(2009). Race as a Social Construct: The Impact on Education. Forum on Public Policy Online, v2009 n1. Today as part of the network of globalization, the United States is trailing through the 21st century on the note of an unfinished past. As a legally segregated entity of United States citizenry from 1896-1954, people of African descent largely would be on their own when it came to creating a positive self-image. Those who genuinely sought to contribute to a climate for change and growth were hopeful that experimentation with democracy at the expense of Africans in the United States eventually would cease. When the Supreme Court "Plessy v. Ferguson" (1896) ruling that had rendered "separate but equal" was overturned with "Brown v. Board of Education-Topeka, KS" (1954), the latter opinion for the majority informed desegregation relative to education would go forward "with all deliberate speed." Given those deliberately throwing roadblocks at speed instead of speeding up a process would slow down that process for years to come. In addition to the… [PDF] [PDF]
(2009). The South African Higher Education Transformation Debate: Culture, Identity and "African Ways of Knowing". London Review of Education, v7 n1 p3-15 Mar. Following the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994, there has been a strong drive towards democratising education at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary. The present paper examines some of the key ideas in the debate around transformation in higher education in South Africa, namely the notions of an African essence, culture and identity, as well as African knowledge systems. It contends that neither the idea of the "essence of Africa" nor an emphasis on "African culture and identity" constitutes an appropriate theoretical framework for conceptualising change in higher educational thought and practice in South Africa, the major problems turning on issues around essentialism and cultural relativism. Similarly, the post-colonialist and anti-discrimination discourse underpinning "African ways of knowing" is unfortunately riddled with problems, logical and epistemological. While the present contribution is sympathetic to the basic… [Direct]
(2010). Social Work with Children when Parents Have Mental Health Difficulties: Acknowledging Vulnerability and Maintaining the "Rights of the Child". Child Care in Practice, v16 n1 p35-55 Jan. The 40 substantive rights contained within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989, have applied, without discrimination, to all children in the United Kingdom since 1992. However, recurrent tragedies starkly highlight the potential vulnerability of some children when their parents experience mental health difficulties; and many children affected by parental mental illness remain a hidden population, the unique challenges they face going unaddressed. Article 3 of the UNCRC states: "All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child". Social workers occupy a critical position in safeguarding the UN Convention rights of children, particularly in situations where mental illness is having an adverse impact on parenting, and where children are "in need" or "at risk". However, collaboration between Mental Health and Family & Child Care services can be problematic. Poorly-integrated… [Direct]
(1996). Copiii Din Romania Despre Drepturile Omului (Romanian Children about Human Rights). Children's Album. This album addresses how civic education should be taught in Romanian schools. Civic education, like any other form of education, must be gradual and adapted to the specifics of the respective age. The album can be used by any person involved in developing future citizens. The document includes drawings and texts made by students who were apart of the project "Human Rights Education in Romanian Schools." The project consisted of trying out alternative experimental materials in the seventh and eighth grade civic culture classes. The starting point of the project's concept is that of holding "the philosophy of human rights" to be the explicit basis of values and ideas for civic education approaches as well as for establishing a democratic civic culture. The album contains 16 sections: (1) "The Right to Childhood"; (2) "The Right to a Family"; (3) "The Right to Equality"; (4) "The Right to Liberty"; (5) "The Right to…
(2004). Constitutional Values and Human Dignity: Its Value in Education. Perspectives in Education, v22 n3 p1-12 Sep. Human dignity is intrinsic to every human being and is universally recognised as a fundamental right. Under a previous oppressive system, most South Africans had been denied basic human rights, including the right to human dignity. The constitutional negotiations of the 1990s abolished the apartheid system and constituted a sovereign democratic state founded on fundamental values of human dignity, equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Constitutional Court regards human dignity as one of the core constitutional values and has used dignity to establish a moral basis for the application of other fundamental rights (e.g. equality, security of the person and the right to life), and to create a climate in which the values of the Constitution can permeate through the legal system and into society at large…. [Direct]
(1998). Student Forum: Should Health Care be Considered a Human Right?. Update on Law-Related Education, v22 n3 p54-58 Fall. Explains that this student forum provides students with an opportunity to learn more about human rights through role-play and specifically allows them to debate the issue of whether U.S. citizens should have an absolute right to adequate health care. Offers roles for students who intend to share their views in the panel discussion. (CMK)…
(1992). Human Rights in the Classroom: Teaching the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Social Education, v56 n4 p210-12 Apr-May. Discusses the history of human rights and international law deriving from major philosophical trends. Suggests the use of Supreme Court cases dealing with student rights to illustrate to students the philosophical basis of rights relating to their own experience. Emphasizes that rights involve a relationship between individuals and the government and are not absolute. (DK)…
