E Wayne Ross – Page 82 – Critical Theories in Education

Dwight sings Buck

Dwight Yoakam‘s new album of Buck Owens’ covers is out tomorrow…can’t wait!

Buck and the Buckeroos:

Rouge Forum Conference 2008—Education: Reform or Revolution?

Rouge Forum Conference, 2008
Education: Reform or Revolution?
Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY

The Rouge Forum is a group of educators, students, and parents seeking a democratic society. We are concerned about questions like these: How can we teach against racism, national chauvinism and sexism in an increasingly authoritarian and undemocratic society? How can we gain enough real power to keep our ideals and still teach–or learn? Whose interests shall school serve in a society that is ever more unequal? We are both research and action oriented. We want to learn about equality, democracy and social justice as we simultaneously struggle to bring into practice our present understanding of what that is. We seek to build a caring inclusive community which understands that an injury to one is an injury to all. At the same time, our caring community is going to need to deal decisively with an opposition that is sometimes ruthless (www.rougeforum.org).

The theme for the 2008 Rouge Forum Conference is: “Education: Reform or Revolution?” and will be hosted by Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY March 14 –March 16, 2008. Given the recent Supreme Court decision, striking down the local school district’s student assignment plan; the ongoing war(s) in the Middle East; and the consistent environmental degradation of the planet, the 2008 conference will focus on one of the major socializing influences in our lives: Education.

Bringing together academic presentations and lectures (from some of the most prominent voices for democratic, critical, and/or revolutionary pedagogy), panel discussions (on such topics as the local school district’s student assignment plan), professional development (on critical literacy and environmental education) for teachers in the region, community-building, and cultural events (poetry, music, dance, and/or drama) performed by local students and artists, this action-oriented conference will center on questions such as:

• What is the future of public education in the US? (And, how might it be connected to and/or critical of endless war, declining democracy, and environmental devastation?)

• What is a democratic classroom? What does ‘democracy’ mean?

• Why is public education necessary? Toward what ends should we educate?

• Of what should a compelling public education consist? (Narrowing/Focus and standardization? Expanded and/or critical thinking? Something else?)

• Can the current system be reformed in order to better serve children, families, and citizens?

• If not, what would a new system look like? How would it be implemented? What past models exist on which to work and build?

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

Adam Renner (arenner@bellarmine.edu),
Rich Gibson (rgibson@pipeline.com),
Wayne Ross (wayne.ross@ubc.ca).
Gina Stiens (stiensg@yahoo.com)
David Owen (dsowen04@louisville.edu)
Jardana Peacock (jardana99pk@yahoo.com)
Mary Goral (mgoral@bellarmine.edu)
Sonya Burton (sburton@bellarmine.edu)

Review of Paper Proposals treating any of the above questions will begin December 15, 2007. Please send your proposals to Adam Renner (arenner@bellarmine.edu). As we expect a number of proposals for a limited number of slots please forward your proposal as soon as possible.

Performance Proposals should also be forwarded to Adam Renner (arenner@bellarmine.edu) by December 15, 2007. Please describe your art/performance and how it may relate to the conference topic/questions.

Whether wishing to present or attend, please visit www.rougeforum.org for registration information

WSJ: Income-Inequality Gap Widens

Wall Street Journal: Income-Inequality Gap Widens

Boom in Financial Markets
Parallels Rise in Share
For Wealthiest Americans
By GREG IP
October 12, 2007; Page A2

The richest Americans’ share of national income has hit a postwar record, surpassing the highs reached in the 1990s bull market, and underlining the divergence of economic fortunes blamed for fueling anxiety among American workers.

The wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005, according to new data from the Internal Revenue Service. That is up sharply from 19% in 2004, and surpasses the previous high of 20.8% set in 2000, at the peak of the previous bull market in stocks.

• Widening Gap: The wealthiest Americans’ share of national income has hit a postwar record, surpassing the highs reached in the 1990s bull market, and highlighting the divergence of economic fortunes blamed for fueling anxiety among American workers.

