This paper considers educational futures from the perspective of social justice. It takes as its framework futures studies, which looks at what is probable (what is likely to happen), what is possible (what could happen), and what is preferable (what we would like to see/make happen). It also makes the case for science fiction as a method of…

In an earlier essay in the Reviewing Policy section of this journal, I examined many of the major arguments for social justice teacher unionism. This combines both more traditional union concerns over wages, working conditions, professional autonomy, and respect with a much more concerted focus by unions on social justice issues in schools,…

The purpose of this research article is to explore how social justice in education has evolved over the past 50 years of peer-reviewed article publications in Kansas State University College of Education's academic journal, "Educational Considerations." The research sought to unveil how social justice in education has evolved over the…

The statistics are real: Black students are more likely to be suspended, more likely to attempt suicide, and less likely to attend college than their white peers. What can we do to change these realities? Do you want to just talk about race, or do you want to make real change in the lives of children and what they experience every day? Antiracism…

Nassim Noroozi proposes a juxtaposition of pedagogy with and a characterization of it as justice. The term pedagogical here is not limited to "the educational," nor is pedagogy limited to the methods of teaching. At the same time, the term justice will not be framed in terms of liberal conceptual grounds. Noroozi defines pedagogy as an…

Higher education seems to be in a perpetual state of 'crisis'. The many hundreds of books and papers containing this specific, or other relevantly similar expressions, convey a sense of fear and angst. Yet, what are these various crises about, and which values and beliefs are seen as threatened or 'under attack'? This paper will provide an…

This study addresses university leadership and the need to affirm diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to institute organizational change for social justice. My key research question is, "What are effective ways for leaders to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion with the goal of achieving social justice?" There is much research…

Promoting equity and improvement science have seen increased attention over the last several years as educators seek to expand the experiences, opportunities, and outcomes for marginalized students. This book shows school and district leaders how to create the conditions needed to use improvement science--with its robust collection of tools,…

UMass Boston leadership has publicly committed to becoming an antiracist and health-promoting university, and the institutional values and commitments are also intricately tied to an academic freedom that wholly defends the right to teach about race, gender and other equity issues. Currently, more than 30 states have enacted bans or have bans…

Using Black Shoals as a theoretical guide, we explore how intentional emergence (IE) can help erode the colonial and capitalist underpinnings of leadership education. Informed by Black Shoals and IE, we offer three pedagogical recommendations we frame as decolonial interventions--dissolving the center, weaving the margins, and collective…

Educational assessments, from kindergarden to 12th grade (K-12) to licensure, have a long, well-documented history of oppression and marginalization. In this paper, we (the authors) ask the field of educational assessment/measurement to actively disrupt the White supremacist and racist logics that fuel this marginalization and re-orient itself…

In recent years a suite of policies and practices that are strongly influenced by efforts to make the work of educators and education providers more accountable, have had a powerful impact across the sector in settings such as Australia. In part, this goes some way to explaining why many working in the teaching profession report being dissatisfied…

In this policy brief, the authors describe the steps they took in a rural education organization to rethink equity and justice and create meaningful and sustainable change at a policy level. The authors begin by providing context about who they are as rural educators and scholars and how their positionalities and experiences informed their…

The Building a Brighter Future: Community Symposium Against the Preschool-to-Prison Pipeline addresses systemic inequities in early childhood education and the juvenile justice system. The symposium aims to combat the preschool-to-prison pipeline--a phenomenon disproportionately affecting children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,…

This paper focuses on the formation of the Rand Change Agent Study, characterizes it as the pursuit of school reform for "social equity" and attempts to demonstrate anew its significance. First, the paper finds that "social equity" was among the main motivations for the Rand Change Agent Study. It was clear in the earliest…