The aim of this book is to explore how teachers, students and parents can be given more of a say in the education system – in how schools are organised, and in what and how children learn. The book does not promote a specific view of education, but considers the means by which educational purposes and approaches can be conceived, agreed and enacted democratically – a precursor to a flourishing democratic society. Rebuilding Our Schools from the Bottom Up has been written in response to significant changes which have taken place in the education system over the past 30 years. In England at least, these changes have resulted in an increasingly centralised system in which the voices of those who teach, those who learn, and those whose children go to school have been marginalised. The book covers four main areas: Teacher voice: listening to the professionals Student voice: involving students as active participants in their education Parent voice: building a genuine home–school partnership School community voice: developing a shared vision With inspiring examples from around the UK and overseas and a range of resources that can be used by senior leaders, teachers and parents, the book aims to encourage and support transformative change so that schools can meet the needs of the communities they exist to serve.

Witnesses: Jeb Bush, Governor of the State of Florida; Richard W. Riley, Secretary, Department of Education; George V. Voinovich, U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio; Dwight Evans, a State Representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Virginia Markell, President, National PTA; John T. Walton, Co-Chairman of the Children's Scholarship Fund; and Rose Blassingame and Vermont White, Washington Scholarship Fund.

As seen on TVO’s adaptation Unrigged A handbook of democratic solutions in troubled times, from the activist the media call a "wizard," a "mastermind," "the ultimate ideas guy," a "mad scientist," a "start-up genius." Our democracy is a trainwreck. Our elections feel hollow and our legislatures have become toxic. Fierce partisanship, centralized power, distorted election results and rigged systems all contribute to our growing cynicism. Voters are increasingly turning towards the angriest candidates, or simply tuning out completely and staying at home. But as Dave Meslin's career has shown, we can fix things. We can turn elite power structures upside down. We can give a voice to ordinary people. But it means fixing things from the bottom up, and starting locally. It's hard to change the world if you can't change a municipal by-law. Teardown shows readers how to do both. And it will show us that these two challenges are not fundamentally different. From environmental activism to public space advocacy to the ongoing campaign for electoral reform, Dave Meslin has been both out on the street in marches and in the back rooms drawing up policy. With Teardown he reminds us that the future of our species doesn't need to look like a trainwreck. That we're capable of so much more. It's time to raise our expectations: of the system, of each other and of ourselves. Only then can we re-imagine a new democracy, unrecognizable from today's political mess. This book is a recipe for change. A cure for cynicism. A war on apathy.

Exploring practitioner research and the possibilities it creates for increasing student participation and developing inclusive practices in educational contexts, this insightful text presents a range of original and innovative approaches to Action Research, and highlights the critical relationship between educational theory, research and practice in transformative action. Focussing on social constructivist approaches to teaching and learning, Action Research for Inclusive Education offers first-hand insights from researcher-practitioners from international settings including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Granada, Greece, Singapore and England. Chapters explore diverse participatory and collaborative research practices which draw on the strengths and contributions of teachers and support staff, pupils, and families to foster inclusive practices across the school community and strengthen the participation and independence of all students. Topics considered include collaboration in Participatory Action Research, friendships and the development of students’ social skills, student voice and the role of pupils as co-researchers and peer mentors. Making an important contribution to debates on inclusive education and the role of practitioners and students in bringing about change, this text will be key reading for students, teachers and educational researchers.

This timely book takes stock of the wide range of developments in society, education and assessment and offers conclusions and strategies that are necessary for the future of educational assessment. Drawing on examples from the UK, Europe and USA, the book will dissect cultural, political, psychological and ideological ideas on society, education and assessment and foreground pressing issues relating to artificial intelligence, social justice and climate change. Acknowledging its predominantly Western perspective and providing context on the evolution of educational assessment, the book will bridge the gap between theory and practice to progress debate and discourse on creating a culture of assessment fit for the future and rethinking strategies for the path ahead. Ultimately, the book will provide insights and key takeaways for the field of educational assessment along with an evidence-based agenda that will be relevant for education professionals, the assessment industry and policymakers interested in higher education, international and comparative education and testing.

