As sociologists of education, we're deeply concerned about the growing censorship in our schools and the attack on teaching the truth about our history and present-day inequality. We also recognize how an educational past mired in antiblack practices and policies remains with us today and thus why teachers are still faced with navigating…

Prior studies have documented the pattern of decreased state funding for higher education in periods of economic contraction (i.e., the balance wheel phenomenon). This qualitative case study examines how policymakers in California and Texas made decisions about funding higher education at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when policymakers faced…

This study examines the influence of Christian nationalism in private Christian schools, with ABC Christian School in Southern California as a case study. It also explores its broader impact on American public education through parental rights groups pushing for book bans and curriculum changes. Survey data from former students and staff reveal…

ESL teachers play important roles in teaching English and cultural orientation to immigrants coming to the US. They serve a variety of people residing legally within the United States such as permanent residents, refugees, migrant workers, asylees, parolees, and some citizens and international students. They also serve undocumented immigrants.…

Based on a multi-site ethnography of three distinct Ghanaian secondary schools and drawing on the Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT), this research explored teachers' perceptions of the implementation of Ghana's Free Senior High School Policy. The study employed document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. The…

The success and failure of education reform policies often depend on the strategies of reformers. This article suggests a framework to understand the "positionality" of reformers, as they vary in their strategy (i.e., technical vs. relational) and focus for change (i.e., process- vs. outcomes-focused). Using the case of individuals who…

Discussions about the role of universities have long been framed in terms of questions of what is good for the public, as well as how and whether higher education serves that good. Today, the language of 'societal impact' has become an accepted way for policymakers to frame the matter, but just who is included in the underlying definition of…

Scholarly assessments of Philippine education during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos understandably focus on its authoritarian bent. What many neglect is how his dictatorship, in partnership with the World Bank (WB), incubated neoliberal education in the country. While there are academic analyses that show how WB loan programmes influenced…

This chapter illuminates the contribution of Critical Race Theory (CRT) to community college men of color initiatives with an emphasis on educators planning, developing, and leading these initiatives at two urban community colleges on the West Coast. This chapter highlights the direct and indirect ways CRT informed professional development (PD)…

There are more anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation affecting schools now than ever before. Within this political milieu, teachers navigate censorship, surveillance, community criticism, and curricular mandates that limit or even illegalize their efforts to foster queer- and trans-affirming classrooms. This article presents a case study of Echo's…

Belonging is central to many students' educational experiences, yet the field of school belonging contends with limited theoretical grounding specifically developed for educational contexts and unresolved tensions between research and practice. This qualitative study evaluates the applicability of the meta-theoretical "Integrative Framework…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Community Voices Matter." Contents include: (1) Dear colleagues, family and…

English medium instruction (EMI) and critical language education are both relatively established areas of education and scholarship. While the booming trends of EMI have generally foregrounded the technical aspects of instruction and the related linguistic challenges, the ongoing development of EMI theory, research, policy, and practice can be…

It is widely recognised that academic freedom and university autonomy in Turkey are currently under pressure. Many scholars have produced articles discussing the Turkish predicament, linking it to the recent authoritarian and populist turn of the country. This paper offers a different interpretation, arguing how academic freedom and institutional…

Hong Kong experienced a period of significant social unrest, marked by protests, from June 2019 to February 2020. Media coverage was pervasive. In July 2020, children aged from 5 to 6 years attending kindergartens in areas both directly and less directly impacted by the protests were asked to draw and talk about what had taken place during the…