• Behind the Numbers: Scholars attribute rising inequality to several factors, including technological change that favors those with more skills, and globalization and advances in communications that enlarge the rewards available to “superstar” performers whether in business, sports or entertainment.

• Political Fallout: The data pose a potential challenge for President Bush and the Republican presidential field. They have sought to play up the strength of the economy and low unemployment, and the role of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts in both. Democrats may use the data to exploit middle-class angst about stagnant wages.

The bottom 50% earned 12.8% of all income, down from 13.4% in 2004 and a bit less than their 13% share in 2000.

The IRS data, based on a large sample of tax returns, are for “adjusted gross income,” which is income after some deductions, such as for alimony and contributions to individual retirement accounts. While dated, many scholars prefer it to timelier data from other agencies because it provides details of the very richest — for example, the top 0.1% and the top 1%, not just the top 10% — and includes capital gains, an important, though volatile, source of income for the affluent.

The IRS data go back only to 1986, but academic research suggests the rich last had this high a share of total income in the 1920s.

Scholars attribute rising inequality to several factors, including technological change that favors those with more skills, and globalization and advances in communications that enlarge the rewards available to “superstar” performers whether in business, sports or entertainment.

In an interview yesterday with The Wall Street Journal, President Bush said, “First of all, our society has had income inequality for a long time. Secondly, skills gaps yield income gaps. And what needs to be done about the inequality of income is to make sure people have got good education, starting with young kids. That’s why No Child Left Behind is such an important component of making sure that America is competitive in the 21st century.” (See article.)

Jason Furman, a scholar at the Brookings Institution and an adviser to Democratic politicians, said: “We’ve had a 30-year trend of increasing inequality. There was an artificial reduction in that trend following the bursting of the stock-market bubble in 2000.”

The IRS data don’t identify the source of increased income for the affluent, but the boom on Wall Street has likely played a part, just as the last stock boom fueled the late-1990s surge. Until this summer, soaring stock prices and buoyant credit markets had produced spectacular payouts for private-equity and hedge-fund managers, and investment bankers.

One study by University of Chicago academics Steven Kaplan and Joshua Rauh concludes that in 2004 there were more than twice as many such Wall Street professionals in the top 0.5% of all earners as there are executives from nonfinancial companies.

Mr. Rauh said “it’s hard to escape the notion” that the rising share of income going to the very richest is, in part, “a Wall Street, financial industry-based story.” The study shows that the highest-earning hedge-fund manager earned double in 2005 what the top earner made in 2003, and top 25 hedge-fund managers earned more in 2004 than the chief executives of all the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, combined. It also shows profits per equity partner at the top 100 law firms doubling between 1994 and 2004, to over $1 million in 2004 dollars.

The data highlight the political challenge facing Mr. Bush and the Republican contenders for president. They have sought to play up the strength of the economy since 2003 and low unemployment, and the role of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts in both. But many Americans think the economy is in or near a recession. The IRS data show that the median tax filer’s income — half earn less than the median, half earn more — fell 2% between 2000 and 2005 when adjusted for inflation, to $30,881. At the same time, the income level for the tax filer just inside the top 1% grew 3%, to $364,657.

Democrats, on the other hand, have sought to exploit angst about stagnant middle-class wages and eroding benefits in showdowns with Mr. Bush over issues such as health insurance and trade.

In my ear (July-August-September…and so far this month)

Got to catch up with my listening posts. Here’s what I’ve been purchasing and listening to the past few months.

JULY
Here%20%26%20Now.jpg America, Here & Now—Yes, I know. I won’t tell you who sent this to me (but he lives on the “Edge of the Continent,” uses Pando all the time, and is a well-known social studies educator whose initials are “PMM”), but I didn’t buy it! (Although I must admit I have more than a few of their LPs from the 1970s.) Actually, their covers of My Morning Jacket (“Golden”) and Nada Surf (“Always Love”) are very good. Produced by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and Smashing Pumpkin’s James Iha.

Two%20Sevens%20Clash%3A%2030th%20Anniversary%20Edition%20.jpg Culture, Two Sevens Clash: 30th Anniversary Edition

A%20Year%20in%20the%20Wilderness.jpg John DoeA Year in the Wilderness—New from form X frontman

Forever%20Hasn%27t%20Happened%20Yet.jpg John Doe, Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet—A classic from a few years ago.

