THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL CONTROVERSY HAS BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO THE UNIVERSITY'S BUDGET CUTS. WE WANT TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL OUR READERS AND AUTHORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. WHATEVER THE FUTURE HOLDS, THE JOURNAL STANDS AS A TWENTY-YEAR CHRONICLE OF CONTROVERSIAL EDUCATIONAL DEBATES—CAPTURED DURING A CRITICAL MOMENT IN OUR NATION’S DEMOCRACY.
I will provide further information and reflection in a series of posts on this blog in the near future.
I am pleased to announce that our special issue on “The
University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral Responsibility,
Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult Times,” is now
online at the Journal of Educational Controversy. Here is a
direct link: https://cedar.wwu.edu/jec/
Authors responded to the following controversial
scenario:
Is institutional neutrality enough? Caught between students
and donors, our institutions of higher learning have sought refuge from hard
moral choices by moving to a role as neutral observers, facilitating the
expressions of their individual members but not of the institutions themselves.
Is this position adequate? Are there no universal principles the university
should advocate? There are particular reasons underlying the existence of
universities that differentiate them from corporations of other kinds. Have we
lost our understanding of how we are distinct? Are we of such neutrality that
we cannot articulate our distinct societal identity? In that identity may lie
our reason for being.
We invite authors to bring clarity and understanding to this
issue that again has found itself in the public debate with the recent student
protests and testimony of university presidents at a contentious hearing before
the U.S. Congress on the balance between neutrality, moral responsibility, and
protecting free speech. We welcome
papers that will elevate the public discussion of this issue.
Below is the table of contents from the journal:
Editorial
The
University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral Responsibility,
Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult Times
Lorraine Kasprisin
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
Articles in Response to Controversy
Caught
in the Crossfire: Navigating Institutional Neutrality Amidst Campus Controversy
& Competing Demands
Jamie Herman and Sally Moore
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
Advancing
Conservative Agendas Under the Guise of Neutrality: An Analysis of Utah’s
Higher Education System
Brianne Kramer
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
Freedoms
and Rights of Academic Citizenship are Essential. Reflections on the Situation
at Universities in Denmark
Asger Sørensen
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
Student
Activism in the Age of Deportability: Toward the Coalition Between Immigrant
and International Students Beyond Divisive Rhetoric
Akira Sawata
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
About the Authors
About the Authors
Vol. 17, Iss. 1
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral
Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult
Times
The Journal of Educational Controversy Announces Publication
of Volume 16 on the theme, “Facilitating Discussions of Controversial Issues in
Difficult Times”
Editorial
Facilitating
Discussions of Controversial Issues in Difficult Times
Lorraine Kasprisin
Articles in Response to Controversy
Our
Category Mistake: Why our Talk about Controversy is Confusing
Shannon Rodgers
Biographic-Storytelling
Classrooms as a Workaround to Critical Race Theory Pushback
Lisa M. Perhamus
Conflict,
Crisis, and Controversy in Schools: Critical Literacy for Educational
Leadership Response and Responsibility
Charles L. Lowery
Connecting
through Controversy: Disagreement as Respect
Paul Chen
Applying
Relational Pedagogy in Teacher Education: Using the Case Method to Analyze
Controversial Issues
Chloe Bolyard, Amber K. Howard, and Stacie Finley
Book Reviews
Book
Review: Teaching Classroom Controversies: Navigating Complex Teaching Issues in
the Age of Fake News and Alternative Facts by Glenn Y. Bezalel
Martha Perez-Mugg
Book Review:
Critical Race Theory and Classroom Practice
William Makoyiisaaminaa
About the Authors
The Journal of Educational Controversy announces a new call for papers for Volume 17
Theme: The University in the Crossfire: Quandaries over Neutrality, Moral Responsibility, Corporatization, and the Protection of Free Speech in Difficult Times
Controversy Addressed:
Is institutional
neutrality enough? Caught between students and donors, our institutions of
higher learning have sought refuge from hard moral choices by moving to a role
as neutral observers, facilitating the expressions of their individual members
but not of the institutions themselves. Is this position adequate? Are there no
universal principles the university should advocate? There are particular
reasons underlying the existence of universities that differentiate them from
corporations of other kinds. Have we lost our understanding of how we are
distinct? Are we of such neutrality that we cannot articulate our distinct
societal identity? In that identity may lie our reason for being.
