Key Questions
It can be difficult to find concrete ways to support public education in our current political climate. We believe that it is essential to begin through dialogue(s) on the purpose(s) of public education. We invite you to engage these questions in your own communities or with us here on Justice.Education. Please feel free to share potential questions for discussion, resources, or responses to these explorations.
- What is/are the purpose(s) of public education?
- What constitutes learning, and how do we know when a person has learned?
- What constitutes teaching, and what does strong teaching look like?
- How might we support the agency of learners, teacher candidates, teachers, parents, and other members of our communities?
- What sorts of experiences and understandings do teacher candidates need in order to enact strong teaching/learning practices?
- This map evidences the fact that we do not have any sort of shared understanding of or for the purpose of public education. What surprises you about these definitions and articulations? What might it look like for us to offer a collective vision for public education?
- When we dream about what public education could become, what is in our dreams?
- What scholarship or resources help us to dream about possibilities, or to support public education? If these resources are publicly-available, please post them below.
Would you like to suggest a question for dialogue? Please email us at CEE.socialjustice@gmail.com.
Want to take action?
Given the dialogues you have had around these questions, you may be interested in getting involved with local and national efforts to support a strong public education. Some organizations/networks that may serve as a starting point are listed below.
National Networks
Local Networks
- New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE)
- California – Association of Raza Educators (ARE)
- San Francisco – Teachers 4 Social Justice
- Los Angeles – Youth4Justice
Other resources can be found here.
justice.education 