Author Archives: E Wayne Ross

Call for Papers: Working In, and Against, the Neo-Liberal State: Global Perspectives on K-12 Teacher Unions

Call for Papers
Special Issue for Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor

Working In, and Against, the Neo-Liberal State: Global Perspectives on K-12 Teacher Unions

The neo-liberal restructuring of national education systems is a global phenomenon and represents a major threat to the possibility of a democratic, public education committed to meeting the needs of working class and oppressed groups. Teacher unions, across the world, despite all the attacks on them, represent perhaps the most formidable obstacle to neo-liberal restructuring. Teachers remain highly unionized and although they have suffered many setbacks in recent years, their collective organizations generally remain robust.

Despite the significance and importance of teacher unions they remain largely under-researched. Mainstream academic literature on school sector education policy often ignores teacher unions, even in cases where scholars are critical of the market orientation of neo-liberal reforms. Two recent exceptions to this tradition are the contributions of Compton and Weiner (2008) and Stevenson et al (2007). The strength of Compton and Weiner’s excellent volume is the breadth of international perspectives. However, individual chapters are largely short ‘vignettes’, and the aim is to offer fairly brief and readable accounts, rather than detailed and scholarly analysis. Stevenson et al offer a series of traditional scholarly articles, although the emphasis is largely on the Anglophone nations (UK, North America, Australasia), and the collection fails to capture the full breadth required of an international perspective. In both cases, and quite understandably, these contributions were not able to take account of the seismic developments in the world capitalist economy since Autumn 08 in particular. These developments have significant implications for the future of neo-liberalism, for the development of education policy in nation states and for the policies and practices of teacher unions. There is now a strong case for an analysis of teacher unionism that is detailed, scholarly, international and able to take account of current developments.

This special section of Workplace will focus on the ways in which teacher unions in the K-12 sector are challenging the neo-liberal restructuring of school education systems in a range of global contexts. Neo-liberalism’s reach is global. Its impact on the restructuring of public education systems shares many common characteristics wherever it manifests itself. That said, it also plays out differently in different national and local contexts. This collection of papers will seek to assess how teacher unions are challenging the trajectory of neo-liberal reform in a number of different national contexts. By drawing on contributors from all the major world continents it will seek to highlight the points of contact and departure in the apparently different ways in which teacher unions interface with the neo-liberal agenda. It will also ensure that analyses seek to reflect recent developments in the global capitalist economy, and the extent to which this represents threat or opportunity for organized teacher movements.

Compton, M. and Weiner, L. (2008) The Global Assault on Teachers, Teaching and their Unions, London: Palgrave.

Stevenson, H. et al (2007) Changes in Teachers’ Work and the Challengs Facing Teacher Unions. International Electronic Journal of Leadership for Learning. Volume 11.

Submissions
Contributions to Workplace should be 4000-6000 words in length and should conform to MLA style. If you are interested, please submit an abstract via Word attachment to Howard Stevenson (hstevenson@lincoln.ac.uk) by 31st July 2009. Completed articles will be due via email on 28th December 2009. All papers will be blind peer-reviewed.

U.S. Supreme Court Lets Stand Rulings in Favor of Berkeley’s Web Site on Evolution

The Chronicle News Blog: U.S. Supreme Court Lets Stand Rulings in Favor of Berkeley’s Web Site on Evolution

Washington — The University of California at Berkeley has prevailed in a longstanding legal dispute over a Web site that explains and supports biological evolution. The U.S. Supreme Court declined today to review lower-court decisions that threw out a lawsuit challenging references to religion on the site as unconstitutional.

UWinnipeg to be first university in Canada to ban plastic water bottles

UWinnipeg to be first university in Canada to ban plastic water bottles

The University of Winnipeg is listening to its student body, which voted to ban the sale of plastic water bottles last week. The ban will be phased in over the coming months, making UWinnipeg the first university in Canada to adopt the eco-friendly policy.

Churchill takes the stand

Denver Post: Fired prof takes the stand; Fights to regain his post

Ward Churchill took his fight to regain his professorship to the witness stand Monday afternoon, defending his views on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and asserting that his academic practices were entirely routine.

Bitter sex ed battle ends at UC Irvine

OC Register: Bitter sex ed battle ends at UC Irvine

An award-winning UC Irvine biologist who set off a national controversy in academia by refusing to take state-mandated sexual harassment prevention training changed his mind and took the class, ending a bitter dispute that lasted for months.

