"Progressive educators have always been better at critique than at possibility. This book promises not to ignore critique, but to favor possibility. It is most rare and greatly welcomed." Richard Quantz, Miami University "The editor argues that in a material world, depicted by consumerism, spiritual nihilism and conspicuous consumption, there is need to offer a new vision and direction in education that would promote a more harmonious, holistic values-oriented schooling that transforms persons into moral beings, who care for others.... In terms of innovative ideas and approaches to pedagogy and theorizing about schooling, this volume is at the top of pedagogical discourses and thinking." Joseph Zajda, Australian Catholic University (Melbourne Campus) Education and Hope in Troubled Times brings together a group of the best and most creative educational thinkers to reflect on the purpose and future of public education. These original essays by leading social and educational commentators in North America attempt to articulate a new vision for education, especially public education, and begin to set an alternative direction. This is a time of crisis, but also of renewed possibility—one that offers the opportunity to radically reconsider what is the meaning of education for a generation that will bear the brunt of grappling with the extraordinary dangers and challenges we confront today. At its core this volume questions what will it mean to be an educated human being in the 21st century compelled to confront and address so much that threatens the very basis of a decent and hopeful human existence. Carrying forward a project of redefining and reshaping public discourse on education in the U.S., it is a critical catalyst and focus for re-thinking public policy on education.

This volume presents a scholarly conversation about education in troubled times across different temporal and spatial contexts. The concept of troubled times in this book refers to situations of serious challenges or crises that affect the practice of education at community, national and global levels. It examines how education operates across a wide range of challenging circumstances, from the COVID-19 pandemic, political manipulations, and the neoliberal economy to conflict and post-conflict situations. The volume also considers the measures national governments should take to contain and mitigate their effects, and how effective these measures are in curbing such challenges. By addressing these questions, it also suggests ways to overcome the identified challenges and crises in their respective contexts.

In the Great Recession of 2007-2010, Americans watched their retirement savings erode and the value of their homes decline while the unemployment rate increased and GDP sank. New demands emerged for unprecedented government intervention into the economy. While these changes have a dramatic impact on society at large, they also have serious implications for the content and teaching of economics. Teaching Economics in a Time of Unprecedented Change is a one-stop collection that helps pre- and in-service social studies teachers to foster an understanding of classic content as well as recent economic developments. Part I offers clear and teachable overviews of the nature of today’s complex economic crisis and the corollary changes in teaching economics that flow from revising and updating long-held economic assumptions. Part II provides both detailed best practices for teaching economics in the social studies classroom and frameworks for teaching economics within different contexts including personal finance, entrepreneurship, and history. Part III concludes with effective strategies for teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels based on current research on economic education. From advice on what every economics teacher should know, to tips for best education practices, to investigations into what research tells us about teaching economics, this collection provides a wealth of contextual background and teaching ideas for today’s economics and social studies educators. Additional information and resources can be found at the authors’ website neweconteaching.com.

Contested Issues in Troubled Times provides student affairs educators with frameworks to constructively think about and navigate the contentious climate they are increasingly encountering on campus.The 54 contributors address the book’s overarching question: How do we create an equitable climate conducive to learning in a dynamic environment fraught with complexity and a socio-political context characterized by escalating intolerance, incivility, and overt discrimination?Rather than attempting to offer readers definitive solutions, this book illustrates the possibilities and promise of acknowledging multiple approaches to addressing contentious issues, articulating a persuasive argument anchored in professional judgment, listening attentively to others for points of connection as well as divergence, and drawing upon new ways of thinking to foster safe and inclusive campuses.Among the issues this volume addresses are such topics as sexual violence; historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; transgender and undocumented students; the professional skills, knowledge and/or dispositions needed to thrive and facilitate systemic change in contemporary higher education organizations; the implications of maintaining personal and professional identities via social media; and self-care.In this companion volume to Contested Issues in Student Affairs (whose issues remain as relevant today as they were upon publication in 2011), a new set of contributors explore new questions which foreground issues of equity, safety, and civility – themes which dominate today’s higher education headlines and campus conversations.The book concludes with calls to action, encouraging student affairs educators to exhibit the moral courage needed to critically examine routine practices that (un)knowingly perpetuate inequity and enact the foundational values and principles upon which the student affairs profession was founded.

