(2012). "Children of the Street": Sexual Citizenship and the Unprotected Lives of Ghanaian Street Youth. Comparative Education, v48 n1 p41-56. Youth-sensitive policies are gradually gaining recognition in Africa. The release of the recent publication "Children in Ghana" by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) and UNICEF-Ghana attests to the value the country places on young people's perspectives. Guided by Richardson's conceptual framework on sexual citizenship, this paper draws on four sets of focus group discussions, informal conversations and interviews with 24 young people aged between 14 and 19 (seven young men and 17 young women), all of whom were living on the streets of a city in Ghana. It shows how young people navigate sexuality in a context of poverty and in an era of HIV/AIDS. It argues that the young women's demonstration of a sense of agency, evident in the midst of violence and insecurity, contradicts the notion of childhood sexual innocence. These experiences challenge the view that human rights and sex education are sufficient strategies to address young people's transitions to a… [Direct]
(2012). A Heritage of Literacy in the Home. Childhood Education, v88 n4 p214-216. One hundred percent literacy is a relatively modern goal. According to The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago (n.d.), writing was invented in 3200 BC. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution, in the 19th century, that large numbers of ordinary people began to read and write. Today, most people believe that becoming a reader is a human right. Every decade, the literacy rate increases in most countries around the world, and the literacy rate in a number of countries has reached 99% (UNESCO, 2011). As literacy and poverty are linked, many countries view increasing literacy as a way to raise their standard of living. In this article, the authors talk about a heritage of literacy in the home. They suggest that if adults are to realize the hope of having everyone become a reader, they must play vital roles in children's lives from the moment they are born. Just as they work to offer good nutrition for children, they should provide experiences that begin a lifelong… [Direct]
(2021). Decolonization and Transformation of Higher Education for Sustainability: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Policy, Teaching, Research, and Practice. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, v13 n3 p134-156. This article argues that institutions of higher education (IHEs) require a fundamental paradigm shift toward an Indigenous Knowledge (IK) model inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, perspectives, and values. This model acknowledges the sacred value of nature, the rights of non human species, and the power and potential of transformative learning via collaboration with Indigenous communities. Through four personal experiences from one IHE, we highlight challenges and opportunities to decolonize higher education across the domains of policy, research, teaching, and programs. Examples include the Graduate Student Government's resistance to university policies of unsustainable construction projects; incorporating IK from Eastern traditions and world spiritual practices into course curriculum; Indigenizing higher education courses and projects through inclusion and collaboration with local Indigenous tribal members; and finally, ongoing transnational research and education collaborations with… [PDF]
(2009). Inextricably Linked: An International Human Rights Perspective on Child Health and Education. Childhood Education, v85 n5 p278. This article focuses on the links between health and education in children's development, worldwide. While connections flow in both directions, the primary aim of this article is to highlight specifically the impact of health on education prospects. The dramatic consequences of health status on children's educational opportunities suggest that educators have a significant role to play in the health sector. Taking a global perspective, the author discusses the importance of international human rights law in advancing the health and education opportunities for all children. The author concludes by offering educators specific tools for promoting children's health, and thereby improving their ability to learn…. [Direct]
(2014). Between Tyranny and Complicity: Thoughts on Responding to Oppressive Student Conduct. College Quarterly, v17 n2 Spr. Critical pedagogy scholars have long struggled to reconcile their desire for a democratic, participatory classroom with the necessity of creating a learning environment that is safe and inclusive. Indeed, in critical pedagogy theory there is a tension between enabling students to think for themselves and convincing students to read the cultural and political world in the same way as their professor. How, then, should a postsecondary educator respond to students whose classroom behavior is sexist, racist, homophobic, displays class prejudice, or is otherwise oppressive toward other students? Can pedagogical practices be developed in which the role of the teacher is neither to be an authoritarian preacher nor someone who, through their silence, sanctions students' words or deeds that undermine their peers' human rights? The author addresses what he sees as two of the underlying issues that are at play. First, he considers whether teachers should make their specific political… [PDF]