Super%20Taranta.jpg Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta—Crazy, fun, “Gypsy punk”

Live%20at%20the%20Checkerboard%20Lounge.jpg Buddy Guy, Live at the Checkerboard Lounge
—The Legendary Buddy Guy, live and lo-fi in 1979

At%20My%20Age.jpg Nick Lowe, At My Age—Old guy makes rock music his way.

Thirteen%20Tales%20of%20Love%20and%20Revenge.jpg The Pierces, Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge—Weird, thanks Perry.

Leave%20the%20Light%20On.jpg Chris Smither, Leave the Light On—Underrated folk/bluesman gets political with “Diplomacy”

AUGUST
Time%20on%20Earth.jpg Crowded House, Time on Earth, new album from reunited “Downunder Beatles”

Alien%20Lanes.jpg Guided By Voices, Alien Lanes—Classic GBV

M%C3%A9jico%20M%C3%A1xico.jpg Mexican Institute of Sound, Méjico Máxico—Cool electronica from south of the border

New Pornographers, Challengers—Local kids make great indie power pop.

10%20Days%20Out-Blues%20from%20the%20Backroads.jpg Kenny Wayne Shepard, 10 Days Out-Blues from the Backroads—Some solid blues collaborations with KWS blues-rock guitar playing a central role.

Duet%20for%20Guitars%202.jpg M. Ward, Duet for Guitars 2—Reissue of debut album from old-timey yet modern guitarist from Pacific Northwest.

SEPTEMBER
Strawberry%20Jam.jpg Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam, The buzz band from Baltimore.

Zion%20Crossroads.jpg Corey Harris, Zion Crossroads—MacArthur “Genius grant” bluesman does a reggae turn

Trees%20Outside%20the%20Academy.jpg Thurston Moore, Trees Outside the Academy—Sublime solo project from Sonic Youth frontman.

Dwight Twilley Band, Sincerely/Twilley Don’t Mind—Two-for-one reissues of 70s/80s Tulsa power pop…”I’m On Fire”!

Planet%20Earth.jpg Prince, Planet Earth—Some solid funk/rock from The Diminutive One.

Storyteller%3A%20Live%20at%20the%20Bluebird.jpg Billy Joe Shaver, Storyteller: Live at the Bluebird—Outlaw country legend.

Live%20at%20Massey%20Hall%20.jpg Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall —Required purchase for all residents of Canada.

OCTOBER

Live%3A%20A%20Night%20at%20Tipitina%27s.jpg Mem Shannon, Live: A Night at Tipitina’s—Funky New Orleans bluesman doin’ his thang at home.

Woody Guthrie, The Livewire: Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949—The only known—and just recently found—live performance recording of Guthrie.

Mexican Institute of Sound, Pinata “One-man programming band Camilo Lara stuffs the disc with quirky samples and buoyant choruses that are decidedly Mexican but could reflect life from any corner of the globe.”

Bruce Springsteen, Magic—Well, I can’t help myself. Not magical, but a solid, enjoyable record by a guy who’s not let himself become a oldies act.

CFP: Historians Against the War

HISTORIANS AGAINST THE WAR NATIONAL CONFERENCE 11-13 APRIL 2008 ATLANTA, GEORGIA WAR AND ITS DISCONTENTS: UNDERSTANDING IRAQ AND THE U.S. EMPIRE

A Conference for Historians and Activists
Co-sponsored by the Peace History Society

