Rethinking Schools

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WHITE PAPER

RETHINKING SCHOOLS:

ENACTING A VISION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE WITHIN THE U.S. EDUCATION SYSTEM w w w . i a o . o r g

Table of Contents 1

Executive Summary

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Introduction a. Teacher Education and Social Justice

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Conceptual Framework

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Study

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Findings a. Concept 1: “I want them to be able to see. I want them to understand all sides.” b. Concept 2: “I want to make change. I want to see something different.” c. Concept 3: ”We should all respect and treat each other fairly.” d. Concept 4: “I teach them [my students] that their actions have consequences.”

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Results & Conclusion

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About IAO

Executive Summary The need to induct social justice within our education systems has never been greater. With students from diverse backgrounds, with relation to differences in economic and social class, (not to mention, religious differences) coming together, it has become imperative for them to inculcate within themselves tolerance and respect for people coming from different cultures and possessing different viewpoints and opinions.

This study aims to underscore that need by first focusing on the current status of our education systems with regard to social justice oriented programs, teachers’ training of such subjects and the manner in which they are prepared to tackle various challenges in the student/classroom environment and then talking about the measures through which teachers can be guided in order to seamlessly integrate the concept of social justice in a structured curriculum.

The study makes use of group discussions, interviews and informal and unstructured chats followed by observations of teachers aiming to implement their theories related to social justice into practice. It gives the reader insight into the different challenges faced by teachers while aiming to incorporate social justice into the curriculum and focuses on the possible solutions in order to help teachers navigate through such obstacles and ultimately achieve their goals.

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Executive Summary

Introduction The world is changing - the lines between cultures and ethnicities have blurred and now, more and more people belonging to diverse backgrounds are coming together to learn about each other and their surroundings. Such developments have given rise to the now popular term, ‘global village’ with people from every country joining hands and striving towards one common goal; sustainable development.

Thus our political offices, our corporate organizations and our universities are now sporting multicultural groups with individuals possessing different mindsets, opinions and values.

Teacher Education and Social Justice In the face of such demographic trends, it has therefore become imperative for teachers to teach for social Justice. Ruchi Agarwal-Rangnath Ed.D. from San Francisco State University in her article, ‘Perceiving Possibility in Teaching for Social Justice: Finding Hope without Illusion’ published in The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education, Volume 7 (December 2011), adequately explains the need to teach for social justice: “…an increasingly diverse student population, the gap between students and teachers in terms of lived experiences, and the marked educational disparities in educational opportunities, resources, and achievement among student groups that differ from one another culturally, racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically”. Such teacher education programs play a vital role in stressing upon the importance of social justice, diversity and equality as major concerns. It also involves moving beyond the perfunctory treatment of these issues and tackling them through properly structured teacher education programs that incorporate social justice issues”.

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education System (NCATE) places great significance on preparing high quality teachers for colleges and universities as indicated by the following clause: ‘… evaluate curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn’. While everybody agrees with regard to the importance of inducting social justice issues within the teacher education curriculum and while many educational institutions have even begun to integrate social justice within their teacher education programs, there is little evidence to suggest its practical application and what trained teachers are doing with what they have learned in their teacher education programs. A number of teachers, despite their training, find that they are unable to overcome certain obstacles such as mandated curriculums which restrict them from designing and executing a curriculum that encourages and challenges students to examine and change the world around them. If we are better able to understand the difficulties and challenges faced by such teachers in developing a proper curriculum that centers around social justice and which can help students learn

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Teacher Education and Social Justice

through “prescribed and controlled teaching” (Sleeter, 2007, p. 13), we would be in a much better position to help such teachers and prepare them to triumph over such problems. This study focuses on the common pre-conceived notions that beginning teachers have with regard to social justice-oriented programs and the practices which they ultimately implement in the classroom (or, in the case of online education, in the ‘virtual’ classroom). Our study centers around the following three questions: What do beginning teachers think of the social justice curriculum?

Do many teachers include social justice issues into their practice and if yes, then how?

