Between Mere Tolerance and Robust Respect: Mutuality as a Basis for Civic Education in Pluralist Democracies

This essay by Suzanne Rosenblith and Benjamin Bindewald is motivated by the question of how do those who value civic liberalism give the religiously orthodox a reason to engage in pluralist democratic deliberations in a manner that does not allow intolerance to undermine the foundations of liberal democracy. Introducing the idea of tolerance as mutuality — that is, a will to relationship — the authors argue, strikes a balance between those theories that are too demanding of the religiously orthodox and those that are not exacting enough. Applying the principle of tolerance as mutuality to the special space of public schools allows for a new way to conceptualize civic education in pluralist democracies.     

The Aftermath of Hobby Lobby and Obergefell: A Reconceptualization of Religious Freedom in the United States and its Potential Implications for Public Schools and Pluralist Democracies

Restricting public employees' free exercise rights or the State to maintain neutrality toward religion has been longstanding precedent in the United States. It has certainly been the case in US public schools beginning in the 1940s and affirmed through the courts over and again through much of the 20th century. The aftermath of 2 recent Supreme Court decisions challenges this long-held precedent, however, as it has led to several instances in which public employees have requested religious exemptions from their professional obligations (e.g., Kentucky court clerk Kim Davis' refusal to grant marriage certificates to same-sex couples). This article provides a foundational framework for exploring the recent reconceptualization of religious freedom and its possible implications for public schools and the larger project of advancing a liberal, pluralist democracy were teachers to refuse to fulfill central elements of their job on the basis of religious objections.     

Global channels of evidence for learning and assessment in complex game environments

In this paper, we take a designer's look at how the activities and data of learning and assessment can be structured in immersive virtual game environments called Massively Multi‐Player Online Games (MMOG). In doing so, we examine the channels of evidence through which learning and assessment activities are derived in MMOGs, offering examples of how multiple evidence channels in operation through game‐based activities can be utilised to construct rich data trails for assessment.     

Potential for teacher collaboration in post-Soviet Ukraine

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to analyze the potential for collaborative relationships in schools in Ukraine. In this paper, I examine the nature of teacher collaboration in schools within a framework of postmodernism as a constructive social theory. To better grasp the deep meaning of collaborative interactions in schools, I use cultural and micropolitical perspective. Further, I turn to the discussion of the potential for collaboration in Ukrainian schools, utilizing the notion of a collective that prevailed in Soviet society and system of education. Implications for establishing collaborative school cultures in Ukraine conclude the paper.     

Comparing Rasch measurement and factor analysis

This article illustrates how Rasch measurement is preferable to factor analysis for reducing complex data matrices to unidimensional variables. The two methods: (a) address the same kind of data, but with different interpretations of numerical status; (b) use the same estimation methods, but with different measurement models; and (c) solve the same problems, but with substantially different utility. Factor analysis is faulted for mistaking ordinally labeled stochastic observations for linear measures and for failing to construct linear measurement. The motivation and mathematical basis for Rasch measurement are introduced. How to use Rasch measurement to replace factor analysis is developed for a dichotomy and demonstrated for a rating scale.     

Assessing the 21st Century After-School Program and the Educational Gains of LEP Participants: A Contextual Approach

This study examines math and English standardized test score progress of students who participated in the 21st century program across 2 years of involvement with a focus on the learning trajectories of limited English proficiency (LEP) students. We find that math and English scores are highly associated with the school and program type—even within a single school district. LEP participants are the furthest behind but have the highest gains compared to other participants. Results vary based on the type of outcome (math or reading), the type of activity (academic or enrichment), and the grade level (elementary or middle school).