Historians Against the War and the Peace History Society invite proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, and posters for our upcoming national conference at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 11-13 April 2008. We envision a conference that will attract historically minded scholars, activists from a variety of social movements, graduate students, educators, artists, and independent researchers and writers. We construe the theme of our conference broadly. We want to fashion a program that grounds the Iraq War in the histories of Iraq, the U.S., the Middle East, and the wider world; contextualizes the U.S. empire in terms of race, class, gender, culture, and citizenship as well as political economy and the state; explores the politics, identities, and society of modern Iraq; assesses current and historical antiwar, anti-intervention, and solidarity movements in the U.S.; compares political Islam, Zionism, and the U.S. Christian right; examines opposition to war and militarism in society, within the military, and among young people subject to conscription or recruitment; tracks U.S. strategies towards other zones of turbulence and targets of intervention; weighs the capacities of states and movements to resist U.S. hegemony and construct a polycentric alternative; and considers the future of the “war on terror,” the new imperial presidency, and democracy after the Bush administration. In addition to the presentation of academic papers, we encourage interactive formats that promote open dialogue and collective learning among people on the program and members of the audience. Thus we welcome proposals for roundtables and workshops that engage, for example, with activism or teaching. If there is sufficient interest, we will hold a poster session. We also welcome proposals for cultural performances and curated exhibits as well as submissions (and recommendations) for our concurrent film and video festival.

Proposals are due on 30 October 2007. Please include a title and description of your proposed contribution (including each part of a group proposal, as in a panel with three papers or a roundtable with four participants), a biosketch for each contributor or participant, and complete contact information. For group proposals, please make every effort to put together a balanced and diverse group of contributors or participants. Submit your proposal electronically to jimobrien48@gmail.com.

Please help us build this conference by spreading the word to scholars and activists!

A report on our last national conference, in Austin, Texas, is on the HAW web site at http://www.historiansagainstwar.org/hawconf/2006.

Boulder students protest “God” in Pledge

Boulder High School students who are members of the activist club, Student Worker. From left, Ashley Guesman, Emily Allen, Hannah Regan-Smith, Eric Brown, Lance Bender, Coco Breen, Emma Martens, Anastasia Ross-McKirnan, Emma Chitters, Monica Gauthier, and Cleo Masia, outside the high school with a flag on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. (Daily Camera | Sammy Dallal)

The Denver Post: Boulder students protest “God” in Pledge

By Mike McPhee
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/27/2007 05:27:41 PM MDT

* Text of the Pledge and student’s revision
* Boulder High students walk out during Pledge, recite own version

About 100 students at Boulder High School walked out after their first class this morning, to recite an alternative Pledge of Allegiance, in protest.

They object to hearing the phrase “one nation, under God” during the morning Pledge recitation, led over the school’s public address system.

‘We don’t object to pledging to our country, but we do object to pledging to a religion,” said Ashley Guesman, 17, a protest organizer.

State law requires high schools to give students the opportunity to say the Pledge of Allegiance. In past years, Boulder High allowed students to gather either at 7:15 a.m. or at lunchtime to recite it.

This year, a more formal arrangement was made, to broadcast the Pledge over the PA system at 8:30 a.m., according to principal Bud Jenkins.

Jenkins said the old Pledge routine required an adminstrator to stop whatever he was doing at lunchtime to meet the kids. At times, administrators would be too busy, and the kids would miss out.

This year, the recitation was made more organized and formal.

Jenkins, who’s been principal for three years, graduated from Boulder High in 1971, at a time when the pledge was not recited.

He said that this morning’s protest was not disruptive, and that there would be no consequences for participants.

“If the kids want to recite the Pledge, we respect that. If they don’t want to recite the Pledge, we respect that. If they want to recite a different Pledge, I guess we need to respect that,” he said.

“This is not a cookie-cutter high school,” he said. “These kids are experiencing the democratic process, and putting their ideas out to the community. Nothing that happened today is anti-American. Good for the kids. I’m proud that they follow the democratic process of telling the community about ideas they disagree with.”

The Pledge recited by the student protesters today went as follows:

“I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to
Boulder High School, on Sept. 27, 2007, the day students began protesting the Pledge of Allegiance’s invocation of “God.” (Mike McPhee | The Denver Post)
the diversity in which our nation stands. One nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all.”

Participants said they hoped the daily PA system pledge would be dropped. They said they’d wait a week to see what happens, and then consider an alternative protest or another recitation of their alternative pledge.

Today’s protest was organized by a group called Student Worker, described as an informal group committed to raising social awareness and change among their fellow students.