Anti-Oppressive Education in "Elite" Schools

Book excerpt: This collection of groundbreaking essays brings together a diverse group of experts who are researching, theorizing, and enacting anti-oppressive education in “elite” schooling environments—that is, schools imbued with wealth and whiteness. This volume explores how those who are in a position of power can be educated to take active steps that reduce and disrupt oppression. Each essayist, writing with practitioners in mind, responds to one of four guiding questions from their unique point of view as an educator, student, or researcher: Why does this work matter? What is needed to start and sustain it? What does it look like in practice? What are the common pitfalls and how can they be avoided? Readers are encouraged to mull over various perspectives and experiences to find answers that fit their own contexts. This important book addresses the need to educate for social justice within economically privileged settings where power can be leveraged and repurposed for the benefit of a diverse society. Book Features: Identifies ethical and effective pedagogical and curricular approaches to use with students in “elite” school settings. Examines what it means to work or learn in “elite” educational spaces for those who hold nondominant identities.Explores the special obligations and responsibilities these schools require furthering justice.Looks at how teachers can navigate the unique challenges that arise, the conditions needed to support them, and what counts as success for anti-oppressive education in “elite” schools. Contributors include Diane Goodman, Paul Gorski, Adam Howard, and Tania D. Mitchell.