As early as the 1990s, educationists, and even some governmental policy makers in China, advocated suzhi (quality) educational reform, aiming to develop creative individuals, and to revamp the exam-oriented and authoritarian education system. However, this suzhi educational reform was not entirely successful, with education in China becoming a…

In the following paper, the author draws upon the works of critical theorists and critical curriculum scholars to investigate the intersection of the social and political realms with contemporary educational and curricular trends. This paper specifically explores connections between current curriculum trends with neutrality, social reproduction,…

In this article, the authors describe a class activity that uses a combination of strategies to overcome obstacles students face when learning about the reproduction of inequality in everyday life. Based on Schwalbe et al.'s (2000) piece on "generic social processes," and following the idea of "making the strange familiar and the familiar…

There is an urgent need to build a movement for adult education in the United States. Tens of thousands more classes are needed to enable democratic participation in the economy and society. This dramatic expansion of adult education and literacy should be aimed at the development of critical consciousness and civic participation of over ninety…

Discusses how to teach students in an introduction to sociology course about cultural capital as it relates to power relations. States that the course focuses on the relevance of sociological theory, how cultural capital is instilled in students through rules, and resisting rules. Provides examples of each topic. (CMK)

Many countries have introduced a range of policies that attempt to reformulate the relationships among government, schools, and parents through the application of market forces. This paper looks at the hidden curriculum of marketization and explores the extent to which the recent trend toward quasi-markets in public education systems are…

Contends that traditional moral education's lack of critical perspective has resulted in its unwitting perpetuation of the status quo. Proposes adopting a critical postmodern approach addressing the fundamental interrelationship between language and power. Recommends sharing knowledge, power, and ideas between teachers and students. (MJP)

Criticizes the conservative movement's dismissal of class inequities in the British school system. Maintains that any critical analysis of social democratic alternatives to the current system must address the ways that class identities and social destinies are reproduced through state schooling. Doubts the efficacy of managerialist technically…