Adjunct Solidarity

Inside Higher Ed: Adjunct Solidarity

Utah’s Weber State University is not a hotbed of adjunct activism. There is no union. Adjuncts don’t belong to the Faculty Senate; the national organizations that work with those off the tenure track had a tough time coming up with members at the university. That’s not because adjuncts aren’t important at Weber State. In fact, they teach about one third of its classes.

‘JAMA’ Orders Whistle-Blowers to Blow Their Whistles in Private

The Chronicle News Blog: ‘JAMA’ Orders Whistle-Blowers to Blow Their Whistles in Private

The longstanding ethical principle of medical students and physicians — “First do no harm” — appears to be taking on a new meaning at one of the world’s top medical journals.

The Journal of the American Medical Association, in an editorial published on Friday, has warned that anyone raising a conflict-of-interest complaint about one of its authors should do so in private to the editors, without telling any outsiders.

Blistering Audit Blames Israeli Universities for Hiding Multibillion-Dollar Deficits

The Chronicle News Blog: Blistering Audit Blames Israeli Universities for Hiding Multibillion-Dollar Deficits

Jerusalem — Israel’s universities have been accused of hiding huge budget deficits and of fiscal mismanagement in a scathing report by the country’s state comptroller, who oversees public institutions.

The official, Micha Lindenstrauss, said the country’s publicly financed universities ran up a deficit of 17.9 billion shekels (nearly $4.5-billion) last year but reported a deficit of only 1.59 billion shekels (about $400-million).

MIT Professors Approve Campuswide Policy to Publish Scholarly Articles Free Online

The Chronicle News Blog: MIT Professors Approve Campuswide Policy to Publish Scholarly Articles Free Online

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is known for its ambitious effort to give away its course materials online, but now the university is giving away its research too.

Last week MIT’s professors voted unanimously to adopt a policy stating that all faculty members will deposit their scholarly research papers in a free online university repository (in addition to sending them to scholarly journals), in an effort to expand access to the university’s scholarship.

Washington: Denial of tenure spurs grievance, accusations; Clark College newspaper adviser suspects retribution

The Columbian: Denial of tenure spurs grievance, accusations

Clark College newspaper adviser suspects retribution

Clark College got a surprise in 2006-07 when the new faculty adviser for the school’s student-run newspaper pushed an aggressive, investigative style that pleased some on campus but chafed at several administrators.

Edgy stories and editorials in The Independent questioned campus security, the competence of student advising and top-level decisions to eliminate academic programs or trim services in response to the current deep state budget crisis.

Cambridge dons retain control of university

The Guardian: Cambridge dons retain control of university

Funding council insists they provide more information about how they spend their money

The government’s university funding body has backed away from efforts to force Cambridge to end its centuries-old tradition of academics running the institution themselves.

The ancient university has agreed to provide more information to account for the public money it receives from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) — more than £181m in the coming year — but has resisted pressure to have a majority of external members on its governing council.

Farewell to the Printed Monograph

Inside Higher Ed: Farewell to the Printed Monograph

The University of Michigan Press is announcing today that it will shift its scholarly publishing from being primarily a traditional print operation to one that is primarily digital.

Within two years, press officials expect well over 50 of the 60-plus monographs that the press publishes each year — currently in book form — to be released only in digital editions. Readers will still be able to use print-on-demand systems to produce versions that can be held in their hands, but the press will consider the digital monograph the norm. Many university presses are experimenting with digital publishing, but the Michigan announcement may be the most dramatic to date by a major university press.

Pay Raises for Midlevel Workers Trail Those for Top-Level Administrators

The Chronicle: Pay Raises for Midlevel Workers Trail Those for Top-Level Administrators

Pay for midlevel administrative workers increased 3.5 percent this year, according to an annual report to be released this week by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

For the past two years, median raises for midlevel employees had outpaced inflation. In 2008, however, inflation jumped 3.8 percent, eating up the gains.

Top-level administrators fared slightly better, with median salary increases of 4 percent (The Chronicle, February 27).

Call for papers 6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium

Call for papers 6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium

Call for papers
6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium
Center for Marxist Studies (Centro de Estudos Marxistas -Cemarx) at the University of Campinas (Unicamp)
Campinas (SP)
Brazil
November 2009

The Institute of Humanities’ Center for Marxist Studies at the University of Campinas has begun the call for papers for the 6th INTERNATIONAL MARX & ENGELS COLLOQUIM. Papers should be submitted between March 2 and June 15, 2009.

