Time for review: supporting the work of an advisory group

This paper raises methodological issues about the challenges and dilemmas of inclusive research practices reflecting on the work of an advisory group carrying out research on using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance community participation. The interests of three parties can be identified – the commissioning agent, the researchers and the researched – and these interplayed throughout the course of the research determining the outcomes. Given the relationship between inclusive research and advocacy, there were particular gains in enabling the voice of the advisory group to shape the way in which the research was conducted and to disseminate the findings both within the organisation and beyond. However, the fragility of these new structures required organisational changes for the research to be truly empowering. The experience of the group suggests the need for their involvement at all stages of the research process.     

Public sector policies and practice,neo‐liberal consumerism and freedom of choice in secondary education: a case study of one area in Kent

This paper details the impact of New Labour's neo‐liberal social and educational policies on disadvantaged groups in the district of Thanet. It notes that the post‐welfare policy responses to social and educational problems reinforce both the disadvantages of deprived groups and the gradient of popularity among secondary schools within the district. It further argues that the nature of individual consumer choice inherent in the concept of neo‐liberal negative freedom systematically discriminates against deprived groups by overriding wider concepts of equity and social justice. The paper concludes that a fair system of social justice, which recognizes the need for personal liberty, requires properly resourced and justly functioning public services that are equitably and inclusively available to all.     

Using Power and Caring to Mediate White Male Privilege,Equality, and Equity in an Urban Elementary Classroom: Implications for Teacher Preparation

Although students from diverse backgrounds may have access to equal educational opportunity by occupying the same classroom space, they do not necessarily enjoy equal and fair access to the same quality of experience within that classroom. The inequalities and inequities are partially a result of privilege, an advantage afforded to individuals because of their similarity to the norms operating in the classroom. In this article, the ways in which the white male students in a diverse, urban fourth grade classroom exercise privilege are identified and the white teacher's approach to mediating white male privilege, equality, and equity is examined. The teacher's approach is evaluated in terms of fairness via the white male students' perceptions of the classroom environment, viewed in relation to power and caring and is discussed with respect to implications for teacher preparation.