In an era of sound bites, Smart Leadership for Higher Education in Difficult Times provides an outstanding analysis of the context in which today s colleges and universities operate. The essays are thought provoking, insightful and valuable for preparing our institutions for an uncertain future. Through case studies and personal experience, contributors challenge readers to reflect on our own institutions and re-imagine higher education. Graham B. Spanier, The Pennsylvania State University, US Smart Leadership for Higher Education in Difficult Times makes the case that bridging the time from recession to recovery with typical belt-tightening tactics, without a strategy for fundamental change in the higher education business model, is a formula for failure. Globalization, changing demographics, evolving technology and jobs of the future are only beginning to impact the business of higher education. These trends, combined with the lingering effects of constrained revenue, are the building blocks of a new business environment. Reading this book will jump-start your thinking about how innovation, reorganization, prioritization and strategic investing are necessary for institutional success. John Walda, National Association of College and University Business Officers, US In response to falling state support, limited returns from endowments and increasing costs, colleges and universities have turned to examinations of the mission of higher education and new ways in which its missions can be achieved. Two of the many provocative insights described in this series of papers concern the permanent nature of change in the economic, demographic and competitive environment, and the need for more creativity and innovation. Risa Palm, Georgia State University, US Smart Leadership for Higher Education in Difficult Times offers positive ideas and encouragement from some of the leading thinkers and doers in higher education about how to lead proactively in response to the sobering challenges now facing colleges and universities economic stagnation; the completion imperative; rapid demographic changes; global competition; the stunning pace of technological change; and the tensions among affordability and the stubborn growth in college unit costs. William Zumeta, University of Washington and Association for the Study of Higher Education, US As the US economy emerges from the severest recession in a generation, large questions regarding its long-term ramifications for higher education remain unanswered. In fact, the harshest effects of the economic downturn are likely ahead as campus leadership focuses on enrollment, affordability and fundraising. This volume of essays examines the challenges and opportunities for advancing higher education s core missions of education, research and service in a resource-constrained environment. Many parties will wish to return to the old normal, but fulfilling the mission of higher education will require implementing change in the face of opposition, gaining support from key stakeholders, and maintaining morale in the process. The new normal entails innovating to meet the needs for higher education among a growing population of potential students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom are ill-prepared for a college education and unaware of how to access it, and a population of mid-career students seeking to retool or reinvent themselves for the labor market. The economic success of both individuals and the US economy are directly dependent upon increasing the share of the population receiving a higher education. Chapter authors include college and university presidents and chancellors, and other senior administrators and thought leaders from the higher education community. They provide new and actionable information to enhance decision-making and inform strategic planning as well as a contemporary examination of the business of higher education and areas of potential new research.

Times of crisis reveal what we are made of, urgently rousing the voices that restore meaning to uncertain wandering. So begins the foreword of this book, providing the framework in which these messages to teachers were given by Pope Francis while he was cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires. Although these messages were originally given to educators in Argentina, in a certain time and place, with particular social, political, and economic problems in view, they have universal appeal. The challenge to form the whole person, which involves more than providing a child with the ability to calculate, is relevant to teachers everywhere, regardless of their particular circumstances. The cardinal began these reflections with the assertion that teaching is an act of hope, which requires a vision of what it means to be human, the belief that this vision can be realized to some degree even in a fallen world, and the creativity to find ways to achieve it. Obstacles to human development must not discourage teachers, the cardinal wrote. "If we look at Jesus, incarnate Wisdom of God, we can realize that difficulties become challenges, challenges appeal to hope and generate the happiness of recognizing them as architects of something new. All this undoubtedly drives us to continue giving the best of ourselves." Filled with the faith, hope and charity, as well as the practical wisdom, that have marked the pontificate of Pope Francis, these reflections are being made available in English to give encouragement and inspiration to educators in the United States.

