In England, we might say that "the Empire has come home." This means that while racism and the processes of racialization are indeed extraordinarily powerful, there will not only be strong similarities between say the United States and England but also significant differences in how these things play out both now and in the past. This is…

Since the Human Genome Project mapped the gene sequence, new biological sciences have been generating a raft of new knowledges about the mechanisms and functions of the molecular body. One area of work that has particular potential to speak to sociology of education, is the emerging field of epigenetics. Epigenetics moves away from the mapped…

Three books are the subject of this review essay: (1) Avril Keating's (2014) publication, "Education for Citizenship in Europe: European Policies, National Adaptations and Young People's Attitudes"; (2) "The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education", Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy (2015); and (3) "We…

What roles can and should teachers' unions play in the deliberations, debates, and conflicts over school reform in a time when education sits at the center of so much of our economic, political, ideological, and cultural tensions? Lois Weiner's new book, "The Future of Our Schools: Teachers Unions and Social Justice," speaks…

In this essay, the author reviews "Education Reform in New York City: Ambitious Change in the Nation's Most Complex School System," by Jennifer A. O'Day, Catherine S. Bitter, and Louis Gomez. The book under review explores a larger set of issues, and some time has passed. But many of the issues studied remain relevant and the consistent…

Jenny Robson's "Savannah 2216 AD", a dark, futuristic novel for young adults, provides a strong critique on much of the world's predilection for saving Africa's animals at the expense of those human communities who are perceived to be in the way of the preservation of the continent's remaining wild spaces. Using Robson's novel as…

The exploration of the uses of research by G. Russell and J. Bohan illustrates applied feminist research in the use of research results to give something back to the community. Their projects also show that it is possible to be creative in the way in which researchers do give something back to the community. (SLD)

Reviews the following books: "The Politics of Writing," (Romy Clark, Roz Ivanic); "Literacy in Society," (Ruqaiya Hasan, Geoff Williams); "Text, Role, and Context: Developing Academic Literacies" (Ann M. Johns); "Changing Literacies" by (Colin Lankshear with James Paul Gee, Michele Knobel, Chris Searle); and…

Remarks on recent articles and books regarding literacy and reading in America. (SR)

Reviews three books on welfare reform: "The Poverty of Welfare Reform" (Joel F. Handler); "The Politics of Welfare Reform" (Donald F. Norris, Lyke Thompson, editors); and "Living on the Edge: The Realities of Welfare in America" (Mark Robert Rank). (JOW)

Includes a review by Malcolm of the new Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education and proceedings of a symposium on the handbook from the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (31st, London, England, July 2001). Addresses issues of knowledge production in the education of adults. (Contains 23…

Three books examine works of Paulo Freire and the concepts of critical pedagogy and emancipatory education as they relate to current world political situations: dominance of neoliberal politics on one hand and Brazil's election of a working-class president on the other. Freire's thinking can be a foundation for a new leftist "common…

Paper reviews a book of essays on interpretive approaches to educational policy making. The essays are categorized as mythological/practical, evolutionary/transformational, and normative/critical. Though the quality of the essays varies, the book is seen as useful as an introductory textbook for senior undergraduate courses in interpretive…

Reviews "History and Educational Policy Making," which includes several essays written over time by one author. The general theme is history informing policy decisions. The essays provide capsule histories of particular federal programs, demonstrating how politics have intervened to dictate policies inconsistent with history or research results.…

A literary review of 10 books that concern the culture wars being waged in schools and politics. (MLF)