Catherine A. Lugg

Sissies, faggots, lezzies, and dykes: Gender, sexual orientation, and a new politics of education?

This article seeks to chart a course through the contested areas of gender and sexual orientation in hopes of establishing a theoretical framework and an agenda for much needed future research. In building this article, the author draws from two research traditions, particularly in the areas of history and law. Her stance is that of a critical policy scholar, that is, drawing on neo-Marxist theory generally and Queer Legal Theory specifically. Public schools are governmental entities ruled by laws, regulations, and policies. The people who teach, lead, study, play, and otherwise live within a public schools walls must conform to these dictates or face various legal sanctions including expulsion and job termination. These legal mandates are established through political processes that include court decisions at the state and federal levels. Therefore, legal theories can help analyze and explicate the basic structures that shape daily educational practices. In the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and a possible new politics of education, Queer Legal Theory can be particularly insightful.

Rethinking the Politics of Fit and Educational Leadership

This theoretical analysis employs a poststructuralist lens to reveal the constructs behind the word fit, an oft used descriptor integral to the discourse of school hiring practices, personnel decisions, and politics. Although the term is a part of the everyday culture of school politics, it is rarely considered with any depth. Using the metaphor of a mechanical watch, the authors explain how two theories and a sociopolitical concept (identity theory, social constructionism, and hegemony) conflate the role and responsibilities of leadership with the frameworks of one’s identity. Thus, fit is used to perpetuate hegemony and the social construction of what a school leader is. The authors cite empirical examples of how some leaders negotiate their fit and how some leaders are able to transcend the boundaries of tolerance to recreate the definition of “the best fit for the job.” Finally, they outline the implications of the politics behind the word fit, along considerations for those who prepare school leaders, those who are serving as schools leaders, and those policy makers who govern school leaders.

Thinking about Sodomy: Public Schools, Legal Panopticons, and Queers.

This article explores the status of U.S. public school educators both queer and non-queer who have historically resided at the intersection of sodomy laws and professional norms including licensure, morality clauses, and professional socialization. Employing Foucault’s notion of panopticism, the author examines how sodomy laws and professional norms—which are social norms—have historically shaped the work environment of public school educators. Furthermore, this article explores how both queer and non-queer public school administrators have functioned as sexuality and gender police. It also briefly examines the current state of civil rights law at both the state and federal levels regarding queer people. It concludes with a discussion of the recent U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas and the larger issues of the politics of state-sponsored stigma and the politics of social justice for U.S. public schools.

Social justice and educational administration: mutually exclusive?

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore some of the current tensions within educational administration in the USA and conclude with a few cautions for educators who engage in social justice projects.Design/methodology/approach – Using a selective case, this historical essay examines the issues of social justice and equity as they have related to educational administration in the USA.Findings – The article finds that while educational administrative practice has been characterized as maintaining the social and political status quo, there are historic examples of leaders promoting social justice. One exemplar is J. Rupert Picott, who provides an example of how one educational leader navigated through a hostile environment to achieve equity.Practical implications – In a society where accountability is narrowly defined and economic concerns continue to perpetuate a managerial model for educational administrators, those who embrace a social justice perspective will do so at their own peril. However...

Thinking whimsically: queering the study of educational policy-making and politics

This paper discusses employing queer theory (QT) and queer legal theory (QLT) for critical policy analysis as applied to education. In doing so, the authors will highlight how both QT and QLT can empower analyses to look beyond the identity politics of a particular time period or space and toward potential reforms in curriculum, pedagogy, and institutional supports for students, teachers, and staff. A central point is that understanding the institutional and cultural practices that frame orientation, class, race, and sex/gender can lead to policy changes that benefit all students, teachers, and staff. The paper concludes with a discussion of venues in need of both QT and QLT-informed research.

One Nation Under God? Religion and the Politics of Education in a Post-9/11 America

For American public schools, the interplay between religion and public policy has been rather volatile, thanks to both state and federal constitutions mandating an ever shifting degree of separation between church and state, yet permitting free religious expression. Some of the most intense political disputes in the past 40 years have involved educational issues such as the teaching of evolution or intelligent design within public schools, publicly funded vouchers for attendance at religious institutions, state-sanctioned prayer within public schools, and the rise of sexuality education. This article seeks to map some of the contemporary features involved with religion and the politics of U.S. education by focusing on (a) recent court decisions, (b) the policy agendas of the current Bush administration, and (c) curricular issues. The article closes by focusing on a few of the larger issues relating to religion and education in a highly pluralistic and religiously fluid society.

Reading, Writing, and Reconstructionism: The Christian Right and the Politics of Public Education

The U.S. Christian Right has been involved with the politics of education since its inception in the 1970s. This involvement has been greatly influenced by a theological justification of political activism, Christian Reconstructionism. Subsequently, much of the activity by the Christian Right involving public education tends to fall into two categories: re-Christianization and deinstitutionalization. This article presents a historical overview of these developments, provides an analytic framework to assess criticisms and activity by the Christian Right, and offers responses to this form of politicized theology.

A shadow of ourselves: identity erasure and the politics of queer leadership

In this article, the authors explore issues of identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, educational leadership and leadership preparation. We discuss professional norms, including attire, and in turn how professional norms might construct panopticons, identity and US public school leadership. We conclude by exploring a consciously queer approach to educational leadership preparation.

The Christian Right: A Cultivated Collection of Interest Groups

This article explores the belief structure and educational agenda of the Christian Right using a case study as a point of departure. In addition, the Christian Right is examined as a cultivated collection of interest groups and the Christian Rights historic membership is discussed. Finally, the article explores the Christian Rights future prospects in the politics of education.

Religion, Advocacy Coalitions, and the Politics of U.S. Public Schooling

Employing the Advocacy Coalition Framework to ground the analysis, this article begins with an historical overview of the US Protestant Right and its involvement with the politics of public schooling. It then moves to a discussion of a few current legal and policy issues (intelligent design, evolution, the Kansas state board of education, school prayer, and prayers offered at commencement), and how Protestant Right groups, at the local, state, and national levels, have played key roles in shaping the debates, and in some cases, the litigation. The article then turns to a brief discussion of the role of Protestant Right in the confirmation process of Supreme Court nominees John Roberts, Harriet Miers, and Samuel Alito. This article concludes with a discussion of the Protestant Right, the changing religious demography of the US, advocacy coalitions and where the politics of religion and public schooling may be moving.