Making Sense of Race in Education: Practices for Change in Difficult Times takes a fresh look at the perennial issue of race in American schools. How do educators, in all settings, confront the issue of race with students and colleagues, given the contemporary backdrop of social movements for racial justice and change? How do educators affect change within their everyday classroom practices without fostering further alienation and discord? Although much has already been written about race and racism in school, this book addresses racial incidents directly and offers practical insights into how P-20 educators can transform these events alongside students and colleagues. Each chapter provides detailed analysis of curriculum, instruction, practices and pedagogical strategies for addressing race while at the same time wrestling with theoretical conceptions of race, justice, and fairness. Perfect for courses such as: Social Foundations of Education | Sociology of Education | Higher Education | Multicultural Education | Cultural Studies in Education | Schools and Society

Clark Kerr, one of the nation's foremost educators and commentators on the educational scene, examines emerging problems that he predicts will influence the near future of higher education. These include the quality of undergraduate education; ethics, both as a subject and as practiced by the professoriate; the racial crisis, including the dilemma of how to provide access to underserved minority groups; and competition for recognition and resources among the nation's research universities. Also included is a thought-provoking section on the dominant connection between higher education and the economy that evaluates how well the test of service to the labor market has been met and counters the charge that our educational system is to blame for the nation's decline in economic productivity and lack of international competitiveness. The author outlines contours of the future for American higher education as it settles into a mature system, and offers choices facing the nation and its colleges in the fast-approaching new century: how to stay dynamic in a period of economic statis or decline; and how to handle internal conflicts and improve the educational decision-making process. Finally, Kerr emphasizes the important role of leadership in guiding our choices and actions as we navigate through troubled times and strive to maintain leadership in the intellectual world.

This book explores three global issues - climate change, peak oil and the limits to growth. It sets out the facts about the inevitable yet still largely unknown changes, and examines the feelings and attitudes the coming changes engender. It offers teachers ways to engage with vital but too often avoided issues, and to share success stories and sources of hope for the future. In these troubled and fast changing times yesterday is no longer an accurate guide to tomorrow. We have to understand and be able to prepare young people for a future very different from today's world. This book is about developing new ways of being and exploring new horizons. The insight and support it provides will help make teachers more knowledgeable and better able to prepare learners for the transition to a post-carbon future. This book is essential reading for primary and secondary teachers and for students and tutors in Initial Teacher Education. It will also be of value to headteachers, governors, educational researchers and others concerned with matching policy and practice to the demands of changing times. It will develop critical enquiry in Geography, English, Science, Citizenship Education, Personal, Social and Health Education and inspire those working in education for sustainability, sustainable schools and global education.

What is your level of understanding of the many moral, ideological, and political issues that student affairs educators regularly encounter? What is your personal responsibility to addressing these issues? What are the rationales behind your decisions? What are the theoretical perspectives you might choose and why? How do your responses compare with those of colleagues?Contested Issues in Student Affairs augments traditional introductory handbooks that focus on functional areas (e.g., residence life, career services) and organizational issues. It fills a void by addressing the social, educational and moral concepts and concerns of student affairs work that transcend content areas and administrative units, such as the tensions between theory and practice, academic affairs and student affairs, risk taking and failure; and such as issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and spirituality. It places learning and social justice at the epicenter of student affairs practice.The book addresses these issues by asking 24 critical and contentious questions that go to the heart of contemporary educational practice. Intended equally for future student affairs educators in graduate preparation programs, and as reading for professional development workshops, it is designed to stimulate reflection and prompt readers to clarify their own thinking and practice as they confront the complexities of higher education.Student affairs faculty, administrators, and graduate students here situate these 24 questions historically in the professional literature, present background information and context, define key terms, summarize the diverse ideological and theoretical responses to the questions, make explicit their own perspectives and responses, discuss their political implications, and set them in the context of the changing nature of student affairs work. Each chapter is followed by a response that offers additional perspectives and complications, reminding readers of the ambiguity and complexity of many situations.Each chapter concludes with a brief annotated bibliography of seminal works that offer additional information on the topic, as well as with a URL to a moderated blog site that encourages further conversation on each topic and allows readers to teach and learn from each other, and interact with colleagues beyond their immediate campus. The website invites readers to post blogs, respond to each other, and upload relevant resources. The book aims to serve as a conversation starter to engage professionals in on-going dialogue about these complex and enduring challenges.Short ContentsThe 24 questions are organized into four units.I. The Philosophical Foundations of Student Affairs in Higher Education explores the implications and complications of student affair educators placing learning at the epicenter of their professional work. II. The Challenges of Promoting Learning and Development explores the challenges associated with learning-centered practice. III. Achieving Inclusive and Equitable Learning Environments addresses crafting learning environments that include students whose needs are often labeled “special,” or students and/or student subcultures that are often marginalized and encouraged to adapt to normalizing expectations. IV. Organizing Student Affairs Practice for Learning and Social Justice addresses the organizational and professional implications of placing learning and social justice at the epicenter of student affairs practice.