Educational theory has tended to avoid discussions of how the less powerful might come together to contest oppression. Yet strategies for collective action are learned practices, like any others. While there are no "rules" for social action, different traditions provide useful "rules of thumb." This article lays out some core…

Purpose: This paper conceptualizes a just leadership learning ecology through an analysis of one nontraditional site of leadership preparation: the Highlander Research and Education Center (originally founded as the Highlander Folk School). Methodology: Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and institutional theory (IT), we examine…

Youth engagement is the meaningful and sustained involvement of young people in efforts to create positive social change. This approach requires youth-serving organizations to rebalance traditional power dynamics between adults and young people, allowing youths to take on decision-making responsibilities. Collective impact initiatives such as…

This paper examines an account of a practitioner-initiated transformation of workplace-based social relationship within a grassroots adult education institution. This tripartite relationship among adult students, staff and teachers, abbreviated as AST, is a major driving force for activities and missionary functioning of the XinZhuang Community…

This article examines discourse in a community change project committed to undoing "business as usual"--attempts to "fix" problems within the community without involvement of residents in the process. We show how, despite commitments to recognizing community "voice," participants' orientation to powerful "centering institutions" (Jan Blommaert…

Recent attention on community organizing in national politics provides an opportunity for social work educators to revisit and enhance community practice as a core practice of the profession. Drawing from social work's rich tradition of community practice this article provides a practical aid to understand the variety of strategies currently used…

This article is prefaced on the proposition that the call for more leaders from diverse backgrounds should be accompanied by the creation of a professional space for those leaders to lead joyously, be authentic as well as effective and influence leadership practice. The Investing in Diversity programme provides an opportunity for Black and global…

Describes the present-day school system as a cultural construct that works for a few students to the detriment of many. Proposes a model based on alternative theories of power. Describes the Ph. D. program in administration at Miami University (Ohio). (CJS)

Reviews "Preparing School Administrators for Democratic Authority" by Richard A. Quantz et al. Because education is political, administrators need a historical perspective on how dominant traditions have evolved as well as on the impact of the disenfranchised on education in the past. Calls for more insight from a feminist perspective.…

Examines connections between democratization of schooling and three dimensions of social structure: political system and governance, wealth/poverty, and gender relations. Discusses nine processes and strategies for democratization in education: definition of democracy, legislation and policy, decentralization of education, teacher education,…

This is a critique of the current system of governance in public education. Chapters include: (1) "Statement of the Problem," which introduces the issues related to educational reform and provides some examples of previous successes and failures; (2) "The Non-Learning, Non-Self-Correcting System," in which the current system is…

This publication puts together the written contributions of 20 women at an international seminar-workshop on "Promoting the Empowerment of Women through Adult Learning" who shared, reflected, and analyzed the different types of educational opportunities for women provided to women. The presentations are as follows: "Designing the Model: A Process…

Describes the somewhat contradictory movements towards political and economic integration and political decentralization in the European Union (EU). Discusses the implications of those trends for the future of the sovereign state, specifically for Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. Maintains that political power is being wrested away from core…

This book contains four papers, each a chapter, that share in the discourse of Paulo Freire and provide varying perspectives on the ways to advance social transformation and achieve a politically literate citizenry as a democratic enterprise. The following four papers are included: "Exploring the Limits of Participatory Democracy: Prudent and…