After long periods of military dictatorships, civil wars, and economic instability, Latin America has changed face, and become the foremost region for counter-hegemonic processes. This book seeks to address contemporary paradigms of education and learning in Latin America. Although the production of knowledge in the region has long been subject to imperial designs and disseminated through educational systems, recent interventions - from liberation theology, popular education, and critical literacy to postcolonial critique and decolonial options - have sought to shift the geography of reason. Over the last decades, several Latin American communities have countered this movement by forming some of the most dynamic and organised forms of resistance: from the landless movements in Brazil to the Zapatistas in the Chiapas region of Mexico, from the indigenous social movements in Bolivia to Venezuela's Chavistas, to mention but a few. The central question to be addressed is how, in times of historical ruptures, political reconstructions, and epistemic formations, the production of paradigms rooted in 'other' logics, cosmologies, and realities may renegotiate and redefine concepts of education, learning, and knowledge. Consequently, this book transcends disciplinary, epistemological, and methodological boundaries in education and learning by engagement with 'other' paradigms. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Lifelong Education.

Hardbound. This book brings together for the first time the most current research about the academic effects and policy implications of the school reform known as parental choice. The topic of choice in education is discussed in terms of why, when, where and how, if at all, it should be implemented. The contents are fourteen original papers written by scholars from Israel, UK, the United States and Canada and brings together the empirical studies of school choice examined in an international context.

Pinar documents that the field of curriculum studies in the United States is in the early stages of a second paradigm shift, this time stimulated by present political circumstances. He explains why their acceptance in contemporary scholarship signals their conceptual exhaustion and how recent work in the field begins to surpass them.

This book explores reforms to young adults' schooling that mobilise capital friendly learning-and-earning (l'earning) webs. It argues that deschooling l'earning builds young adults' commitment to modern modes of capital accumulation, gives insights into how they can secure their future, and reassures them that this can serve the common good.

The chapters in this volume illustrate the ways in which U.S. sociologists of education continue to plumb the depths of fundamental questions about how schools are organized and consequences of school organization for students and teachers. These studies present new ideas and/or findings in an engaging way, and they attempt to enlarge the audience for sociological research on education. Perhaps even more importantly, however, they generate a host of questions that warrant sustained inquiry by our community. If these authors lead us to think in new ways or to ask new questions, their efforts will have been well-rewarded.

This book combines information communication technology (ICT) with the creative interdisciplinary teaching approach known as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It introduces STEM and Creative Education and shows (through examples and creative activities) the importance and impact that ICT has for STEM and modern education. The book describes the audio visual classroom, the use of the Internet, Social Networking and STEM and provides STEM lessons for both the real and virtual worlds. Instructors will find this unique textbook to be very useful with students, of various ages, in creative education and engineering classes. This special book offers something for everyone. It serves as a guide for teachers in charge of science fairs and creative classes, especially those which require STEM education. It also includes activities to help develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills and prepares students who plan to become teachers and mentors of the future. Readers in general can simultaneously enjoy and learn about ICT's impact on STEM and modern education. In addition, e-learning designers and administrators who want to introduce e-learning systems into their organizations can refer to this book as a reference and a resource. The book complements most e-learning and ICT education books which generally focus too much on technical issues.

Although the social reality is stark for progressive scholars who engage in scholarly activities or are committed to guiding their students to develop a social-just praxis in the circles of higher education, some scholars have found fissures amid the alienating, often hostile academic world to learn, grow, and create transformative communities. Up to this date, however, their stories have not been captured. Therefore, the purpose of this volume is to highlight alternative narratives generated by transformative scholars who have maintained their oppositional identity to the structures that oppress the vast majority of citizens. By bringing together these narratives, we focus on those who have joined with likeminded colleagues to teach, engage in activism, and conduct emancipatory forms of research, learning to negotiate and survive academic and corporate realities in spite of restrictive climates. Not only are these stories vital for helping students, academics, and the wider community understand how commercialized forces are impacting the professional lives of critical scholars in the academy, they have the power to help current and future critical pedagogues define (and redefine) themselves in a social world which is continually "promoting a narrow and intellectually stifling agenda for the role of education and turning the public against the very idea of a critical education" (McLaren, 2006). As stated by Bruner (1986) stories give "a map of possible roles and possible worlds in which action, thought, and self-definition are possible (or desirable)" (p. 2, cited in Collins & Cooper, 2005). These possibilities for definition and redefinition are what we seek to present, explore and understand.

