School, Society and Reform

This area of emphasis addresses the concerns of educators and researchers with interests in examining educational contexts, school reform, and social change. Reform is broadly conceptualized in connection with social theory, pedagogy, and social justice. The study of various theoretical and ideological perspectives from a variety of disciplinary lenses, i.e., anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, sociolinguistics, comparative studies, and economics, serves as a guideline for inquiry across contexts of decision-making. This area of emphasis also investigates the connections between schooling and socially significant identities (e.g., gender, race, immigrant status, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, accent, sexual orientation, social class, wealth, occupation, residential community, physical capacity, and mental ability) and how these are evoked and constructed within institutions. Scholarship in this area promotes educators, youth, and families as agents of change working to improve schools and communities by linking theory and education to create meaningful experiences for all.