ABSTRACT FOR A 45-MINUTE CONCURRENT SESSION

ON PRACTITIONER CONCERN

Education for Justice

(Two Co-Authors)

A Description of the Concerns

Education is not neutral. By keeping quiet about social inequalities, educators in effect

accept the status quo. Thanks to the struggles of many African Americans and their allies in

social movements throughout the centuries, civil rights are rights legally recognized in courts.

While we have come a long way since the period of mass slavery and public lynching, many

people still experience discrimination. The people in the U.S. are still far from reaching full

equality. Among those people who experience some form of discrimination include, among

others, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,

women, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities, Muslims, senior citizens, and atheists. In

addition, European Americans and men also complain of reverse discrimination. Everyone,

regardless of color, sex, size, weight, economic or social status, and other differences, deserves

to be treated fairly. Educators, therefore have a duty to promote justice and human rights.

Research Goals

Furthermore, many people, including educators and learners, talk about justice nebulously

without knowing what justice really means. Worse, the term ‘justice’ is not defined. Is justice a

philosophic ideal, a real measure of fairness, or a distributive scheme attributing resources

according to need, rather than power or position? Can justice be generalized across races,

classes, and time? From a postmodernist perspective, can justice even be a validly definable

subject? Hence, this paper sets out to provide a critical survey of literature that explains the
origin and development of the concept of justice. Equally importantly, this research aims to

provide ideas on the way by which justice can be incorporated in teaching and learning, the

outcome of which will be a heightened understanding of the theory as well as increased practice

of justice in one’s life.

Research Questions

This research will answer the following research questions:

1. What is justice? How has the meaning of the term evolved historically?

2. What are the different ways in which educators can engage in education that promote

justice?

The Importance of the Concerns to Both Research and Practice in Adult, Continuing,

Extension and Community Education

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declaimed: “I have a dream that my four little children

will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the

content of their character." We all aspire to live in a society that is just and more humane, in

which everyone will be treated fairly. Educators in general are responsible to make the learning

environment a safe zone so that everyone would feel secure to speak up and engage in dialogue

with everyone else. Adult and community educators in particular have a duty to help raise the

consciousness of adult learners and community members. Education for justice is important to

research and practice in adult and community education, as it serves as a means to facilitate the

development of a more equitable society, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

Reference to Various Approaches That Have Attempted to Deal with the Concerns
 Various approaches deal with the concern for education for justice. They include

multicultural education, peace education, human rights education, and critical pedagogy.

Although they are related, these approaches have different priorities and focuses. Based on the

elements of these various approaches, the full paper will explain the similarities and differences

in detail. It will also give the reasons for which education for justice is the focus of this paper.

A Discussion of the Way in Which the Concerns or Questions Related to the Conference

Theme of Linking Theory and Practice

Both co-authors are committed to the practice of justice in real life. Separately and

together, we have been conducting research on the theory of justice. We believe time has come

that the products of our theoretical research on the subject of justice need to be applied to the

practice of instruction and learning about justice. In this way, the knowledge, skills and values of

justice will pass on not only to both educators and learners but also to the larger society.

A Brief Description of How the Session/Presentation Will Address the Issue

A PowerPoint file will be used for the presentation, after which there will be a question-

and-answer session. Furthermore, people who attend our session will be asked to share their

frustrations, challenges, experiences, lessons learned, and best practices in implementing

education for justice.