General Information

The 6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium accepts two types of papers: those which analyze, critique or develop Marxist theory as their research subject, and papers that utilize the Marxist theoretical framework in empirical or theoretical studies which fit into the event’s Thematic Groups .
Researchers interested in submitting papers should indicate in which Thematic Group they fit. Occasionally, the Organizing Commission of the 6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium might reallocate papers from one group to another.
The Colloquium ‘s Thematic Groups are as follows:

TG 1 – The theoretical work of Marx
A critical examination of the works of Marx and Engels, and the polemical debates these stimulated.

TG 2 – Different Marxisms
A critical examination of the classic works of Marxism from the 19th and 20th centuries. The different currents of Marxist thought and their transformations. The theoretical work of Brazilian and Latin American Marxists. The question of the renewing and modernizing of Marxism.

TG 3 – Marxism and the humanities
Examination of the presence of Marxism in Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, History, in the area of International Relations, and Law. Examination of the Marxist critique of the humanities and the contributions of the humanities in the development of Marxism. Polemical theories and Marxist conceptual developments in these areas of study. The presence of Marxism in Brazilian and Latin American universities.

TG 4 – Economics and politics in contemporary capitalism
The Marxist approach to the economic, political and social transformations in capitalism at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries. New patterns of accumulation for capital, new imperialist phase, transformation of the State and capitalist democracy. The position of dominant and dependent countries. Brazil and Latin America .=C 2

TG 5 – Class relations in contemporary capitalism
The Marxist approach to the transformations that have occurred within the class structure. Workers, the working class, “the new working class” and “the middle class”. The petite bourgeoisie. Peasants in current capitalism. The debate on the decline of class polarization at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries. The working classes and social movements. The new configuration of the bourgeoisie. Social classes in Brazil and Latin America. The Marxist concept of social class and class struggle in contemporary capitalism.

TG 6 – Education, capitalism and socialism
The relations between the education system and capitalism from a Marxist perspective: the training of the workforce; education and social classes; ideology and the educational process; education policy. Marxist analysis of education in Brazil and Latin America. The cultural apparatuses of capitalism (universities, research centers). The cultural centers created by the socialist movement. Analysis of the educational experiences conducted in societies that emerged from socialist revolutions in the 20 th century. Marxist theory and education.

TG 7 – Culture, capitalism and socialism
Capitalism and culture production: the new tendencies; plastic arts, literature and the culture industry. Marxist analysis of culture in Brazil and Latin America. Culture and socialism: the culture movements in societies=2 0which emerged from the revolutions of the 20 th century. Marxism and culture production.

TG 8 – Socialism in the 21st century
Marxist analysis of 20th century revolutions. The communist and socialist heritage of the 19th and 20th centuries and the socialism of the 21st century. Marxism and socialism. The question of the renewing of socialism. The theory of transition to socialism. Workers and socialist transition. Strengths and obstacles for the reconstruction of the socialist movement in the 21st century.

TG 9- Labor and production in contemporary capitalism
Social theory, labor and production. Theoretical concepts on production. Process and production: valorization process and labor process. Control and management of labor process. Class struggle in production. Casualization of labor and employment conditions and re-qualification of the workforce. Theories that affirm and reject the centrality of labor. The new forms of labor exploitation: immaterial labor, informal labor, casualized and informational.

Submission of work

Papers should be submitted between March 2 and June 15, 2009. Researchers should fill in the submission form at the Cemarx website (www.unicamp.br/cemarx). They should also mail two printed copies of their paper, together with a copy of their submission form, to Cemarx. Participants should indicate on the outside of the envelope:
a) The Thematic Group (TG) to which their paper is being submitted;
b) Their full postal address and email.

Requirements for the submission of work

1. Papers

The paper (in Spanish or Portuguese) should have between fifteen and twenty-four thousand characters (including spaces and footnotes), totaling no more than ten pages in times new roman size 12 font. Papers beyond this limit will not be considered. Included in the paper should be: the name of the event to which the paper is being submitted, a title, the author’s name and position (professor, post-graduate student, independent researcher), and the Thematic Group in which the author would like to participate. The content of the paper should clearly define the subject to be examined, the methodology used in the research, and present its theses and arguments in a way that clearly addresses the debate (theoretical, historiographical or political) within which the paper is inserted. Important! Papers should follow the referencing rules displayed on the Cemarx website.