Teacher turned home-educator Anna Dusseau explores the purpose of education, how children learn and the benefits of home education. She addresses key questions and suggests activities and ways to start homeschooling.

Do you want us to live better than we do now? Do you want to help make a better future for generations to come? If your answer is yes to both questions, this book is for you. What can we do to live more convivially and sustainably? You’ll find here questions, anecdotes, references to films, radio, internet media, literature, and research from a range of academic disciplines and areas of activity. This is about how we lead our daily lives at play, study, and work. It is about learning, resilience, trust, equality, decision-making, cooperation, and leadership.

This volume presents the findings and recommendations of the American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Commission on Research in Black Education (CORIBE) and offers new directions for research and practice. By commissioning an independent group of scholars of diverse perspectives and voices to investigate major issues hindering the education of Black people in the U.S., other Diaspora contexts, and Africa, the AERA sought to place issues of Black education and research practice in the forefront of the agenda of the scholarly community. An unprecedented critical challenge to orthodox thinking, this book makes an epistemological break with mainstream scholarship. Contributors present research on proven solutions--best practices--that prepare Black students and others to achieve at high levels of academic excellence and to be agents of their own socioeconomic and cultural transformation. These analyses and empirical findings also link the crisis in Black education to embedded ideological biases in research and the system of thought that often justifies the abject state of Black education. Written for both a scholarly and a general audience, this book demonstrates a transformative role for research and a positive role for culture in learning, in the academy, and in community and cross-national contexts. Volume editor Joyce E. King is the Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair of Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Georgia State University and was chair of CORIBE. Additional Resources Black Education [CD-ROM] Research and Best Practices 1999-2001 Edited by Joyce E. King Georgia State University Informed by diverse perspectives and voices of leading researchers, teacher educators and classroom teachers, this rich, interactive CD-ROM contains an archive of the empirical findings, recommendations, and best practices assembled by the Commission on Research in Black Education. Dynamic multi-media presentations document concrete examples of transformative practice that prepare Black students and others to achieve academic and cultural excellence. This CD-ROM was produced with a grant from the SOROS Foundation, Open Society Institute. 0-8058-5564-5 [CD-ROM] / 2005 / Free Upon Request A Detroit Conversation [Video] Edited by Joyce E. King Georgia State University In this 20-minute video-documentary a diverse panel of educators--teachers, administrators, professors, a "reform" Board member, and parent and community activists--engage in a "no holds barred" conversation about testing, teacher preparation, and what is and is not working in Detroit schools, including a school for pregnant and parenting teens and Timbuktu Academy. Concrete suggestions for research and practice are offered. 0-8058-5625-0 [Video] / 2005 / $10.00 A Charge to Keep [Video] The Findings and Recommendations of te AERA Commission on Research in Black Education Edited by Joyce E. King Georgia State University This 50-minute video documents the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Research in Black Education (CORIBE), including exemplary educational approaches that CORIBE identified, cameo commentaries by Lisa Delpit, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kathy Au, Donna Gollnick, Adelaide L. Sanford, Asa Hilliard, Edmund Gordon and others, and an extended interview with Sylvia Wynter. 0-8058-5626-9 [Video] / 2005 / $10.00

Reflections on the crucial importance of including the perspectives of the marginalized and the non-elite in our historical accounts. In the 1960s, historians on both sides of the Atlantic began to challenge the assumptions of their colleagues and push for an understanding of history “from below.” In this collection of writings, Staughton Lynd, one of the pioneers of this approach, laments the passing of fellow luminaries David Montgomery, E.P. Thompson, Alfred Young, and Howard Zinn; offers an account of the decline of trade unionism based on the narratives of workers and his efforts as a lawyer to assist them; and makes the case that contemporary academics and activists alike should take more seriously the stories and perspectives of Native Americans, slaves, rank-and-file workers, and other still-too-frequently marginalized voices.