We invite authors to
bring clarity and understanding to this issue that again has found itself in
the public debate with the recent student protests and testimony of university
presidents at a contentious hearing before the U.S. Congress on the balance between
neutrality, moral responsibility, and protecting free speech. We welcome papers that will elevate the
public discussion of this issue.
Deadline for
Manuscripts: December 15, 2024
Editorial
Board Member Paul Englesberg Receives Award for Best Article of the Year on the
Bellingham Riot of 1907
The Journal of Educational Controversy would like to
announce that our editorial board member, Paul Englesberg, will be receiving
the John McClelland, Jr. Award from the Washington State Historical Society on
May 4th. The award was made in
recognition of his article, "The Bellingham Riot of 1907," selected as
the best article of the year published in Columbia, The Magazine of Northwest
History, Winter, 2023, pp. 26-33.
I have heard Paul speak about this event on a number of occasions. His work is very significant, especially at
this historical moment of public debate and controversy on what history should
be taught in our public schools, the topic we explore in our upcoming issue of
the Journal of Educational Controversy.
Here is an abstract of the article:
The rapid development of racial prejudice and labor
animosity directed at new Asian immigrants in Bellingham led to one of the
largest anti-immigrant riots in early 20th century United States.
Several thousand men from Punjab, India, most of whom were Sikhs, immigrated to
British Columbia, Canada and the United States Northwest in 1905 to 1908
seeking work, and many found jobs as laborers, mostly in the many lumber mills. With its large mills and proximity to the
Canadian border, Bellingham, Washington attracted hundreds of these Punjabi
immigrants, which quickly led to racial and labor tensions. On September 4, 1907 a large mob gathered and
attacked the Punjabis, seeking to drive them out of the mills and the city. Hundreds fled and others were held overnight
in the city jail for protection. In a
matter of days almost all the immigrants had left, never to return to the
Bellingham area.
Decades later a thriving Sikh community began to form in
Bellingham and Whatcom County, and public educational programs recognized the
ugly history of racism and forced expulsions of immigrants from China, India,
and Japan. In recognition of this legacy
of intolerance, an impressive monument, the Arch of Healing and Reconciliation,
was erected in the city center and dedicated in 2018. In 2020 voters elected Satpal Sidhu, a Sikh
leader, to the highest elected position of County Executive. ("The
Bellingham Riot of 1907" in Columbia, Winter, 2023, pp. 26-33.)
Editor: Our
Western Washington University librarian has compiled this list of classroom
book suggestions to help young people understand Israeli & Palestinian life. A special thank you to Sylvia Gabrielle
Tag, WWU Librarian & Associate Professor, for her contribution to our
understanding. For an earlier post that provided an annotated bibliography
for educators and youth on Ukraine, click here.
Israeli & Palestinian Youth Come Together: An Annotated Bibliography
Sylvia Gabrielle Tag
This list highlights books
for young people that contain both Israeli and Palestinian characters,
settings, and narratives. The list is heartbreakingly short – one might say
tragically so considering the current conflict. The list begins with true
stories, providing evidence of our shared humanity. Recently, librarians and
educators are using the term “true stories” versus the traditional genre of
nonfiction. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is true for
the photographs in true stories as well as the images in picture books. Middle
school readers are ready to tackle tough issues and still look to grown-ups for
guidance. Realistic fiction, fantasy and documentary books are provided for
teens. We hope that more books will be published that connect us - these books
offer a place to start.