What support or obstacles do such teachers encounter in the execution of social justice in the virtual/traditional classroom?

Conceptual Framework In order to better understand the dynamics of social justice, we equate the term with ‘social reconstructionist’ – an approach that challenges students to work towards a more ‘humane’ society (Sleeter & Grant, 2009, p. 190). Advocates of this theory hope to enable students to rebuild society so that everyone possessing different abilities, coming from different backgrounds and having different sexual orientations can have a chance at making a better life for themselves. Redefining social justice is necessary so that teachers can question and even attempt to alter the current educational system in order to bring about a structure that serves a larger number of students belonging to culturally and economically diverse backgrounds, not to mention, students with special needs. It enables them to “develop and enact academically rigorous curriculum that is relevant to the increasingly racially and ethnically diverse student population and bolsters the learning and achievement of all students in the classroom” (Cochran-Smith, 2004; Haberman, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1994, Sleeter, 2005; Zeichner, 2003); and “challenge students to be active participants in our democratic society” (Oakes & Lipton, 2003; Nieto, 2000). In essence, the above perspectives adequately describe that teachers who have undergone training cannot let themselves become a part of a system that encourages injustice.

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Teacher Education and Social Justice

Study In order to analyze the various challenges faced by teachers in training and to deduce the correct methods which teachers enacting social justice in the teacher education curriculum can make use of, we are going to refer to a case study conducted by Ruchi Agarwal-Rangnath, Ed.D. from San Francisco State University for her research paper, ‘Perceiving Possibility in Teaching for Social Justice: Finding Hope without Illusion’.

In the study, information was collected through interviews (conducted at both the beginning and the end of the year), formal observations, collaborative group discussions, continuous visits to the teacher’s classroom in an effort to observe their teaching methods. This practice was conducted over a year’s period and made use of multiple scenarios as case studies.

Questions revolved around the teachers’ understanding of social justice, how it could be executed within the education system and curriculum and what factors influenced their perception or understanding of it. A number of questions asked were also aimed at finding out whether such teachers’ expectations regarding the implementation of social justice within the education system has been fully carried out or whether there was still much to be desired on that front.

Through interviews, group discussions, informal chats and observations of teachers while they taught in the classroom, the study aimed at determining the different obstacles faced by teachers when trying to attain their goal of incorporating social justice into the curriculum. At the end of it all, they were all asked whether they believed they were successful in accomplishing their goals and to identify the challenges they faced in doing so in an environment that involved high-stakes testing and accountability.

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Study

Findings From the data, Ruchi Agarwal was able to find numerous cases where teachers struggled with challenges present in their environment and the opportunities they availed when they tried to implement the concept of social justice within the curriculum. In order to facilitate our understanding regarding the different concepts teachers have before embarking on their experience of becoming social reconstructionists and to what extent they are satisfied, we are going to tackle each concept individually and focus on the challenges faced, the efforts made as a result of it and the eventual change in perception (if any) with regard to the concept of the enactment of social justice in teacher education curriculums.

Concept 1:

“I want them to be able to see. I want them to understand all sides” The above statement denotes the desire to inculcate within students the ability to see both sides of the coin; to emerge out of their protective bubbles, take off their rose-tinted glasses and take a look around them so that they can notice the various injustices taking place and draw fair conclusions, not to mention, take action. Many teachers interviewed, who expressed their aspiration to accomplish the abovementioned objective, also talked about their concerns regarding the obvious social injustices ever present within their surroundings.

These included concerns related to poverty, (“why the poorest communities were predominately African American”), and injustice (“the injustices within certain communities”). Such teachers saw their effort as being part of a greater struggle towards making a difference and changing society’s mindset towards these unjust acts. All of them aimed towards equipping students with the necessary skills to perform well in their chosen fields, all within the boundaries of enacting a social justice-oriented curriculum.