The global economic meltdown has highlighted the interconnectedness of nations. This book seeks to provide an overview of topics, issues, and best practices related to defining social justice leadership given our increasingly global world. Refugees and immigrants from around the globe now inhabit schools and institutions of higher education across the nation and US students, teachers, and leaders are traversing international boarders both physically and virtually through international collaboration, technology, and exchange programs. Although there have been increased efforts and scholarship in support of diversity and multicultural awareness, these efforts have largely focused on the US. We acknowledge that many leadership theories are "domestic" in that they typically incorporate US perspectives or a single-culture description of effective leadership. This book provides a deeper understanding of diverse and multicultural perspectives as they relate to a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected economically, socially, and culturally. Particular attention is paid to providing specific strategies for social justice leaders working in PK-12 and/or higher education, and leadership preparation programs to promote effective leadership that reflects multicultural understanding of the diversity both within and outside the US. Within the context of leadership practice, internationalization offers new insights and ideas about leadership aims, processes, and competencies as a means for addressing equity concerns throughout PK-20 education.

This text for preservice and in-service teacher education courses shows how schools can educate girls and promote their positive self-esteem at the same time. Its purpose is to help teachers facilitate the development of gender-equitable schools and classrooms. Taking a feminist developmental approach, the text draws on an interdisciplinary knowledge base, synthesizing research from psychology, anthropology, sociology, and education. While it is rooted in scholarly research, the focus is on clarifying the connection between theory and practice, with an emphasis on practical applications. The text is organized in two sections--"Growth and Development" and "Teaching and Learning"--and includes a variety of engaging pedagogical features. Underscoring the need for teachers, school administrators, and parents to become aware of the intersection of development and education, Educating Young Adolescent Girls: *combines gender, growth, and development; *demonstrates how schooling can facilitate the total development of young adolescent girls; and *addresses a multiplicity of issues, including adolescent girls of color and young adolescents girls' sexuality.

Hardbound. Research on collaborative learning is currently a very popular topic in education, psychology and computer science. In recent years, educational research has attempted to determine under what circumstances collaborative learning is more effective than learning alone, and more recently, numerous studies have focused on computer-mediated collaborative learning. In psychology, interest in collaborative learning is related to the emergence of new theories such as 'shared cognition' and 'distributed cognition'. These theories move away from the view traditionally held in cognitive science according to which human cognition is bound inside individual heads. The word 'collaboration' is also used very frequently in computer science to describe the interactions among artificial agents. The term has often been used rather loosely in the different research communities: this book is a contribution towards refining and operationalizing the concept.

This book is unique in the sweep of issues it considers and the way it integrates them under one general philosophical perspective. Vital reading for philosophers of education, educational researchers and social science methodologists.

The Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori (1870-1952) is best known for the teaching method that bears her name. She was also a lifelong pacifist, although historians tend to consider her writings on this topic as secondary to her pedagogy. In The Best Weapon for Peace, Erica Moretti reframes Montessori's pacifism as the foundation for her educational activism, emphasizing her vision of the classroom as a gateway to reshaping society. Montessori education offers a child-centered learning environment that cultivates students' development as peaceful, curious, and resilient adults opposed to war and invested in societal reform. Using newly discovered primary sources, Moretti examines Montessori's lifelong pacifist work, including her ultimately unsuccessful push for the creation of the White Cross, a humanitarian organization for war-affected children. Moretti shows that Montessori's educational theories and practices would come to define chilren's rights once adopted by influential international organizations, including the United Nations. She uncovers the significance of Montessori's evolving philosophy of peace and early childhood education within broader conversations about internationalism and humanitarianism.