True Stories / Nonfiction
Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis – Based on interviews of children and teenagers in Israel
and Palestine. Ellis alternates Israeli and Palestinian
voices and prefaces each of the accounts by an informative discussion of pertinent
issues and a profile of the interviewee and his/her experiences. A perceptive and empathetic presentation.
Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and
Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trish Marx - Summer
is here, and Alya, an Israeli Palestinian girl, and Yuval, an Israeli Jewish
boy, are off to Peace Camp. At camp, Alya, Yuval, and the other campers enjoy
two weeks of fun in close contact with one another. They participate in sports,
create arts and crafts projects, and go on field trips. The children begin to
understand what their homeland means to both sides. They learn not to be afraid
and to respect one another.
Neve Shalom Wahat
Al-Salaam: Oasis of Peace by Laurie
Dolphin - This cooperative school
outside of Jerusalem brings Jews and Arabs together in the hopes that by
raising their children together, they will create a peaceful co-existence. Told
from the point of view of two 10-year-old boys, with photographs throughout.
Picture Books
Yaffa and
Fatima: Shalom, Salaam by Fawzia
Gilani-Williams – A touching picture book about two
neighbors―one Jewish, one Muslim― who have always been best friends. In Gilani's
retelling of a folktale―which has both Jewish and Arab origins―differences are
not always causes for conflict and friendship can overcome any obstacle.
A
Moon for Moe and Mo by Jane Breskin
Zalben - Moses Feldman, a Jewish boy, lives at one end of Flatbush Avenue in
Brooklyn, New York, while Mohammed Hassan, a Muslim boy, lives at the other.
One day they meet at Sahadi's market while out shopping with their mothers and
are mistaken for brothers. A friendship is born, and the boys bring their
families together to share rugelach and date cookies in the park as they make a
wish for peace.
Snow
in Jerusalem by Deborah Da Costa - Avi and Hamudi are
two boys who live in Jerusalem's Old City―Avi in the Jewish Quarter and Hamudi
in the Muslim Quarter. To each boy, the other's neighborhood is an alien land.
And although neither boy knows it, both are caring for the same beautiful white
stray cat. One day the boys follow the cat as she travels the winding streets
and crosses the boundaries between the city’s quarters.
Middle Grades
Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman - When twelve-year-old
Yasmeen Khoury moves with her family to San Antonio, all she wants to do is fit
in. When Yasmeen meets her neighbor, Ayelet Cohen, a first-generation Israeli
American and the two girls become friends. But when Yasmeen’s grandmother moves
in after her home in Jerusalem is destroyed, Yasmeen and Ayelet must grapple
with how much closer the events of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are than
they’d realized. Can peace begin with them?
Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi - Samir, a Palestinian boy, is sent for surgery to an
Israeli hospital where he has two otherworldly experiences, making friends with
an Israeli boy, Yonatan, and traveling with him to Mars where Samir finds peace
over his younger brother's death in the war.
Running on Eggs by Anna Levine - It all starts when
Karen and Yasmine trade lunch boxes. Such an act would hardly raise eyebrows
anywhere else, but Karen lives on an Israeli kibbutz and Yasmine in a nearby
Palestinian village, and distrust between the two cultures runs deep. Running
on Eggs offers a frank portrayal of modern-day Israel and recounts the story of
two girls whose loyalty to each other helps them overcome the obstacles in
their path.
Young Adult
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed – A book about dating, friendship,
families, and resistance. Two teen activists canvas the streets of New York
City and learn to navigate cross-cultural differences that run deep.
You Asked for Perfect
by Laura Silverman - The story follows Ariel, a Jewish teen, as he fights for
valedictorian all while falling for Amir, the Muslim son of family friends. Significantly,
Ariel and Amir are never challenged regarding their religion and sexuality. These
novel resists assumptions that necessitate cultural conflict.
Internment by Samira Ahmed – In this disturbing fantasy novel,
17-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for
Muslim American citizens. With the help of newly made friends also trapped
within the camp, and her Jewish boyfriend on the outside, Layla begins a
journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment
camp's director and his guards.
