COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have changed the social and political landscape in which environmental educators work. To meet these challenges and to assess current training needs, we invited members of three national U.S. organizations to rate 28 different professional competencies in terms of importance and preparedness to perform.…

The aim of this study is to address the importance of implementing discussions about Black Lives Matter in early childhood education and care. The article starts with presenting the background of the study, describing how talking about race and whiteness may perceive difficult to address for both preschool teachers as well as early childhood…

"Transformative Science Teaching" reveals Daniel Morales-Doyle's vision for science education that supports meaningful learning in the sciences. In this sensible and sensitive assessment of science instruction in the United States, Morales-Doyle outlines both what science education is and what it could be. He suggests that a judicious…

Activism and engagement with real-world climate crises, within particular contexts, are prerequisites for learning about climate justice. I draw on my experience as an imbedded activist researcher living and learning through two recent 'crises' in Cape Town, to deepen my understandings of 'climate justice'. I followed a case study approach to…

The teaching of white privilege in Australian tertiary settings is beset by a number of obstacles arising especially from resistance, disbelief and outright obstructionism in white students, and occasionally colleagues. The article summarises the historical and societal context regarding race relations, racism and white hegemony in Australia, then…

Climate change is a growing global crisis with short and long-term physical and human impacts. Although climate change is a global occurrence, the impacts of climate change are not felt equally among all locations and all groups of people. Climate justice education is a form of social justice education that invites students to consider how the…

This study explored how elementary teachers identified and adapted their personal experiences, or lack of them, to address social issues that students face in classrooms. The study involved six elementary school teachers. Using ethics of care and justice theories, the findings show that teachers use their own experiences to help them make…

In recent years, young people engaged in political discourse and civic action online. U.S.-based social movements centered on equity issues, such as Black Lives Matter, Dreamers, and March for Our Lives, engaged young people in shaping and publicizing the goals of these movements through digital platforms. Increasingly in communities at the…

With a change in access to information and a rising social and political consciousness for young people, elementary schools must start to think more about their role in shaping kids' understanding of social issues. While researchers certainly have not agreed upon a single definition of social justice education, Bell (2016) defines its aim as…

Among the most urgent matters in contemporary education discourses are those that delve into the justice issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Colleges of Education are critical sites for such discourse. In particular, the teaching methods course is where candidates are to acquire tools to take up such issues. Success of justice…

The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the BLM movement led to a historic moment for American society. Illness, death, and civil unrest provided a shared historical experience for all Americans, and provided an opportunity for educators to capitalize on the multitude of teachable moments these historical events provided. For educators, like…

In this essay, we argue for racializing approaches to teaching climate change to better understand and address climate injustices. We draw upon the example of the Buffalo Blizzard of 2022 which caused a disproportionate number of deaths in the Black community. Extreme weather events such as the blizzard highlight the ways in which climate…

Our world is in constant flux and educators are at the ship's helm steering toward what former U.S. Representative John Lewis called "good trouble." However, in many cases, educators lack the training required to be most effective in doing so. As instructors face student demands to address topics on race and social justice, many…

In this book, Fitzpatrick and May make the case for a reimagined approach to critical ethnography in education. Working with an expansive understanding of "critical," they argue that many researchers already do the kind of critical ethnography suggested in this book, whether they call their studies critical or not. Drawing on a wide…

Understanding a student's community and home life enables the professor to tailor the teaching method to support them best. Embracing the student's cultural background provides a nurturing that makes the environment more conducive to learning and gives credence to their well-being and place in society. If there is no cultural responsiveness, it…