21st Century education is at the cross-roads. It can continue to be defined by a narrow scope, benefiting the median student who can muster moments of brilliance assisted by the technology he or she so easily wields, or it can salvage what was deemed noble by tradition and merge them with the modernistic tools and educational innovations of the new century. Education has reached a point where its students and parents have either seen the limitations of the system and accepted them, or have forged some external responses to them. These retorts can be seen in the following manifestations: the rise of after- school athletics, where sports are now played that have been deemed too aggressive for school, the explosion of tutoring centres who are capitalizing on the fact that process has been a small part of the curriculum and rudimentary skills are overshadowed by what can be best described as educational pulp, and finally, the growth of the independent/private schools and home schooling, where total abdication from public systems has come to rest. Comic books, robotics, industrial arts, instrumental music, cooking, camping, fine art, and other genuine experiential initiatives need to be examined by today's schools. The empty promises of video games and their ethereal claim to genuine experience has produced a significant student body that is resigned to mediocrity, and virtual encounters that provide neither the authentic feeling of victory, nor the reviled sting of true defeat. Students are looking for the genuine, in their teachers, lessons, and activities. 21st Century education by comic book or by hook will rest in the power of professional dynamism and the authentic teaching of practice, process, and prolonged proficiency.

Many scholars have documented and decried the "crisis" in American masculinity. There is a preponderance of evidence showing that males suffer from many physical, emotional, and social ills due to the gender scripts with which they were raised and which continue to govern men's lives. Throughout the millennia and across cultures, initiation rites of passage have been utilized as an effective means of transitioning young males into manhood. Modern culture suffers from a dearth of rites of passage leaving many boys stuck in puerile attitudes and behaviors and unable to make a wholesome transition into mature masculinity. Crossing into Manhood is a much needed guide on assisting late-adolescent boys' transition into manhood; it proposes a school-based curriculum and rite of passage paradigm to help young men make the difficult passage into manhood. Utilizing resources from diverse academic disciplines, this book surveys the psychoanalytic, the social constructionist, and the essentialist perspectives on masculine gender. As a result, a men's studies curriculum has been formulated-one that offers a balanced bio-psycho-social conceptualization of masculine identity. "Dr. Chris Mason's deftly reasoned and inspiring book arrives at a propitious time for all those who care about boys and their education ... The intellectual harvest of a seasoned and experienced educator with a deep wisdom about boys and schools, Chris Mason's book is an important contribution to that growing body of thinking about practice. It deserves close reading." - Bradley Adams, Executive Director, International Boys' Schools Coalition

Are American schools socially just institutions? Using the methods of political philosopher John Rawls, this book answers this question by arguing for four principles that express the basic purposes that Americans hold for their schools principles of Personal Liberty, Democracy, Equal Opportunity, and Economic Growth. These principles are then used to analyze current controversies in American education policy and practice about curriculum content, instructional methods, education standards, civic education, control of schools, and school finance. It concludes that in each arena prevailing practice falls to attain Americans' political ideals for their schools and suggests strategies for remedying that failure.

This inviting book is a bridge between two major strands of reading instruction that are often held in opposition: the science of reading and artful approaches to teaching reading. Although the current climate of literacy instruction positions these approaches as diametrically opposed, the authors Young, Paige, and Rasinski describe how teachers can use the science of reading to engage students in artful, engaging, and authentic instruction. The authors reveal how effective teaching is a dynamic process that requires agency and creativity and show how teachers make artful shifts based on the needs of students in specific contexts. Chapters include a range of examples and explanations of how artful teaching is integrated into reading instruction and how it can increase students' motivation and positive attitudes toward reading. The concise and practical chapters cover key topics, including phonemic awareness, reading fluency, vocabulary, assessment, home and family reading, and more. This essential road map for all pre-service and in-service reading teachers restores the importance of teacher agency, supports the critical understanding of reading research, and allows teachers to use their knowledge, experience, and creative approaches in the classroom. This is the definitive guide to teaching reading as both an art and a science.