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valérie Zenatti - Seventeen-year-old Tal Levine of
Jerusalem, despondent over the ongoing Arab Israeli conflict, puts her hopes
for peace in a bottle and asks her brother, a military nurse in the Gaza Strip,
to toss it into the sea, leading ultimately to friendship and understanding
between her and an "enemy."
The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan - For older readers, this book is based on a 43-minute radio
documentary that Tolan produced for "Fresh Air," this volume pursues
the story into the homes and histories of the two families at its center
through the present day. Their stories form a personal microcosm of the last 70
years of Israeli-Palestinian history
Growing Self-esteem in
Israeli and Palestinian Young People
Jewish Readers Deserve to See Themselves Outside of the Holocaust and
Holidays by BrocheAroe
Fabian
12 Children's and YA Books by Palestinian Authors by Hannah Moushabeck
Resources
on Grief, Loss, and Understanding
Not If But When: Books for Young
People About Death and Loss is a website of book titles. Children and teens facing the loss of
friends and family, or their own mortality, need help navigating the emotional,
physical, and practical upheavals and restorations. Books offer opportunities
to ask questions, wonder, and simply acknowledge the realities of their
circumstances. https://www.notifbutwhen.org/
Hello, Dear Enemy: Picture Books for Peace is a traveling exhibit from the International Youth Library in Munich,
Germany. The exhibit is divided into four
themes: Experiences of War, Destruction, and Displacement; Power Struggles and
the Origin and Escalation of Violence; Prejudice, Ostracism, and Imagined
Enemies; Utopias of Peace and Anti-War Books. List of exhibit books here: https://libguides.wwu.edu/clic/hello-dear-enemy
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization which represents an
international network of people from all over the world who are committed to
bringing books and children together in order to promote international
understanding through children's books https://www.ibby.org/
Long before the recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision, the Journal
of Educational Controversy published an important article on affirmative
action, entitled, “Anti-Affirmative Action and Historical Whitewashing: ToNever Apologize While Committing New Racial Sins,” by author Hoang Vu Tran shortly
after his death. Hoang V. Tran was a
young assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University. He died from drowning
in a lake while trying to save his friends from a strong current. He left a three-year-old daughter and another
child who was not yet born. This article
was probably the last manuscript he published, and we would like to highlight it
for our readers in light of yesterday's Supreme Court decision.
The article appeared in our 2020 issue of the journal on the
theme, "The Ethics of Memory: What Does It Mean to Apologize for
Historical Wrongs."
Professor Hoang Tran’s
Abstract of his article, “Anti-Affirmative Action and Historical Whitewashing:To Never Apologize While Committing New Racial Sins.”
Abstract
Apologies, official or otherwise, for historical wrongs are
important steps in the road towards reconciliation. More difficult are
historical wrongs that have yet to be fully acknowledged. The reemergence of
affirmative action in the public consciousness via the Supreme Court represents
a striking example of the ways in which our collective consciousness has yet to
fully account for our past educational sins: segregation and income inequality.
This essay explores the multiple consequences to our historical memory when the
anti-affirmative action narrative continues to dominate the public discourse on
racism in education. I offer a renewed focus on ‘fenced out’ as the
deterministic consideration of racism in education. In doing so, our historical
memory and contemporary consciousness regains the potential to differentiate
between admissions grievances, and ongoing racists practices such as de facto
segregation and income inequality in education.
The Journal of Educational Controversy announces a new call for papers for Volume 16.
Theme: Facilitating Discussions of Controversial Issues in Difficult Times
Controversy Addressed:
Controlling
speech in classrooms has been an issue for as long as there have been schools.
