SOCIAL JUSTICE, EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING: SOME PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES

ABSTRACT:  Social justice is a key concept in current education policy and practice. It is, however, a problematic one in its application to schooling. This paper begins with a critique of the account of social justice offered by Gewirtz followed by an alternative philosophical notion based on the perfect world argument and the just society where equality is to the fore. This leads on to an exploration of what it is to be an educated citizen, consideration of the just school and discussion of the place of the school as an instrument for attaining social justice. The conclusion draws attention to the importance of the policy web as a way of developing coherent and unified policy designed to achieve social justice for all.     

EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL SERVICE

Employing humanities religious studies resources, a special curriculum was designed to complement established social science offerings in advocating better understanding and acceptance of persons suffering from long‐term mental disorders. A private denominational university formed the background, and the professor's family consumer viewpoint further shaped the syllabus.

The educational vision sought first to expose misinformation and describe recent brain research indicating a biological cause for serious mental illness; next, cultural stigma was studied in reference to selected literary and sacred texts.

Titles of other appropriate readings—as well as audio‐visual resources—are provided. Positive and negative student response to the course as a whole suggest the value of an envisioned advocacy, as did post‐classroom learner activities in both the 1991 class and its 1992 repeat.

The instructor lists recommendations for those who may wish to venture similar efforts in the subject.     

SCHOOL CHOICE, EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE CASE FOR MORE CONTROL

ABSTRACT:  This paper focuses on school choice and the extent to which admissions to publicly-funded secondary schools in England address issues of equity and social justice. It argues that schools with responsibility for their own admissions are more likely than others to act in their own self interest by 'selecting in' or 'creaming' particular pupils and 'selecting out' others. Given this, it is argued that individual schools should not be responsible for admissions. Instead, admissions should be the responsibility of a local authority (or non-partisan body); this body should make decisions about who should be allocated to which school on the basis of the expressed wishes of the parents, and the admissions criteria of the school in question. Admissions criteria should be objective, clear and fair and the admissions system itself should address issues of equity and social justice. It is argued that systems where there are some 'controls' on the choice process should be facilitated to address equity and social justice considerations which can benefit individuals and communities.     

A CHANGING EUROPE: CHALLENGES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH

The subject of the 1990 Brussels CHER annual meeting is introduced and analysed in relation to the themes of the papers presented by the various participants. Significantly, the freeing of higher education in eastern Europe from the rigours of Communism, democratic centralism, and command economies have come about while the higher education systems of the West have been strengthening their commitment to the market principle (voluntarily and/or imposed from without). The resulting situation is significant, mutually reinforcing, and ambiguous. It offers great opportunities, both East and West, for the further development of higher education research as a distinct field even while it is accentuating the precariousness of the other so‐called value sciences. Certainly a major opportunity comes from the fact that higher education researchers and their supporting institutions are being increasingly called upon to aid their respective governments in the understanding and the possible application of the higher education strategies and methods of other climes. The meeting has suggested markers for a future research agenda, and it has helped integrate the various methodological and technical perspectives as well as the insights of participants representing both East and West.     

AGREED SYLLABI AND UN-AGREED VALUES: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOSTERING SOCIAL COHESION

ABSTRACT:  Religious education (RE) has often found itself at the centre of debates about education's role in promoting social cohesion in contemporary multi-religious societies. The paper considers RE's relationship to religious plurality within the broader context of politics of curriculum and debates on pluralism. Drawing upon the recent works on the history of religion and using the teaching of the histories and cultures of Muslims in RE as a case study, it argues that RE has yet to fulfill its potential in this regard. The paper examines reasons for this and recommends alternative approaches to content which may help RE rise to the challenges posed above.     

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES IN CENTRAL AGENCY/FEDERATION RELATIONSHIPS IN PLANNING FOR JEWISH EDUCATION

Jewish Educational Planning at the Communal Level There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the future of central agencies. Much of it focuses on central agency/federation relationships in general, and planning roles in particular within the communal setting. That setting, at both local and continental levels, is comprised of a multidimensional matrix of organizations and bodies which under the best of circumstances work together in a synergistic way. When that happens, the community as a whole is stronger and all involved, including Jewish education, benefit. When that does not, unfortunately, the opposite is true.     

GERONTOLOGICAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN NURSING AND SOCIAL WORK: KNOWLEDGE,ATTITUDES, AND PERCEIVED BARRIERS

Most health care and social service providers are routinely required to work with elderly clients and clients’ aging family members. Research suggests that students entering these professions have knowledge deficits and lack positive attitudes toward older people. Few prefer to work with aging clients. Professional curricula are not providing students with adequate training to serve the current needs of this population, much less to meet projected increases in demand for services. To examine this issue, 67 master's students in nursing and social work completed questionnaires assessing (1) knowledge about aging, (2) attitudes toward old people, and (3) perceived barriers to gerontological education. Results confirmed the existence of knowledge deficits among respondents. Attitudes tended to be neutral rather than strongly positive or negative. Knowledge scores were related to attitudes, to respondents’ ages, and to their having lived in households with older relatives. Nursing students identified the greatest barriers in gerontological education as insufficient curriculum time and lack of academic role models. Social work students perceived lower status of work with the elderly and limited experience with healthy older people as the greatest barriers. The two groups agreed that fragmentation of services contributes to inadequate gerontological preparation. Findings suggest a need for didactic and experiential learning opportunities, reinforced by appropriate academic role models, for students in service professions.