Marilynne Boyle-Baise

Putting Reading First: Teaching Social Studies in Elementary Classrooms.

In this case study, the authors describe and analyze social studies education in 13 classrooms across six elementary schools in the Midwest. Reading and reading achievement dominated instructional time and intent across the schools. In the primary grades, social studies was pre-empted by reading, often relegated to an explanatory story note. In upper grades, social studies was focused on the textbook, with emphasis on literacy skills, such as the comprehension of nonfiction accounts. Teachers claimed to integrate social studies with reading, but integration was opportunistic, as happenstance, rather than systematic. This study informs efforts to retain and sustain credible social studies instruction in elementary schools. The authors recommend positions and actions that potentially can increase the quality and quantity of social studies education in elementary schools.

Improving the Human Condition: Leadership for Justice-Oriented Service-Learning

The Banneker History Project (BHP) reconstructed the history of the Benjamin Banneker School, which operated as a segregated school for African Americans from 1915 to 1951. It was a project in social justice education with community service as its base. Here, the authors provide an insider perspective of group dynamics among core leaders for the BHP. Building relationships, working for social justice, and confronting racism are key themes for the group. Leaders recall moments of discomfort, particularly related to issues of race and racism, and describe ways they worked through them. Based on their wisdom of practice, authors offer suggestions for those who might do similar work.

Multicultural education from a pedagogical perspective : A response to radical critiques

This paper critically reviews radical critiques of multicultural education from a pedagogical perspective. Goals for the paper are: to reveal agreement between radical and multicultural discourse about transformative pedagogy, exemplify a body of literature about pedagogical struggles not recognized by radical critics, and encourage interchange between these groups in regard to critical multicultural education.The authors are interested in transformative, multicultural pedagogy, which is associated with critical multicultural education. They seek to know the extent to which transformative multicultural pedagogy is addressed within radical critiques of multicultural education. They question the extent to which voices of teachers and students engaged in real transformative pedagogy are acknowledged by radical critics.Ideological agreement is found between radical critics and multicultural educators in regard to transformative pedagogy. However, radical critics do not acknowledge this agreement, or perceive multicultural education as transformative. In response, the authors reference a growing body of literature that portrays real, transformative, multicultural pedagogy in action in school and university classrooms. They encourage radical critics to read this literature and consider alliances between radical and multicultural theory and practice.

Shared Control: Community Voices in Multicultural Service Learning∗

*This article is dedicated to Gwen Paulk. Our study could not have been done without her.

“No One Has Stepped There Before”: Learning About Racism in Our Town

The Banneker History Project (BHP) used service-learning to reconstruct the history of a once-segregated school in a college town. High school students spent two years gathering information about Banneker School; interviewing elder alumni and probing primary documents for information about its teachers, curriculum, students, and neighborhood. Based on their research, students created an historical exhibit and presented it to the public. The project aimed to raise students’ consciousness of local segregation, to foster their social critique, and to help them practice citizen action. It also aimed to engage students in worthy historical investigation and to assist their construction of knowledge from primary sources. In this case study, we describe and analyze the meanings students made from their service work. Students’ perceptions offer insights into the potential of service-learning to teach about social justice and to offer an authentic, engaging, pedagogical experience.

The Banneker History Project: Historic Investigation of a Once Segregated School.

Abstract The Banneker History Project was a service learning project in which students investigated the history of the Benjamin Banneker School, a segregated school that operated from 1915–1951 in a Midwestern college community. This article discusses the research these students conducted and the perceptions they adopted as a result of their work.

On Democracy and Pluralism: An Invitation To Read beyond Our Field.

or a number of years, we have F presented our analyses of current literature, particularly works on the relationship between democracy and pluralism, to social studies educators during the annual meeting of the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA), which is an associate of the National Council for the Social Studies. We continue to do this because we recognize our own inclination to leave texts important to the social studies unopened on our bookshelves and instead read yet another student paper or an article for our classes. We hope to push ourselves to read beyond the social studies, to interact with the thinking in other fields that inform our own. Furthermore, we want to discuss our read-