Systemic Violence in Education: Promise Broken

Although compulsory schooling intends to develop the potential of all students, some students may actually be harmed by schooling practices. In this book, researchers and practitioners identify and examine various aspects of systemic violence, particularly as it is embedded in administrative and pedagogical practices. Some of these are obvious—racism, harassment, and child abuse—however, systemic violence is insidious and may reside in "common sense" practices intended to improve student performance. The authors explore some of these subtle manifestations of violence from a variety of perspectives by investigating school administration policies, pedagogical methods, labeling, classroom interaction, children's games, and teacher reactions to child abuse.

Juanita Ross Epp is Associate Professor of Education at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada. Ailsa M. Watkinson is a private researcher and equity consultant for her own company, Equity Matters.