(2008). Early Years Literacy in Indian Urban Schools: Structural, Social and Pedagogical Issues. Language and Education, v22 n5 p237-253. Literacy has been a crucial aspect of education as a human right for over 50 years, but this basic right remains unassured for at least 700 million adults worldwide. In 1999, UNESCO acknowledged that schools are not making the expected contribution to increasing national literacy rates or providing individuals with the literacy skills they need. The relationship between schooling and literacy is an acute issue in India: the absolute numbers of non-literate adults, many of whom have failed to become literate at school, continue to increase; and high proportions of children are not achieving adequately in literacy at school. The paper presents a socially situated examination, drawing in part on collaborative action research, of how a small sample of primary teachers approach literacy teaching and learning in socio-economic contexts of disadvantage. The paper identifies structural, social and pedagogical constraints to effective literacy teaching and learning in schools and in… [Direct]
(2014). From Civil Rights to Human Rights. Sign Language Studies, v15 n1 p10-20 Fall. This article traces the development of the "Deaf President Now" (DPN) movement and its similarities to the black civil rights movement. Movements typically begin with a concrete, precipitating event but are usually the result of known or shared incidents on the part of the participants, and the "Deaf President Now" movement that arose on Gallaudet's campus was like that. For more than a century deaf people had been engaged in improving their status in America. Fights over preserving American Sign Language, building schools, and creating organizations occurred in a world most hearing Americans did not even know existed. The various elements of DPN–students, faculty, staff, alumni–did everything a successful movement must do: they sought support within and outside their own community, they had a strategy. Protests spread to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), demanding better sign language skills for the faculty. In 1996, Dr. Robert Davila was… [Direct]
(2021). Inclusive Leisure Services: Grounded in Social Justice. 5th Edition. Sagamore-Venture The figure presented on the front cover of this book depicts a model for inclusive leisure services grounded in social justice. The model identifies the overall goal of our services–to ensure people experience leisure, as highlighted in the center circle of the figure. Fundamental principles of inclusive leisure services are contained in the shaded circle immediately outside the goal of leisure. Such principles include ethics, inclusion and social justice, leisure, as well as, human and civil rights relevant to leisure involvement. The model also identifies unique challenges associated with selected characteristics. The figure illustrates these considerations by a white circle in the middle of the model. One characteristic is our culture, broadly used to include ethnicity, religion, nationality, and sexual orientation, among other variables. Another consideration is race and the extensiveness of racism locally and globally, influencing all of us every day. Also highlighted is the… [Direct]
(1991). We Have Always Lived Here: The Maya of Guatemala. An Active Learning Pack for Key Stages 2 and 3. This information pack tells the story of one of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the Maya of Guatemala. It covers Mayan culture and daily life as well as the discrimination experienced by the Maya and the fight for human rights in Guatemala. Containing a wealth of activities designed for mixed ability classes, the pack also can be used for teaching about Central American history, human rights, prejudice, and racism. The pack contains: Information Book; Pupils' Activity Book; Teachers' Notes; and 20 Photocards. (BT)…
(2000). Carrying on the Good Fight: Summary Paper from Think Tank 2000–Advancing the Civil and Human Rights of People with Disabilities from Diverse Cultures. This paper summarizes a May 2000 conference about advancing the civil and human rights of people with disabilities from diverse cultures. The conference included people with disabilities from diverse cultures and members of national civil rights organizations. The conference identified five priority areas for attention: (1) cultivating leadership development; (2) removing educational barriers; (3) providing equal opportunity and access to employment; (4) upholding human rights and civil rights; and (5) expanding voter registration and voter participation. The resulting action plan was organized into four categories: leadership development and capacity building, outreach, coalition and constituency building, and monitoring and evaluation. Examples of specific components of the action plan include: formation of an action organization to be called Leadership Coalition Unlimited, development of an advocacy tool kit, establishment of a listserv of conference participants, and… [PDF]
(1978). Homosexuality and Human Rights: A Selected Bibliography. Number 12. This bibliography represents the second in a series of three dealing with employment of homosexuals, to be published by the Ontario Ministry of Labour Library. All asterisked titles in the series deal with the employment problems of and discrimination against homosexuals. This bibliography of reading materials concerned with homosexuality and human rights is separated into listings of monographs and periodical articles. (Author)…
(1987). Human Rights Review of Intrusive Behavioral Treatments for Students with Severe Handicaps. Exceptional Children, v54 n1 p46-52 Sep. A rationale for the establishment of human rights review procedures within local education agencies is presented, focusing on students who have severe behavior problems with or without mental retardation, for whom intrusive behavioral treatments are considered. Topics discussed include informed consent, committee review, due process, and least restrictive alternative treatment. (Author/JW)…
(1994). Challenges to Popular and Human Rights Education: The Formation of Producer, Citizen, and Person. Journal of Moral Education, v23 n3 p305-14. Contends that popular, or a form of alternative, education stands in the background of most efforts in human rights education in Latin America. Maintains that education must educate people as producers, citizens, and individuals. Discusses challenges to this task in light of liberation theology and the Peruvian experience. (CFR)…