ERIC Number: EJ902676
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 16
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1536-3031
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Visibility Matters: Policy Work as Activism in Teacher Education
Horn, Stacey S.; Konkol, Pamela; McInerney, Kathleen; Meiners, Erica R.; North, Connie; Nunez, Isabel; Quinn, Therese; Sullivan, Shannon
Issues in Teacher Education, v19 n2 p65-80 Fall 2010
In 2005, a group of faculty who work in the field of teacher education and are invested in social justice formed a group to examine how teacher preparation programs address (or often do not address) LGBTQ lives and issues. Concern about the invisibility of LGBTQ people, movements in education, and a commitment to changing the current state of affairs propelled their gathering. Their conceptual framework for this project emerged from a desire to transform the oppressive systems of normativity, particularly heteronormativity, that constrain human flourishing and self-determination. Heteronormativity, the structures "that legitimize and privilege heterosexuality and heterosexual relationships as fundamental and "natural" within society," is pervasive in most institutions, including K-12 schools and universities. To challenge this invisibility in teacher education, the group consisting of between four and 12 members who represent 10 Illinois colleges and universities, became affiliated with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) and established the Pre-Professional Preparation Project, or P Project. They conducted an investigation from the position of a prospective student with access to the Internet, as looking at college and university websites is one of the fastest, easiest, and most increasingly popular ways to access information about these institutions and their teacher education programs. In other words, they conducted an electronic assessment (e-assessment) of all 57 Illinois teacher education programs. They then organized these data to create a snapshot of the state context for LGBTQ university students, generally, and prospective teachers, specifically. They chose to convey their findings via report cards. They called this project and their eventual report, released in 2009, "Visibility Matters." Because their purpose is, at least in part, to advocate for greater LGBTQ presence and visibility, they returned to the college and university websites one year later. "Visibility Matters 2010," released on May 4, 2010, recognizes those institutions that have shown improvement as well as includes their first look at social worker preparation programs in the state. This article examines the P Project which was intended to catalyze social change by highlighting institutionalized oppression associated with sexual- and gender-based differences. (Contains 5 notes.)
Descriptors: Social Justice, Teacher Education Programs, Sexual Orientation, Social Change, Educational Change, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Education Curriculum, Curriculum Evaluation, Curriculum Research, Activism, Homosexuality, Teacher Attitudes, Research Reports, Consciousness Raising, Controversial Issues (Course Content)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A