(2013). Domestic Violence and International Students: An Exploratory Study of the Practices and Role of US University International Offices. Journal of College Student Development, v54 n4 p527-533 Sep-Oct. Domestic violence (DV), formerly considered as a private matter, is now recognized as a global social, health, and human rights issue. The acknowledgment of DV as such varies by geography and marital status (e.g., dating and same-sex relationships are not immune). Surveys around the globe suggest that DV is common among college students. A recent, 16-country study indicates that up to one fifth of university students have assaulted a partner severely enough to cause injury. International victims face extra difficulty because students must be in good academic standing and scholars must be employed to remain in the United States. International students and scholars may not consider DV to be a problem or know that it is a crime in the United States. In the spring of 2009, the authors invited the directors of International Offices (IOs) at the 10 US universities with the most international students to participate in an exploratory study. Structured telephone interviews, averaging 30… [Direct]
(2013). Whither Utopia?. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n138 p91-100 Sum. The \Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning and Agenda for the Future\ (UNESCO, 1997) is perhaps the most utopian statement about adult learning and education (ALE) in recent times. Grounded in the ideas of radical educators Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich, it built upon two earlier influential and inspiring reports that promoted general adherence to the values of helping to build a sustainable world, promote peace, celebrate diversity, and defend human rights. Analysis of the previous chapters demonstrates that the utopian ideals and goals of the \Hamburg Declaration\ are still far from being achieved. The earlier chapters suggest several common issues that the author wants to address further. The first concerns the political dimensions of adult education–an aspect that lies at the heart of the \Hamburg Declaration\ and fundamentally shapes the contexts in which adult education takes place. From a review of the developments since CONFINTEA V, it is easy to conclude that there is little… [Direct]
(2013). Lighting the Fire: Finding Commitment and Purpose in Middle School. Independent School, v72 n3 Spr. This article describes the results of a three-day professional development workshop for newer teachers (with less than six years of experience) and more experienced teachers trained in design of skills-based, year-long themes with rich interdisciplinary connections at Charles River School (Massachusetts). For the three days, the school was buzzing with activity as teams collaborated on their research and creations as they put themselves in the students' shoes as experiential learners. Even with their stylistic and personality differences and varying degrees of comfort, participants were motivated by the interactive process and a common desire for a meaningful experience and quality results. The workshop successfully mirrored the process of young learners in an experiential, interdisciplinary environment. As educators responsible for our collective future, teachers need to expose their students to real-world problem solving in creative, interdisciplinary teams. The important issues in… [Direct]
(2013). Acculturation and Religion in Schools: The Views of Young People from Minority Belief Backgrounds. British Educational Research Journal, v39 n5 p907-924 Oct. This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious identity, acculturation strategies and perceptions of acculturation orientation in the school context amongst young people from minority belief backgrounds. Based on a qualitative study including interviews with 26 young people from religious minority belief backgrounds in Northern Ireland, it is argued that acculturation theory provides a useful lens for understanding how young people from religious minority belief backgrounds navigate majority religious school contexts. Using a qualitative approach to explore acculturation theory enables an in-depth understanding of the inter-relationship between minority belief youth's acculturation strategies and their respective school contexts. Similar to previous research, integrationist attitudes generally prevailed amongst minority belief young people in this study. The findings highlight how young people negotiate their religious identities in a complex web of inter-relationships… [Direct]
(2012). Vocational Education and Training for Development: A Policy in Need of a Theory?. International Journal of Educational Development, v32 n5 p623-631 Sep. The current decade has seen a significant return of interest in vocational education and training (VET) amongst the international policy community. This rise in policy and programmatic interest in VET's role in development, however, stands in contrast to the state of the academic debate. Whilst there have continued to be both policy and academic developments in VET in OECD countries; in the South there has been a paucity of VET research and little in the way of theoretical exploration. Rather, the academic orthodoxy in the international education and development field is dismissive of VET's possible contribution. Given the return of the policy interest in VET for development, and the possibilities of a broader vision of education-development relations beyond 2015, when the MDGs end, it is time to revisit the role of VET in development from an explicitly theoretical stance. In this article, I argue that the current approach to VET is grounded in an outmoded model of development,… [Direct]
