Educating Activist Allies: Social Justice Pedagogy with the Suburban and Urban Elite

Educating Activist Alliesoffers a fresh take of critical education studies through an analysis of social justice pedagogy in schools that serve communities privilegedby race and class. By documenting the practices of socially committed teachers in such communities, Katy Swalwell helps educators and educational theorists better understand the challenges and opportunities inherent in such work. In the process, she also examines how students from a range of ideological, racial, and social class backgrounds respond to such approaches. This serves as the foundation for the development of an "Activist Ally" identity for students who learn to re-network their privilege in ways that promote justice. Educating Activist Alliesprovides a powerful introduction to the ways social justice curriculum ought to be designed, enacted, and assessed in ways that are mindful of the distinctions among different types of communities of privilege.