E Wayne Ross

Dear Friends,

The call for proposals for the Rouge Forum Conference, “Education, Empire, Economy & Ethics at a Crossroads,
May 14-17, 2009, at Eastern Michigan University, is linked here: http://www.rougeforumconference.org/. Proposals are due February 1.

In addition, following on our recent Rouge Forum Steering Committee decisions, here is a note from our Curricula Committee Coordinator, Doug Selwyn:

“Even in these dark and educationally repressive, testing driven times, there are educators doing extraordinary work in helping their students to understand what is really going on in their world, and helping them to come into the knowledge and power that enables them to act. The Rouge Forum invites you to share what you are doing so the rest of us can learn from you, on behalf of our students. We are asking for your most successful and useful lessons, units, methodologies, resources, and anything else that might help us to be more effective in our efforts to help our students to truly understand why things are the way they are, and to develop the knowledge, skills, and strategies for acting effectively to bring change.

We will do three things with what you send us. First, we will share some of the lessons, via Rich’s updates, on a monthly basis. Second, we will be organizing them into what we hope we will become a published anthology. Third, we will make all of the materials available, on line, at some site to be determined.

Also send a wish list of topics, issues, and themes you want to get ideas, resources, and lessons about, which might encourage a more focused response to this call.

We know that we are largely on our own when we work to carry out real education with our kids. It’s not going to come from those in power (who want to stay there), from textbook companies (who want their profits), or from the majority of your colleagues. It’s up to us. Send your lessons, ideas, resources, and “wish list” to Doug Selwyn (doug.selwyn@plattsburgh.edu).
http://richgibson.com/educationcurricular.html

With 1.2 million people losing jobs this year so far and what are likely to be massive education cuts on the near horizon, we need to project what impact Obama will have on schools and society. He promises tax cuts, massive spending projects, and wider warfare in Afghanistan. We know our union leaders are unprepared. Indeed, the AFT leadership promises to support Obama’s plans to expand merit pay. Which way for education activists, and others?

The debate is framed well in three responses that detail radical and liberal approaches for the near future. Here is one by Steve Strauss and one posted by Susan Ohanian on her website: “Optimism and Obamagogue”.

And another, “The Third Clinton Administration,” by Ralph Nader .

Thanks to Adam and Gina, Greg and Katy, Amber, Joe(s), Bill (s), Wayne, Perry, Marc, Preston, Shelly, Tally, Candace, Tommie and Bob, Craig, Doug, Bonnie, Kathy K, Henry, Joshua, Weird Eric and Dirty Edd, Suzanne, VP, PM, Dave H, Glenn, Anil, and Ravi.

All the best, r

Rouge Forum Conference 2009

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Education, Empire, Economy & Ethics at a Crossroads

Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI

May 14-17, 2009

The theme for the 2009 Rouge Forum Conference is: “Education, Empire, Economy & Ethics at a Crossroads: What Do We Need to Know and How Can We Come to Know It?”

Bringing together academic presentations and performances (from some of the most prominent voices for democratic, critical, and/or revolutionary pedagogy), panel discussions, community-building, and cultural events, this action-oriented conference will center on questions such as:

✴What is the nature of the crossroads, where do the different paths lead, what are our choices and how do we implement them?

✴What does education for liberation look like compared to education for empire? Class struggle?

✴Are we at a turning point in history? Has the rightward shift stopped or will the economic crisis push the ruling class towards fascism?

✴What are the implications of 2008 election ballot initiatives?

✴How do education, empire, economy, ethics, and democracy intersect in classrooms and schools?

✴How do we learn and teach to get from where we are to where we need to be?

✴How can we educate to liberate ourselves from the impact of empire? OR, How are we teaching to push back the imperializing of our classrooms?

✴How do we stand up for the correctness of our ideas?

✴How does change happen (individually, within a school, within a district)?

✴What support, what conditions facilitate teachers being willing to take the step towards correct action?

To learn more about the conference, please contact any of our conference organizers:

Joe Bishop (joe.bishop@emich.edu)
Greg Queen (rumbagarden@ameritech.net)
Adam Renner (arenner@bellarmine.edu)
Wayne Ross (wayne.ross@ubc.ca)
Rich Gibson (rgibson@pipeline.com)

Submissions:

Review of Paper Proposals treating any of the above questions will begin 1 February 2009. Please send a 250-500 word proposal to Joe Bishop (joe.bishop@emich.edu), describing your work/project/manuscript, how it connects to one of the conference questions, and what participants might take away from attending your session. Classroom teachers and students are strongly encouraged to send their proposals.

Performance Proposals should also be forwarded to Joe Bishop (joe.bishop@emich.edu) by December 15, 2008. Please describe your art/performance and how it may relate to the conference topic/questions.