Civic Contestation in Global Education

Cases and Conversations in Educational Ethics

Meira Levinson, Ellis Reid, Sara O'Brien, Tatiana Geron

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781350399518
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Comparative Education

Civic Contestation in Global Education takes readers into classrooms and schools on the front lines of civic education in pluralistic and divided democracies. The book offers eight case studies of educators and policy makers wrestling with schools' civic and ethical responsibilities around the globe. Examples of the case studies include teaching critical consciousness in an Anti-CRT state, religiously sensitive satirical cartoons and radical extremism, and accommodating religion in schools. Each case is followed by a model conversation among diverse participants based in Australia, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the USA. The participants include scholars, activists, teachers, students, parents, and community leaders from across the political spectrum. Each chapter includes discussion questions and suggestions for further reading. Taken together, these cases and conversations provide readers critical resources both for deliberating about the ethical challenges facing schools in a time of civic disruption, and for charting a path toward a more just and democratic future worldwide. In a German classroom, a student eagerly shares Querdenker conspiracy theories (analogous to QAnon) during a class discussion, doubling down on the importance of "critical thinking" and "looking at all the evidence" when challenged by teachers and classmates. How should his teacher respond? In Madrid, two 12 year-olds spend the weekend convincing a peer to text them a topless photo that they then circulate to their classmates. What responsibility does their school have, if any, to address this out-of-school violation of trust and digital citizenship norms? In Iowa, parents and legislators raise concerns about "critical race theory" being taught in K-12 schools, while in Toronto, a school faces public backlash over constitutionally-permitted accommodations it has made for Muslim students to pray after lunch on Fridays in the school cafeteria. What steps might school leaders take next to respond to public concerns while also supporting the students in their buildings? More case studies and resources can be found at justiceinschools.org.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Schools as Democratic Spaces in Fragile Democracies Author: Ellis Reid, Meira Levinson, Sara O’Brien, and Tatiana Geron
• 2 A Parallel Universe: Conspiracy Theories and the Limits of Education Case author: Johannes Drerup Conversation facilitator: Johannes Drerup and Sara O’Brien Conversation participants: Greta Fexer, Kai Horsthemke, Nikki Spencer, and Anna Zentis
• 3 Feeling Exposed in Online Class: Student and Teacher Safety in the Online Civics Classroom Case author: Isolde de Groot, Yaël Weening, and Sara O’Brien Conversation facilitator: Isolde de Groot Conversation participants: Belinda Kleijweg, Clemijn Schreuder, Susan Sants, and Bjorn Wansink
• 4 High School at the Coal-Face: The Cost of Getting “What We’re Owed” Case author: Sarah Gurr and Daniella J. Forster Conversation facilitator: Daniella J. Forster Conversation participants: James Ladwig, Kristy Pascoe, Lawrence Perry, and Anne Marie Ross
• 5 Photo Bomb: Responding to Online Transgressions Case author: Ana Romero-Iribas and María Almudena Santaella Vallejo Conversation facilitator: Ana Romero-Iribas Conversation participants: Consuelo Martínez-Priego, Carlos-María Alcover, Helena Regojo Bacardí, and Carmen Perdices González
• 6 Taking the Action Out of Civics?: Polarized Debates over Civic Education Case author: Sara O’Brien and Meira Levinson Conversation facilitator: Meira Levinson Conversation participants: Debbie Holecko, Robert Pondiscio, Fernando M. Reimers, and Andrew Wilkes
• 7 Course Correction: Teaching Critical Consciousness in an Anti-CRT State Case author: Yonas Michael, Nicolas Tanchuk, and Sara O’Brien Conversation facilitator: Sara O’Brien Conversation participants: Rebecca Horwitz-Willis, Buddy Boren North, Daniel D. Spikes, and Chloé Valdary
• 8 No Laughing Matter: Can Showing Religiously Sensitive Cartoons in the Classroom Ever Be Justified? Case author: Janet Orchard, Waqar Ahmedi, and Sara O’Brien Conversation facilitator: Janet Orchard and Sara O’Brien Conversation participants: Sally Elton-Chalcraft, David Kerr, and Shammi Rahman
• 9 Faith in Mr. D.: Accommodating Religion in Schools Case author: Lauren Bialystok Conversation facilitator: Lauren Bialystok Conversation participants: Philippa Carter, Allysa Khan, Kevin McDonough, Rebecca L. Starkman, and Rizwan Mohammad
• 10 Conclusion: Expanding the Conversation Author: Sara O’Brien, Meira Levinson, Ellis Reid, and Tatiana Geron
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• Index