Activist Educators (Teaching/Learning Social Justice)

Taking an active stand in today's conservative educational climate can be a risky business. Given both the expectations of the profession and the challenge of participation in social justice activism, how do educator activists manage the often competing demands of professional and activist commitments? Activist Educators offers a view into the big picture of assertive idealistic professionals’ lives by presenting rich qualitative data on the impetus behind educators’ activism and the strategies they used to push limits in fighting for a cause. Chapters follow the stories of educator activists as they take on problems in schools, including sexual harassment, sexism, racism, reproductive rights, and GLBT rights. The research in Activist Educators contributes to an understanding of professional and personal motivations for educators’ activism, ultimately offering a significant contribution to aspiring teachers who need to know that education careers and social justice activist causes need not be mutually exclusive pursuits.

Catherine Marshall is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Amy L. Anderson is an Evaluation Specialist with Evaluation, Assessment, and Policy Connections in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.