2. Table discussions

A table discussion is made up of at least four papers in the ambit of a Thematic Group. A small number of proposals for table discussions will be accepted, privileging submissions by groups or centers of research, as well as scientific and cultural associations. The papers of table discussion participants, formatted in accord with the previous item, should be sent jointly, accompanied with a brief justification for the table discussion. It is the responsibility of the applicant institution to obtain the necessary resources to ensure the participation of table participants.

3. Posters

The 6th International Marx & Engels Colloquium is open to the participation of undergraduate students, to present papers of scientific initiation or graduation, whose subjects fit in one of the colloquium’s Thematic Groups.
The research abstract (in Spanish or Portuguese) should have between three to five thousand characters (including spaces and footnotes) in times new roman size 12 font. Included should be: the paper’s title; the author’s name; and the undergraduate course in which he/she is enrolled. The abstract should present the subject of the research, its main ideas and findings. Instructions on poster requirements will be published on the Cemarx website.

Selection announcement

The period for the submission of papers closes on June 15, 2009. Accepted papers will be posted on the Cemarx’s website, according to the following schedule:
a) July 30: papers;
b) August 15: posters.
The results will be announced four months before the beginning of the event as to allow all participants to ask for grants from financial bodies and universities, as Cemarx cannot finance the attendance of conference participants.

Addresses and con tact information

Submission of papers:
Centro de Estudos Marxistas (Cemarx), IFCH-Unicamp
Caixa Postal 6110 CEP 13083-970 Campinas (SP) Brazil
(5519) 3521-1639/ www.unicamp.br/cemarx/ cemarx@unicamp.br

Information (from August 1, 2009 ):
Secretaria de Eventos do IFCH-Unicamp (5519) 3521-1601 / seceven@unicamp.br

Workers Protest Across France

The New York Times: Workers Protest Across France

PARIS — France’s airports, trains and utilities were hit by work stoppages on Thursday, as unions mobilized against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s economic policies and his government’s response to the global recession.

Switch to online journals under attack

World University News: Switch to online journals under attack

A trend to make printed scientific journals available online worldwide, is under fire. Although President Obama has signed a measure to make the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy permanent, some US lawmakers have launched legislation to roll back the effort. While advocates assert moving science journals online is tech-savvy, economical and the only proper use of taxpayer-generated research, problems with costs, archiving, copyright, and support of small professional organisations (centred on their journal identity and research collaboration) are causing second thoughts.

‘The Knowledge-Politics Problem’

Inside Higher Ed: ‘The Knowledge-Politics Problem’

In the ongoing debates over professors’ politics, right-wing critics make much of the fact that many surveys have found professors — especially in the humanities — to be well to the left of the American public. This political incongruence is frequently used as a jumping off point to suggest that professors are indoctrinating students with leftist ideas.

Neil Gross, a sociologist at the University of British Columbia, is one of the leading researchers on faculty politics, and he recently finished a new analysis of these issues (to appear in a forthcoming collection of essays by different scholars) finding that the conservative critics are correct about humanities’ professors leanings, but incorrect about their views of what classroom responsibility entails.

Obama Must Tread Fine Line on Scholars Barred From the U.S. for Their Views

The Chronicle: Obama Must Tread Fine Line on Scholars Barred From the U.S. for Their Views

Imagine a world where people can say whatever they want but are forced to wear earplugs at all times. What value would free speech have? The First Amendment does not just protect our right to express ideas; it protects our right to take them in. Its whole point is to ensure access to the thoughts of others, based on a belief that a successful democracy requires an informed citizenry and open debate.

Rare Student Protest in Vietnam Gets Results

The Chronicle News Blog: Rare Student Protest in Vietnam Gets Results

Hanoi, Vietnam — In a country where students rarely protest anything, officials of Hong Bang University, in Ho Chi Minh City, have decided to cancel a tuition increase after hundreds of protesters took to the streets, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

Enrolling Illegal Immigrants Pays Off for North Carolina’s Community Colleges, Expert Says

The Chronicle News Blog: Enrolling Illegal Immigrants Pays Off for North Carolina’s Community Colleges, Expert Says

Each community college in North Carolina would have to spend $8,600 per year to identify illegal immigrants among their applicants, a consultant has told the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges.

Meanwhile, the state makes $1,650 on every student who pays out-of-state tuition at the colleges, including most illegal immigrants.