Commission on Social Justice in Teacher Education Programs

Co-Chairs: David Kirkland, New York University, New York
                 sj Miller, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Liaison:    Gina DeBlase, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Mission:
The work of the commission is grounded in the belief that it is impossible to make sense of the field of English language arts without using gender, race, and class as central categories of description and analysis.  The challenge before the Commission is to develop and uncover models of teaching that are flexible enough to capture and reflect the ways these elements function together; to determine how teachers in English language arts see themselves and others; and to delineate the opportunities for transformation, constructive growth, and change in their profession. 

Current and Proposed Projects:

1. We propose to gather stories of gender, race, and class in the English language arts classroom.  In the form of a monograph or book, we envision a collective of voices and perspectives where teacher educators and teachers can share classroom narratives of gender, race, and class as they relate to English language arts education.

2. Redesigned website

3. E-mail listserv in order to increase the occasions for thoughtful discussion and to keep members informed of the work of the commission as well as opportunities for research and practice.