(2009). Human Rights and Cosmopolitan Democratic Education. Philosophical Studies in Education, v40 p94-103. The foundation upon which this discussion is based is the basic nature of democracy as both a political and moral ideal. Democracy can be understood as a system of rights premised upon the logic of equality. At its core is a fundamental belief in moral equality, a belief that all human beings possess an equal inherent dignity or worth. The ideal of human dignity upon which democracy is based is reflected in the principle of moral equality common to all modern political and ethical theories. Every shared humanity carries with it a moral imperative to respect the dignity of every human life. This imperative is grounded in the customs and principles of democratic societies and the transnational human rights regime. The approach suggested in this paper focuses on the development of \capacities\ as a necessary complement to understanding. The basic feature of the moral capacities identified in this paper is their \dialogical\ nature. The core of morality is reciprocity. Implicit in the… [PDF]
(2007). Honing Human Rights in the L[subscript 2] Classroom: Pedagogical Possibilities Using Films. Online Submission Developing an understanding about human rights documents, and an awareness of human rights institutions and mechanisms of protection have become especially significant in the 21st century. Several classroom strategies have hitherto been employed to practice and experience human rights behaviour. Usually topics on human rights is introduced through printed materials such as text books. Given the fact that, the present generation of learners are more accustomed to watching films to reading, this project attempts to tap film clippings and sessions in the English classroom to introduce students to human rights issues. It is hoped that such a strategy would make the transaction part of human rights education both interesting and effective. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is appended. [This report was sponsored by University Grants Commission, New Delhi. It represents a Project Report submitted to the UGC Academic Staff College, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus,… [PDF]
(2012). Chicana/Latina \Testimonios\: Mapping the Methodological, Pedagogical, and Political. Equity & Excellence in Education, v45 n3 p363-372. While the genre of \testimonio\ has deep roots in oral cultures and in Latin American human rights struggles, the publication and subsequent adoption of \This Bridge Called My Back\ and, more recently, \Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios\ by Chicanas and Latinas, have demonstrated the power of \testimonio\ as a genre that exposes brutality, disrupts silencing, and builds solidarity among women of color. In this article, the authors map the \testimonio\ genre with a focus on the ways in which Chicana/Latina scholars have contributed to and reshaped it. They begin with a discussion of the contours of the genre including its political purpose. The authors then take up both the methodology and pedagogy of \testimonio.\ Throughout, they discuss how scholars using \testimonio\ in this issue have unveiled new approaches to understanding and addressing issues of inequity in the field of education. (Contains 3 notes.)… [Direct]
(2014). The Valorisation of African Languages and Policies in the African Education Systems: A Case of Uganda. Universal Journal of Educational Research, v2 n1 p42-50. This paper highlights the challenges of current language policies in education in Africa, with reference to Uganda. Also examined are the likely challenges to language policy in education, while indicating how these challenges can be curtailed or overcome. The authors suggest a different view is required when approaching this topic with a paradigm shift from modernist theories imbued with colonial and neo-colonial approaches experienced by African countries over decades. The use of a more post-modernist critical theory is required to envisage democracy, linguistic justice, linguistic human rights, linguistic citizenship, diversity and sustainability for quality education and development. The execution of outdated language policies in education that are often misguided and do not reflect reality continually cost individual learners and their societies. This is evidenced by the trend of education output and research by scholars worldwide on literacy and educational achievement in… [PDF]
(2011). Can Religious Expression and Sexual Orientation Affirmation Coexist in Social Work? A Critique of Hodge's Theoretical, Theological, and Conceptual Frameworks. Journal of Social Work Education, v47 n2 p213-234 Spr-Sum. Social work strives to be inclusive of all cultural groups and religious identities. However, a tension exists in the profession between freedom of religious expression and full acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. David Hodge and others claim social work is oppressive to evangelical Christians. This article critiques primarily Hodge's arguments using an analysis of biblical scriptures, new class theory, freedom of expression, and social work ethics. Social work and human rights principles are discussed as a guide for negotiating these issues in the social work educational environment. Intergroup dialogue is offered as a pedagogical method for addressing the tension in social work classrooms. (Contains 2 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2011). \Unapologetic and Unafraid\: Immigrant Youth Come out from the Shadows. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, n134 p59-75 Win. Young immigrants are challenging the boundaries of citizenship and insisting on their human rights. This chapter examines the civic lives of immigrant youth through the case of Latina/os, exploring the paradox of their apparent low civic education and engagement levels and remarkable participation in recent protests. After an overview of demographics and what we know about immigrant youth civic life, the focus shifts to the undocumented. Many retain a sense of community obligation, yet because of their developmental stage and U.S. education, their engagement differs from that of their parents' generation. Young immigrants are reconfiguring organizing and reenergizing U.S. democracy through their use of new information technologies…. [Direct]
(2011). The Pasternak Case and American Gender Equity Policy: Implications for Canadian High School Athletics. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, n120 Apr. In 2004 twin sisters Amy and Jesse Pasternak competed for the prospect of playing high school hockey, vying for the boys' team rather than the girls'. The sisters' opportunities were negated by the Manitoba High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). This paper examines the 2006 decision by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission and a 2008 judgment by the provincial Court of Queen's Bench regarding an application for judicial review. We argue that these decisions imply that Canadian high school governance bodies should study gender equity policies and the judicial decisions surrounding similar high school challenges in the United States. This ultimately has implications for future such circumstances. (Contains 1 footnote.)… [PDF]
(2011). Leaving It to the Schools: Citizenship, Diversity and Human Rights Education in the Netherlands. Educational Research, v53 n2 p123-136. Background: The Netherlands traditionally has a strong civil society. This has had an impact on the education system through the relatively high degree of autonomy for schools on moral and didactical choices as well as on the curriculum. Such freedom provides ample room for citizenship to develop at a local level. The large degree of curricular autonomy allows schools to shape education according to their own vision and values in partnership with those in civil society. Purpose: This article explores how citizenship education, cultural diversity and human rights education are implemented within such a context. The main aim is to analyse how societal and political ideals are laid down at the policy level (intended curriculum), how they are implemented at the school level (implemented curriculum), and how they impact on student learning (attained curriculum). Sources of evidence: Formal educational policy documents are analysed to gain insight into the intended curriculum. Insights in… [Direct]
(2012). Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Executive Powers, Individual Rights, and Guantanamo Bay Prison. Social Education, v76 n5 p261-262, 265 Oct. In the recent past, and especially since September 11, 2001, many democratic nations have been forced to deal with the threat of attacks on their land. Former U.S. President George W. Bush famously labeled this challenge the "War on Terror." Examining how nations address this issue offers a golden opportunity for social studies teachers to increase the critical thinking skills of their students regarding violations of human rights, while clarifying their position on governmental power in times of crisis. To demonstrate how teachers can effectively use post-9/11 events in the classroom, this article focuses on the executive decisions and court cases pertaining to the U.S. military prison located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The controversy surrounding the treatment of prisoners detained at Guantanamo illustrates the difficulty a constitutional democracy faces when balancing national security demands against the constitutional rights of detainees. (Contains 2 online resources and… [Direct]
(2014). Reclaiming Indigenous Languages: A Reconsideration of the Roles and Responsibilities of Schools. Review of Research in Education, v38 n1 p106-136 Mar. In this chapter, the authors offer a critical examination of a growing field of educational inquiry and social practice: the reclamation of Indigenous mother tongues. They use the term "reclamation" purposefully to denote that these are languages that have been forcibly subordinated in contexts of colonization. Language reclamation includes revival of a language no longer spoken as a first language, "revitalization" of a language already in use, and "reversal" of language shift (RLS), a term popularized by Joshua Fishman (1991) to describe the reengineering of social supports for intergenerational mother tongue transmission. All of these processes involve what Maori scholar Margie Kahukura Hohepa (2006) calls "language regeneration," a term that speaks of "growth and regrowth," recognizing that nothing "regrows in exactly the same shape that it had previously, or in exactly the same direction. The causes underlying shift from a… [Direct]