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Findings

Such conceptions expressed by the teachers who were interviewed revolved around opening students’ minds towards different schools of thought, varying opinions and diverse viewpoints and explore issues that are currently plaguing our society. This involved having classroom discussions about trending issues and making it a ‘two-way street’ by letting everyone have their say so that others get to hear different outlooks towards similar situations and then, ultimately, be encouraged to think of alternate ways of looking at circumstances. In their belief, students should be challenged to think deeper and to not accept what the media, their friends or their parents tell them, but rather make an effort to think for themselves so that they are able to ‘see’.

Activities such as the ones described above are greatly tied towards classroom community – many teachers believe that if a student is made to feel comfortable in the classroom environment then he/she would be more willing to express his/her opinions or viewpoints regarding certain issues without the fear of being judged or ridiculed. By doing so, students are then able to pave the way for proper discussion to take place and for their fellow students to participate so that different points of view are presented. However, in spite of some teachers having a clear plan of integrating social justice within their curriculum, many of them faced difficulty when it came to the practical application of their theories.

Many complained that one of the main problems that they faced during their enactment of social justice within the classroom was the issue of time; a number of teachers felt they needed more time to come up with a fully structured and well planned format of execution for a social justice oriented program in order for them to achieve their goals of helping students attain knowledge of social justice. Most teachers, by the end of the year, found themselves redefining their concepts of social justice and negotiating them in order to find a version that could be translated into practice.

The conclusion that many teachers drew as a result of the problems that they faced was to attempt to set aside a separate period of time each day in order to fulfill their commitments. A number of teachers felt no hesitation in saying that unless they made the effort to forcefully include social justice within their curriculum through classroom sessions, then it might never happen, thus making many teachers ultimately lose out on achieving their objective of becoming social justice educators.

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Findings

Concept 2: “I want to make change. I want to see something different” This concept was mostly prevalent in teachers who were people of color and who, as a result of negative experiences during their own school years, rose up and decided to take the bull by the horns and work towards the integration of social justice within the education system. Such teachers, while teaching, heavily drew upon their own personal experiences in order to set an example for their students and to motivate them that, indeed, they too have a chance at making a better life while beating the odds.

Teachers pertaining to this particular concept of social justice had a desire to motivate students so that they could enhance their self-worth. This involved accepting their shortcomings and shifting their focus towards the strengths and qualities that they possessed. All this was done so that students gained the confidence they needed to raise their voices against possible injustices taking place within their society.

During their mission to encourage students to raise their voices against various injustices and to make a difference, many teachers encountered hindrances in the form of behavioral issues on behalf of the students.

Teachers interviewed claimed that they found themselves spending more time rectifying the behavior of such students, teaching them how to communicate and how to respect their fellow being’s differences and set of values. Additionally, the curriculum given to teachers did not constitute a plan for social justice teaching, thus making it even more difficult for them to formulate a plan for social justice oriented education within the classroom. A number of teachers, as a result of this, decided to adopt the ‘wait and see’ method by postponing their commitments regarding this subject and instead focusing on other issues.

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Findings

Concept 3: “We should all respect and treat each other fairly�

Teachers following this concept came from backgrounds where they did not have much exposure to people belonging to different races, classes, religions and ethnicities but had an interest in social justice as a result of their educational and travel experiences. As a result of such experiences, they were able to develop respect for people belonging to different cultures and thus wanted their students to develop the same level of respect for people who are different.

The motive of such teachers when it came to enacting social justice within the classroom was to make students aware of each other’s differences and have them accept the fact that everyone came from different social and economic backgrounds, but that we should all try and respect them for who they are.

In order to facilitate the practical application of this concept, many teachers constructed intentional learning environments that involved students coming together and working towards a common goal. This stemmed from the idea that since we all live in one society, therefore we should try and work together towards the common goal of improving our society. Many applications included making students understand that although many of them came from different backgrounds, yet, all had the capacity to feel sad or happy or scared or angry. Therefore, we should not treat anyone differently or with disrespect.

As far as challenges faced by this particular group of teachers are c rned, when they attempted to enact social justice teachings within the classroom environment, they faced the same issue; time. They complained that the structure provided to them did not have room for social justice teachings, therefore teachers had to put in a lot of effort for the curriculum to contain relevant social justice oriented content.