Dewey is known for education theories to promote democracy, but what is democracy for? His philosophy advanced democracy as education itself, reaching higher levels of social intelligence. Praising community or promoting rights doesn't get to the heart of Dewey's vision, which seeks everyone's good in a social life that is intelligently lived.

This book convincingly argues that effective culturally responsive pedagogies require teachers to firstly undertake a critical deconstruction of Self in relation to and with the Other; and secondly, to take into account how power affects the socio-political, cultural and historical contexts in which the education relation takes place. The contributing authors are from a range of diaspora, indigenous, and white mainstream communities, and are united in their desire to challenge the hegemony of Eurocentric education and to create new educational spaces that are more socially and environmentally just. In this venture, the ideal education process is seen to be inherently critical and intercultural, where mainstream and marginalized, colonized and colonizer, indigenous and settler communities work together to decolonize selves, teacher-student relationships, pedagogies, the curriculum and the education system itself. This book will be of great interest and relevance to policy-makers and researchers in the field of education; teacher educators; and pre- and in-service teachers.

This book summarizes structural, reproduction, and resistance theories of education and provides a social research approach to problems of social inequity. It analyzes how these perspectives contribute to the political analysis of the production of early school departures and the consequent disadvantages and poverty. Fagan follows a deconstructive approach to research methodology that presents a text in which real characters and events are brought to life. Dublin working-class kids speak for themselves, tell their stories, and discuss their futures openly. They describe their schooling and their colorful responses to situations that seemed meaningless or demeaning when they were in school. They share their insecurities about the future and their experiences with poverty and unemployment outside the mainstream of middle-class society. As a unique contribution to cultural studies and a rare ethnographic glimpse of Irish urban society, this study establishes a model in educational and sociological research.

Explains how the study of poetry, by providing experiences similar to those produced by poetry therapy, can help students discover themselves and develop their potential to effect change in the world.

"This book describes the process and outcomes of a collaborative, interdisciplinary research project on early child development. The project was interdisciplinary and collaborative in two ways. First, it included research from pediatrics, social work, community planning, landscape architecture, psychology, sociology, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, women's studies and Indigenous studies. Second, all of the ten studies were partnerships between university-based researchers and community-based professionals. The book describes the rules or formal guidelines which guided our work; the rituals which provided opportunities for meaningful interaction among the research teams; and the practical realities we faced in terms of time, space and money to keep the project moving"--

This new collection highlights the experiences of an international group of educators as they explore the art of teaching, the philosophy of learning, and the tensions of working across socially constructed borders.

Social Justice and Educational Measurement addresses foundational concerns at the interface of standardized testing and social justice in American schools. Following John Rawls's philosophical methods, Stein builds and justifies an ethical framework for guiding practices involving educational measurement. This framework demonstrates that educational measurement can both inhibit and ensure just educational arrangements. It also clarifies a principled distinction between efficiency-oriented testing and justice-oriented testing. Through analysis of several historical case studies that exemplify ethical issues related to testing, this book explores and propounds speculative design principles and arguments in favour of radically democratic school reforms, which address how the future of testing might be shaped to ensure justice for all. These case studies cover the widespread use of IQ-style testing in schools during the early decades of the 20th century; the founding of the Educational Testing Service; and the recent history of test-based accountability associated with No Child Left Behind. Social Justice and Educational Measurement will be essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in education, testing and assessment, and the philosophy of education. It will also be of interest to policymakers and educational administrators.

This book investigates the process of care in mathematics teaching. The author proposes transformative educational spaces in which learning mathematics, rather than consisting of a repetitive grind of exercises and facts, can become a part of learner identity. This book describes examples of mathematics teachings in a wide range of contexts and pedagogies, coordinated to identify common features where care for mathematical learning and thinking is combined with care for learners. Along with detailing caring mathematics education practices in alternative spaces, the author demonstrates similar practices alive even with the current mainstream spaces of acquisition and performance. Care is integrated through listening, and developing responsive and trusting relationships. It will be of interest to scholars of mathematics education, as well as pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher educators.