(2015). Some Aspects of Education Litigation since 1994: Of Hope, Concern and Despair. South African Journal of Education, v35 n1 Article 1068 Feb. In this article we report on qualitative research in which we probed the opinions and views of a purposive sample of high-profile and influential role players in education about aspects of education litigation in South Africa since 1994. This year marked the transition to a democratic government in South Africa, and resulted in a new education system, which has led to a great deal of litigation, as was to be expected. Our participants were personally involved in litigation in various capacities. Their responses to our questions reflected hope, but also concern, and even despair. In their opinions almost all of the disputes were between the state and its citizens, and that the state lost virtually all cases. State officials often ignored legal advice and acted on "imagined powers," causing embarrassment to the state where they seemed insensitive to the needs of the people, and sometimes deliberately transgressed prescripts and provisions, abandoning its mandate to children… [PDF]
(2012). Adult Education and Lifelong Learning within UNESCO: CONFINTEA, Education for All, and beyond. Adult Learning, v22 n4-v23 n1 p18-23 Fall 2011-Win. There can no longer be any doubt that adult education within lifelong learning is a key factor for economic and social development, as well as being a human right. New policies for adult education must now result in coherent forms of laws and legislation clearly spelling out ways and means for financing adult education. These must involve the public, private, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors, social partners, and individuals. As studies for CONFINTEA VI demonstrate, change in most countries is slow and not far-reaching enough, especially because of too low a public sector investment in human resources. In the current global financial crisis things are getting worse, and the gaps between those with and those without are widening at all levels. The need to reverse this trend is urgent. In this article, the authors discuss what the key international body UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) does about it. They also discuss adult… [Direct]
(2010). Revisioning Assessment through a Children's Rights Approach: Implications for Policy, Process and Practice. Research Papers in Education, v25 n3 p335-353 Sep. The linkage between the impact of assessment and compliance with children's rights is a connection, which although seemingly obvious, is nonetheless rarely made, particularly by governments, which, as signatories to the relevant human rights treaties, have the primary responsibility for ensuring that educational practice is compatible with international children's rights standards. While some jurisdictions are explicit about an adherence to children's rights frameworks in general policy documentation, such a commitment rarely features when the focus is on assessment and testing. Thus, in spite of significant public and academic attention given to the consequences of assessment for children and governments committed to working within children's rights standards, the two are rarely considered together. This paper examines the implications for the policy, process and practice of assessment in light of international human rights standards. Three key children's rights principles and… [Direct]
(2011). Adult Education as a Human Right: The Latin American Context and the Ecopedagogic Perspective. International Review of Education, v57 n1-2 p9-25 Aug. This article presents the concept and practice of adult education as a key issue for Brazil and other Latin American countries, both for formal and non-formal education in the public and private sectors. It includes citizen education focused on democratisation of society and sustainable development. The concept is pluralist and ideological as well as technical. All along the history of contemporary education it is essential to highlight the importance of the CONFINTEA conferences for the construction of an expanded vision of this concept. Adult education is understood as a human right. The right to education does not end when a person has reached the so-called "proper" age; it continues to be a right for the duration of everyone's entire life. This article explores Paulo Freire's contribution, particularly the methodology of MOVA (Youth and Adult Literacy Movement). It also presents the ecopedagogic perspective, which was inspired by Paulo Freire's legacy. Finally, this… [Direct]
(2012). The European Court of Human Rights, Secular Education and Public Schooling. British Journal of Educational Studies, v60 n2 p129-149. Since 9/11 the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court) has raised anew the question of the relationship between religion and public education. In its reasoning, the European Court has had to consider competing normative accounts of the secular, either to accept or deny claims to religious liberty within Europe's public education system. This article argues that the trajectory on which the term "secularism" had been used by the European Court pointed increasingly towards secular fundamentalism. This study is located at the cutting edge of religion, education and the law and builds on previous work in the field (Arthur, 1998, 2008). It examines, through extensive research of legal cases, the most important developments of the usage of secular and secular education in modern discourse and explores the background to these concepts. Unless otherwise stated, religion in this article shall refer to the Christian tradition because Christianity has been the historical… [Direct]