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Findings

Concept 4: “I teach them [my students] that their actions have consequences” This concept explored a different aspect of social justice, specifically the will to change the course of one’s life. Most of the teachers possessing this belief had rough childhoods where they were forced to grow up quickly and to take charge of their life. As a result, they believed that if they managed to make life better for themselves, so can everybody else. All they have to do is know they can.

Much of this practice involved teaching students where they currently stood in society and how to change it. It also involved encouraging student discussions that made students aware of the class hierarchy in society. However, the challenge in this regard was to make sure how to do so without making them feel de-motivated or discouraged. Another problem that many teachers faced with regard to social justice oriented education programs was to figure out whether to try and integrate social justice into the curriculum as a separate lesson or into everything that the teachers did as an attempt to mould students to become better individuals.

One of the major obstacles that teachers encountered during their social justice oriented teacher education programs was the kinds of backgrounds that students participating in the program came from. Many came from broken homes, single parents households and even foster homes, which are starkly different from the lives that the teachers have led, thus making it difficult for either party to relate to social justice. Therefore, teachers suddenly found that the initial concept of helping students change the trajectory of their lives no longer applied and that students could hardly be expected to learn a life lesson from such teachings. Thus, for many teachers, teaching for social justice turned out to be much more complex than previously thought.

What many teachers thought would be a classroom scenario that encouraged harmony between students of diverse backgrounds ended up being an experience which mostly involved conducting structured tests and rectifying the behavior of students. As a result of that, many teachers had to change their initial belief of how social justice can be implemented in the classroom and instead focus on teaching students how to make better choices for themselves. This also involved making them aware of ‘consequences’ and ‘repercussions’ of certain actions along with cause and effect via connecting them with behavioral issues present in the classroom environment. Many teachers believed that this could be related to social justice.

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Findings

Results & Conclusion All cases presented teachers who were committed towards promoting the cause for social justice and who viewed teaching as less of a job and more of an enlightening experience that involved meeting people from different backgrounds and serving as a role model to them in order to help them achieve their highest potentials and ultimately make their society a better place to live in. These cases also highlighted the various challenges ever present in the classroom environment that teachers faced while teaching a social justice oriented teacher education program and how, in many circumstances, teachers would be forced to redefine or shift their concepts of how social justice should be put into practice as a result of restrictions posed by today’s education system. Many raised concerns over the issue of time and the ability to teach social justice within an already crowded curriculum. In all cases, teachers concluded that social justice was something that could not be made a part of the current or existing curriculum prevalent in many of today’s schools and universities and that it would have to be taught as a separate discipline or as something that was outside the curriculum. However, doing so would require a lot of time and effort spent in studying the various dynamics related to social justice, prepare standardized tests and plan and implement lessons with social justice content. That could turn out to be highly overwhelming for teachers. Therefore, if teachers found a way to inculcate social justice oriented lessons within the mandated curriculum, it would make things much easier as they would have been able to meet the requirements of school/university administration policies as well as uphold their social justice commitments.

This however poses several questions. How does one ensure social justice occupies a space within the education system that consists of mostly mandated curriculums and test preparations and what does that mean in terms of the implicit messages that teachers may be teaching to their students? How can teachers alter a curriculum such that it includes lessons that are social justice oriented? How can teachers be encouraged to broaden their horizons related to various inequalities particularly those related to race, class and religion? Moreover, what measures can teacher educators take to ensure that the concepts and beliefs that such teachers have towards teaching social justice in the classroom are not altered to an extent that they are forced to conform to standardized teaching procedures?

In order for more able teachers to come to the forefront of social justice teaching, research related to “the impacts of teacher preparation, entry into teaching, and the conditions that support and constrain teacher effectiveness” (Cochran-Smith, 2004, p. 156) is needed. There are very few studies out there that focus on teachers utilizing their training and knowledge related to social justice teaching in the classroom. As a result, there has been virtually no documentation on whether the practical application of social justice oriented teaching has brought about any positive results or not. Such data can help teacher educators to better navigate the difficult journey of social justice teaching.

