A weekly podcast that makes complex ideas in educational research easily understood
Today we explore the idea of degrowth. With me is Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist, author, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics, and Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. He…
by Will Brehm
Today we explore educational privatization in Brazil and Portugal.
With me is Rui da Silva, a researcher in the Center for African Studies at the University of Porto in Portugal. Together with Theresa Adrião, Rui has recently published a new article in the journal Globalisation, Societies and Education entitled “Public funding to private providers of compulsory education: crossed looks between Brazil and Portugal in the context of globalisations.”
by Will Brehm
Today we continue our exploration of Teach for All. Two weeks ago, we explored Teach for All counter-narratives. Now we look at empirical research evidence across contexts where Teach for All operates. With me are Matthew Thomas, Emilee Rauschenberger and Katy Crawford-Garrett who have recently co-edited Examining Teach For All: International Perspectives on a Growing Global Network. The collection “brings together research focused on Teach for All and its affiliate programmes to explore the organization’s impact on education around the world.”
Matthew A.M. Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Education and Sociology of Education at the University of Sydney; Emilee Rauschenberger is Senior Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University; and Katy Crawford-Garrett is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of New Mexico
by Will Brehm
Today we talk about the complexities of private higher education worldwide and how some private universities and colleges responded to and have been impacted by the coronavirus.
My guest is Daniel Levy, a professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He’s recently co-written a report entitled: “How Covid-19 puts private higher education at especially high risk – and not: early observations plus propositions for ongoing global exploration.”
by Will Brehm
Today we look at counter narratives to Teach for All, the global network of affiliate organizations that recruit people to make 2-year commitments teaching in high-need schools. An outgrowth of Teach for America and Teach First in the United Kingdom, Teach for All advances a one-size fits all solution to educational problems in over 53 countries. It is funded by powerful corporations and organizations, such as the Clinton Global Initiative, and has become an important actor in the global education reform movement.
But what do former recruits think of Teach for All? How does Teach for All’s carefully crafted message of reform translate into practice? My guests today are Jameson Brewer, Kathleen deMarrais and Kelly L. McFaden who have recently co-edited a volume called Teach for All Counter Narratives. The book is a collection of first-hand accounts where former recruits offer powerful critiques of the organization and its methods.
Jameson Brewer is an Assistant Professor of Social Foundations of Education at the University of North Georgia where Kelly L. McFaden is a professor. Kathleen deMarrais is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy at the University of Georgia.
by Will Brehm
Today we take a critical look at numbers. Think about it: numbers are everywhere in education, from grades to impact scores to rankings. My guests today, Nelli Piattoeva and Rebecca Boden, have recently co-edited a special issue for the journal International Studies in Sociology of Education that looks at the “ambiguities of the governance of education through data” (read their open access introduction!).
Nelli Piattoeva is an Associate Professor at Tampere University in Finland where Rebecca Boden is the research director and professor at the New Social Research Programme.
by Will Brehm
School systems worldwide are struggling to figure out if, when, and how to re-open schools. Educational planning during a pandemic is no easy task, especially when there is little evidence that can be used to guide policy.
My guest today is Karen Mundy, Professor of International and Comparative Education at the University of Toronto. She is a leading expert on education in the developing world and former Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education, known as the GPE. I wanted to speak with Karen since part of her job at the GPE was to work through delicate planning issues with government and school officials worldwide. What advice would she give school planners today?
by Will Brehm
What does citizenship education look like in a country affected by armed conflict and economic crises?
My guest today, Bassel Akar, has closely examined citizenship and history education in Lebanon. Some of his research focuses on the ways in which teachers demonstrate their agency for curricular and pedagogical change through innovative approaches inside the classroom.
Bassel Akar is Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Center for Applied Research in Education at Notre Dame University in Lebanon. Last year he published a book entitled Citizenship Education in conflict-affected areas: Lebanon and beyond.
by Will Brehm
Can Sesame Street’s Big Bird help fight terrorism? And what does a children’s television show tell us about the challenges and paradoxes of multicultural education?
My guest today is Naomi Moland, Professorial Lecturer at the American University in Washington D.C. In her new book, entitled Can Big Bird Fight Terrorism?, Naomi explores a children’s television show in conflict-affected Nigeria that “is designed to teach ethnic and religious tolerance and to build national unity.” Naomi uncovers lessons for multicultural education in general, which she speaks about in relation to the current pandemic and the protests against racism and colonialism that have recently spread to many countries worldwide.
by Will Brehm
It takes about 15 minutes to drive from Edgewood to Alamo Heights in San Antonio, Texas. Yet the schools in each neighborhood are worlds apart. The student body at Alamo is roughly 52 percent white and 40 percent Hispanic. Only about 20 percent of students are classified as economically disadvantaged. At Edgewood, less than 1 percent of students are white and 97 percent are Hispanic. Nearly 95 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged.
Over 50 years ago, similar school disparities promoted parents in Edgewood to file a court case seeking equality in educational financing. The case would work its way up to the Supreme Court in what is known as San Antonia Independent School District v. Rodriguez.
Considered one of the worst Supreme Court rulings since 1960, Rodriquez has withstood various challenges over the years. My guests today, Mark Paige and Bruce Meredith, argue it’s time to find new paths to create educational equality.
Mark Paige is a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Bruce Meredith is the former General Counsel to the National Education Association Wisconsin Affiliate. Their article “Reversing Rodriquez: A siren call to a dangerous shoal” will be published in the University of Houston Law Review later this year.
by Will Brehm
In our fast-changing world, how should we think about the curriculum? For what macro competencies should education aim? And has the COVID-19 pandemic revealed any failures in our education systems worldwide? These are difficult questions to answer and dependent on context. To help make sense of these questions, UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education has recently published a set of normative documents to help guide the future of curriculum in the 21st Century.
Today Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope, the Director of the International Bureau of Education, joins me to talk about a competence-based curriculum that can support the attainment of the Education 2030 agenda. Dr. Marope has extensive experience in education, including 11 years as a university professor, 10 years at the World Bank, and 11 years in the United Nations.