(2011). Re-Engaging Disconnected Youth: Transformative Learning through Restorative and Social Justice Education. Adolescent Cultures, School and Society. Volume 51. Peter Lang New York As many young adults continue to disengage with learning each day, teachers and administrators struggle to find programming that re-engages secondary students with their schooling and communities. This book profiles one program that succeeds in doing so, and should serve as a model for others. In a Midwestern alternative school, three teachers built a curriculum around hands-on learning, restorative justice Talking Circles, and multicultural education, in the hopes that it would re-engage and inspire youth. Drawing on adult transformative learning theory, this book is an in-depth, qualitative study of the ways the program transformed adult and youth perceptions of trust, connections, schooling, and human rights. This book breaks down stereotypes about youth labeled \at-risk\ and provides evidence that it is never too late to become passionate about learning…. [Direct]
(2011). Teaching of the Holocaust as Part of a University's Catholic Identity. Journal of Catholic Higher Education, v30 n2 p199-220 Sum. This article sketches the development of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA. It does so with broad strokes, which paint a picture of the program of the Center within the context of ecclesial and papal activities and documents. The article describes how the Center entered into dialogue with the academic world of Holocaust studies (especially with the International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel) and how it became engaged in an institute and in triennial conferences that prepare Catholic educators to each the Holocaust by referencing Catholic documents on the Holocaust and on related topics such as antisemitism, racism, genocide, human rights, and interreligious dialogue. The work of the Holocaust Center has contributed to strengthening Seton Hill University's Catholic identity…. [Direct]
(2011). Registered Domestic Partnerships, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Pursuit of Equality in California. Family Relations, v60 n2 p135-149 Apr. Policies in California are examined to inform analysts of the process by which legal recognition of same-sex relationships may be achieved. Content analysis was conducted of relevant legislation, court cases, and voter initiatives, along with interviews with state legislators to gain an eyewitness understanding of the social climate surrounding the implementation of these policies. Legal recognition of same-sex unions occurs on an incremental basis and is embedded within a larger sociocultural context that includes shifts in public opinion concerning homosexuality and legal recognition of same-sex unions, issues of civil/human rights versus social control over morality, and the influence of legal developments occurring elsewhere. The most likely outcome of the debate over legal recognition of same-sex unions is a national domestic partnership or civil unions policy…. [Direct]
(2011). The Worldwide Spread of Environmental Discourse in Social Studies, History, and Civics Textbooks, 1970-2008. Comparative Education Review, v55 n4 p517-545 Nov. The world environmental movement has gained much strength in recent decades and has led many nations to focus on environmental education. We examine the extent to which this global movement has helped change national textbooks. We also consider the effects of national development, national policy on environmentalism, and the general expansion of postnational curricular emphases on human rights, student empowerment, internationalization, and social scientific perspectives. We analyze the content of 484 secondary school social studies textbooks from 65 countries, finding increased attention to the environment that parallels both world environmental crises and the closely related rise of world environmentalism. Our analyses suggest that the increasing prevalence of environmental topics in textbooks is influenced by broad global cultural and environmental change more than by national conditions. (Contains 4 figures, 3 tables, and 12 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2012). Health Advocacy: A Vital Step in Attaining Human Rights for Adults with Intellectual Disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, v56 n11 p1087-1097 Nov. Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) experience health inequity compared with the general population, a key contributing factor being disparities in social determinants of health. The enactment of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides a platform for the progression and promotion of health and other interconnected rights to address barriers to the highest attainable standard of health for this populace. Rights can be brought to life through advocacy efforts. This paper explores the meaning, perceptions and experiences of advocacy by family members and paid support workers of adults with ID and locates the findings within a health and human rights discourse. Methods: As part of a larger randomised controlled trial, 113 parents and 84 support workers of adults with ID completed a telephone interview that included open-ended questions about their understanding and experiences of advocacy. Thematic analysis was used to… [Direct]