FEAR.Politics&Education.pdf

FEAR: Politics and Education , 2022

John Dewey's influence still lurks in the background. Dewey, to my knowledge, never wrote about RACE. His philosophy, however, in the context of post (de jure) "Jim Crow" America still lurks in the background of American thought about education. Race and issues related to equality of opportunity as a democratic society remain unresolved, and politicians' demagoguery exacerbates the problem.

2017

Although the election of America's first African-American President offered a glimmer of hope, change, and potential for social justice issues to impact diverse minorities in America, the emergence of the Black Lives Matter Movement continues to resonate among people of color who believe that the promise of American democracy has yet to be achieved. Over one hundred years ago, the nation's most famous philosopher, progressive educator, and strongest advocate for the democratic way of life, John Dewey (1916), briefly addressed the matter of race in what many consider his most famous work, Democracy and Education. "An undesirable society", he wrote, …is one which internally and externally sets up barriers to free intercourse and communication of experience. A society which makes provision for participation in its good of all its members on equal terms and which secures flexible readjustment of its institutions through interaction of the different forms of associated life is in so far democratic. (p. 99

Educational Theory, 2009

John Dewey's willingness to endorse a remedial form of education for African American students offers us a rare glimpse of the racial assumptions underlying Dewey's educational philosophy. By considering a variety of clues-Dewey's silences on racial equality, his understanding of race and racial progress, and his respective prescriptions for European American and African American students-Frank Margonis offers in this essay a speculative case suggesting that the visionary child-centered education for which Dewey was most well-known was intended for European American students and not African American students. Because of the racial assumptions operative in Dewey's educational philosophy, Margonis suggests, Dewey's fundamental conceptions of the ''student'' and ''classroom community'' would best be abandoned by educational philosophers hoping to write philosophy that serves all students. In Robert Westbrook's ennobling interpretation, John Dewey's social and educational philosophy was more radical than many commentators realized. For instance, Dewey's vocal criticisms of vocational education combined an unwavering commitment to democratic principles with an institutional understanding of class privilege. Separate vocational tracks or vocational high schools, argued Dewey, would solidify class divisions in the society: those who believe in the continued existence of what they are pleased to call the ''lower classes'' or the ''laboring classes'' would naturally rejoice to have schools in which these classes would be segregated. And some employers of labor would doubtless rejoice to have schools, supported by public taxation, supply them with additional food for their mills. (MW 7, 102) 1 Even though Dewey was himself a proponent of some forms of vocational education, he was opposed to ''training for narrow industrial efficiency'' (MW 7, 102). ''The kind of vocational educational in which I am interested,'' he said, ''is not one that will adapt workers to the existing industrial regime; I am not sufficiently in love with the regime for that'' (MW 8, 412). Instead, Dewey's preferred versions of vocational education focused upon ''the development of such intelligent initiative, ingenuity, and executive capacity as shall make workers, as far as they may be, the masters of their industrial fate'' (MW 8, 411). Such schooling would prepare students to act as knowledgeable citizens in a democracy, partly by including ''instruction in the historic background of present conditions; training in science to give intelligence and initiative in dealing with material and agencies of production; and study of economics, civics, and politics'' (MW 9, 328). 2

The Fire This Time: The Insurrection of American Public Education Is Being Fueled by Racism, 2023

In recent years, a disturbing trend has been emerging within American public education — a surge of racist ideologies and practices that undermine the goal of creating inclusive and equitable learning environments. From anti CRT bills to anti DEI legislation- this insurrection has rolled back years of progress. The insurrection of public education is fueled by racism within schools and has far-reaching consequences that perpetuate systemic racism and hinder the progress towards a truly just society. Several incidents and policy decisions across the country serve as evidence of this vitriol permeating our education system.

2019

In the United States, the difference between various racial groups in terms of educational attainment is an issue often debated among scholars of race and education alike. After the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the public education system followed the trend of treating people of different races living in the US as "separate but equal." In 1954, when Brown v. Board of Education (1954) was settled, racial segregation in public schools was deemed unconstitutional. However, despite the nominal desegregation of public schools in the US, the transition to equality is not complete to this day. This article examines recent data gathered on the education of different racial and ethnic groups in the US, including rates of college enrollment and completion among them. The aim of the study is to show that racism remains an issue in the American public education system for three main reasons: inexperienced teachers, little access to higher-level science subjects, and high punishment and dropout rates among racial and ethnic minorities. These disadvantages are significant, as their impact extends to the post-secondary education of racial minorities, thus creating a deficit on the job market as well. Considering that the share of racial and ethnic minorities in the American education system has risen above 50% and is growing steadily, the nation and the government must take steps to avoid creating a system which only serves a minority of students and finally solve the problem of racism in US schools.

Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 2006

2018

Teaching students about race and racism is so multi-faceted and complex, yet it remains the most pivotal conversation and lesson to have with young people to empower them. One of the effective ways Americans can attempt to unravel and transform this complex legacy is to make it a part of a school’s curriculum. Allowing race and racism to remain a hidden-aspect of a school’s curriculum reinforces its trivialization and dysfunction. Indeed, having constructed, well-thought-out lessons about race and racism “myth-bust” any attempts for future Americans to continually embrace xenophobia and genetic inferiority. In recent years, the institution of education and schooling has shown progress changing young people’s mindsets toward the LGBTQ community, diverse learners, and disabled citizens. Why has this slowly occurred with changing people’s ideologues when dealing with race and racism? It is because educators, typically, find it difficult to broach this sensitive subject within their sch...

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2015

Drawing from Omi and Winant's (1994) racial formation theory and Holt's (1995) theory of race marking, in this chapter, we explore the context of race and curriculum for African Americans during post-Reconstruction and the post-civil rights era. Our inquiry focused on the racial discourses located in two sources of curricula knowledge: children's literature and U.S. history textbooks. In this analysis, we illustrate how the presence of race aligned with ideological beliefs about race that were prevalent in the wider societal discourse. We argue that the histories of race have maintained a permanent, enduring place in U.S. curriculum. While morphing in content and appearance, formations of race remained entrenched and pervasive, thus reflecting the condition we characterize as the enduring racisms of U.S. curriculum.