In the end, by listing down the various challenges and obstacles faced by teachers involved in teacher education programs for social justice, one can hope to “generate authentic internal and external dialogues among educators who mine the educational discourse in search of texts that offer guidance for teaching for a more socially just world” (Duncan-Andrade & Morrell, 2008, p. 2).

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Results & Conclusion

The current outlook presents a rather bleak picture for social justice oriented teacher education programs.

Not only do teachers face problems when trying to figure out a way to effectively translate their theory of social justice into practical application in the classroom but also, many teachers may carry with them certain pre-conceived notions that may prevent them from transforming the existing education landscape and motivating students to make a difference and bring about change.

Following are three issues that plague the social justice curricula in today’s education systems: - Grappling with Uncertainty Teachers may be put in positions where they may have to figure out a middle path between meeting administration’s demands and developing a curriculum that adheres to social justice principles.

Uncertainty may compel teachers to move in either of two directions; they may take this up as an opportunity or challenge and aim to change the status quo or they may become overwhelmed with stress and anxiety and ultimately submit themselves to the standard. If teacher educators prepare teachers for such uncertain and ambiguous programs, they would be in a much better position to tackle possible problems that they will face during their experience.

- Connecting the Abstract to the Concrete As teacher educators committed to social justice, it is important to provide teachers with an understanding of how to translate their theory into practice, more specifically, explaining the methods of connecting the abstract with the concrete. As Cochran-Smith (2004) asserts, “Beginning teachers need to have a chance to see and hear over time how their more experienced mentors, or those joined in the same commitment construct problems, wrestle with uncertainty, change their minds about long-established practices or assumptions” (p. 16). Teachers looking to induct social justice in their curriculum could rely on their predecessors to share advice about their experiences when it comes to translating what they have learned into practice within a social reconstructionist framework.

-Perceiving Possibility Since much of the above research indicates teachers’ issues with time, now there are more systems being introduced by schools and universities in order to facilitate teachers’ entry into the profession. These are designed to help teachers meet the administration’s expectations. For example, a mentor may help a teacher set up her classroom, create a scope-and-sequence chart, and/or construct an assessment that will help her to see which standards her students are meeting.

From discussions around curriculum reform, teachers may learn how other teachers grapple with uncertainty, infuse social justice content into a standards-based curriculum, and find the space to teach for social justice. Moreover, teachers will see how other teachers deconstruct and redesign curriculum so that students and teacher engage in conversations that examine the social structure of society and critically examine and challenge systemic inequities.

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Results & Conclusion

About IAO Accreditation and educational quality assurance are essential factors that complete the educational ecosystem. While regional accreditation bodies have dutifully evaluated education providers on a regional scale; a body to recognize and accredit education providers on an international scale was needed in the wake of growing globalization. With more students studying at Educational Institutions or working for companies outside their home country, it was imperative to create standards that are both regionally and internationally recognized and accepted.

To accomplish the challenge, IAO created a unique Points Profile System by organizing the best global practices in education in one place. IAO gathered educational quality assurance standards from around in world in collaboration with various regional accreditation bodies and created evaluation criteria, that works as a general basis of evaluation for any education provider, regardless of its regional location. The core focus of the Points Profile System is to work as an additional international accreditation for education providers that will supplement their regional accreditation.

The Points Profile System is a dynamic and evolving system that is continually updated in order to cater new developments in the academic world. In relation to this, IAO is also working upon a Points Profile System for students on an individual level that will increase individual acceptability and recognition of students in both educational sector and the employer market.

IAO owes its success to its strong network and team of accreditation professionals spread in over 25 countries around the world. IAO has also collaborated with regional accreditation bodies to supplement their strict accreditation methods with its expertise of standardizing the educational environment internationally. IAO’s expertise and services are also recognized by different global accreditation associations.

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About IAO

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