Who gets to speak, what they are allowed to say, what counts as a legitimate
topic for discussion, and what constitutes “truth” have always been determined
by the economic and political processes that control education. Recently, these
processes have become the subject of public debate and political controversy. From both the putative right and the putative
left, morally inflected demands for control of classroom conversation have made
headlines and have played a role in funding, legislation, lawsuits, campaigning,
and voting choices. Bans on certain words, trigger warnings, a shift from
politics to psychology, a focus on trauma, fear of certain theories (usually
those with “critical” in their title), the struggle for control of historical
narratives, the censorship of invited speakers, and the framing of identities
have all become part of the discussion of what can and cannot be said in a
classroom, what will and won’t get funded, and who can be fired for speech.
We invite authors to bring clarity and illumination to these issues from a conceptual,
philosophical, historical, and political perspective and to offer ideas about
actual classroom practices.
· What are some effective practices in the teaching for complexity through the classroom discussion of controversial issues in the different disciplines—literature, science, social studies, history, environmental studies, mathematics, political science, economics, psychology, the arts and theater, etc.
· What is the legitimate scope of decision-making by teachers and librarians based on professional knowledge, by the democratic control of education through state legislatures and governors, by local vs. state authority, by the rights and concerns of parents.
Deadline for Manuscripts: October 15, 2023
I am pleased to announce that our special issue on “Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment” is now online at the Journal of Educational Controversy. Here is a direct link: https://cedar.wwu.edu/jec/vol15/iss1/ Please consider continuing the conversation by contributing a rejoinder.
Authors responded to the following controversial
scenario:
As the nation begins to reckon with its racial past, it is
now experiencing a backlash by some states that are implementing laws and
policies that will target how civics education, controversial topics, and
divisive issues will be discussed from kindergarten through higher education. From restrictions on the teaching of academic
theories that analyze systemic racism to limiting other race-related
discussions in the classroom, actions by these states pose not only a challenge
and a danger to traditional academic freedom but also to the very definition of
the role of education in a democratic society.
This issue of the
Journal of Educational Controversy asks authors to contribute their thoughts on
issues such as:
1. How should racism be appropriately
addressed at different age levels and the college classroom? What social, historical, political, and
cultural understandings should be brought to bear on the conversation? How do we defend the educational significance
for the choices we make? How do we act
in proactive ways to engage in such work so that we are not forced to be
reactive?
2. How are
we to understand the political nature of the attacks against theories like
Critical Race Theory and other current political actions by states to restrict
and censor discussions on race in order for us to counter them more
effectively? What political dynamics and
historical precedents are at play? Can
incidents from the past illuminate a response today?
3. How
should university professors prepare the next generation of teachers in
confronting these issues?
4. What
would it look like if a college of education took on the work of dismantling
structural racism?
Below is the table of contents from the journal:
Editorial
Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical
Moment
Lorraine Kasprisin
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
Articles
in Response to Controversy
The Sociohistorically Situated and Structurally Central Nature of
Race: Toward an Analytic of Research regarding Race and Racism
Rolf Straubhaar
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
A critically conscious analysis of institutionalized racism in
teacher education: Imagining anti-racist teacher preparation spaces
Tatiana Joseph, Jennifer Brownson, Kristine Lize, Elizabeth Drame,
and Laura Owens
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
“Teaching in a War Zone”: A Collective Reflection on Learning from
a Diversity Course in Contentious Times
Elena Aydarova, Jacob Kelley, and Kristen Daugherty
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
Dissonance as an Educational Tool for Coping with Students’ Racist
Attitudes
Adar Cohen
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
Stories Read and Told in an Antiracist Teaching Book Club
Jennifer Ervin and Madison Gannon
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
Troubling the Null Curriculum through a Multiple-Perspectives
Pedagogy: A Critical Dialogue Between Two Equity-Minded Teacher Educators
Rachel Endo and Deb Sheffer
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
On the continuity of learning, teaching, schooling: Mead’s
educational proposal, from the perspective of decolonization and
Land/place-based education
Cary Campbell Dr.
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
About the
Authors
About the Authors
Vol. 15, Iss. 1
Theme: Teaching for Social Justice in a Highly Politicized Historical Moment
