993). Education and Modernization: the European Experience. The "Intensive Course," Erasmus Strand III in Theory and History of Education and Comparative Education (2nd, Gazzada, Italy, March 15-27, 1993). The articles presented in this document provide a framework for examining concepts of educational modernization in Europe. The document is organized into three parts. Part 1 "European Perspectives" includes: (1) What Is Implied by a "European curriculum"? Issues of Eurocentrism, Rationality, and Education (Sven Erik Nordenbo); and (2) Modern Education as Perception Control (Stephan Sting). Part 2 "Issues of the Modernization Process" includes the following papers: (1) Modernity, Family and Childhood in the Netherlands (Caroline Hetterschijt, Ilonka Sinkeldam, Astrid Valkenburg); (2) History of Child Day Care (Ilse Godtschalk, Mechel Mangelmans); (3) The Garden-City as Educational Climate: Children as Co-designers of Their Own Education (Jeroen Knigge); (4) On Modernization Theories: On Racism and the Role of Education (Ineke van der Valk); and (5) Germans and Other Strangers (Matthias Blum, Anja Kaplyta, Melanie Schmitt, Elke Weiber). Part 3…
(1972). An Institute for Teachers and Teacher-Trainers in Adult Basic Education of Urban Adults: Final Report. The document is introduced by a summary of goals, activities, participants and other aspects of the institute. Chapter two, Background of Urban Adults, presents highlights of five lectures: African Heritage; Discovering Negroes in American History; Development of Urban Communities; Motivational Characteristics and Values of Urban Adults; and Racism in Urban Communities. Techniques of Teaching Urban Adult Learners, chapter three, presents Recruitment, Motivation, and Retention; Techniques in Teaching Urban Adults; Psychological Tests in Adult Basic Education; Techniques of Teaching Reading to Adults; The Language Experience Approach to Teaching Reading; Differences between Dialect Problems and Reading Problems; and Measuring and/or Evaluating Adult Reading Problems. Three models are presented in chapter four: Six-Step Program Planning Procedure for Adult Educational Activities; Six-Step Problem-Solving Procedure for Adult Educational Program Planning; and a 12-step Procedure for… [PDF]