Overview

Human rights education (HRE) is a worldwide movement designed to place human rights at the center of K-university educational theory and practice, providing a critical foundation for global citizenship education, social justice and diversity educationand equity-based schooling reforms. Readers will learn how: (1) HRE content supports core values of U. S. education, including those focused on liberty, justice, and social equality for all educators and students, (2) HRE concepts and illustrative learning strategies support inclusive education and promote peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding, and (3) the theoretical foundations of HRE are compatible with recognized teacher preparation standards and program goals. Pre-service educators seeking teaching licenses and practicing classroom educators desiring to expand their focus into human rights education will find this book very helpful, as will professors teaching methods courses, courses dealing with social justice, multicultural education and diversity in education. The book blends theory and practice to help educators make human rights education a central focus of their daily practice, providing sample HRE units concerning the rights of global migrants, indigenous peoples and LGBT+ communities. Readers can not only apply what they learn, but also become part of a non-partisan movement supporting human rights across the globe.

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9781538161920

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The important contribution of this book is that is combines the argument for human rights education (HRE), the foundation and context of HRE, and curricular materials that can be immediately implemented. The distinct sections of the book provide a thorough grounding in HRE and teacher education in a global context, pedagogical considerations when bringing HRE into the schools, and practical examples of human rights-focused curriculum for different age levels in K-12 schools.--Isabel Nunez, Purdue University, Fort Wayne

As a long-time professor of human rights education, I am thrilled to see the publication of this invaluable book that fills a critical need. The word 'imperative' in the title is strikingly resonant, since the necessity to bring human rights into teacher training everywhere is nothing less than urgent. As teachers contend with a world marked by continued racialized and gendered violences, the proliferating climate crises, increasing totalitarianism, and stark, deepening wealth disparities, all amid an ongoing global pandemic, this timely volume makes the case for integrating human rights education (HRE) into teacher education. By unpacking the historical trajectories and theoretical orientations of HRE, and providing practical case studies of its application in teacher practice, this volume not only inspires but also provides the critical tools to navigate this complex world with young people across all grade levels. This book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners concerned with dignity, justice, and human rights in schools and beyond. The important contribution of this book is that it combines the argument for human rights education, the foundation and context of HRE, and curricular materials that can be immediately implemented. The distinct sections of the book provide a thorough grounding in HRE and teacher education in a global context, pedagogical considerations when bringing HRE into the schools, and practical examples of human rights-focused curriculum for different age levels in K-12 schools. The United Nations declares education a human right, but what if human rights were themselves the complex subject matter of serious curricular and pedagogical attention in teacher education? I cannot imagine critical pedagogy for justice and planetary sustainability without such, and this volume is a major contribution to exactly this end. Needed now more than ever! This book offers insightful perspectives as well as a blueprint for further integrating human rights into education in the United States and globally. This book not only informs and inspires, but is also an essential resource for teachers and teacher educators to align their work with the principles of human rights. This edited collection from Alter and Fernekes introduces and expands on the history, theory, and application of human rights education (HRE). Chapters reinforce the basic tenets of teaching about, through, and for human rights and how they are integrated internationally. Frameworks for application are demonstrated in various contexts, while challenges to HRE implementation are also addressed. The contributing authors focus on the development of current human rights educators and strategies for better training teacher candidates globally. Human rights are defined through the overarching conventions, declarations, and guidelines put forth by the UN. The contributors do not ignore problems regarding how to responsively handle these principles in localized environments. Essays also demonstrate how HRE is used to discuss issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, global migration, and Indigenous peoples' rights. Each chapter includes helpful resources for further study, and many also provide additional classroom resources and professional development suggestions. Readers will come away with a deeper knowledge of HRE and how they can incorporate human rights in their educational settings, whether in PreK-12, higher education, or informal spaces. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. This indispensable book recognizes human rights education as a component part of the global movement for human rights, describes the historical and political development of that movement, and provides informative general profiles of subgroups often denied basic human rights. Editors Gloria T. Alter and William R. Fernekes have assembled an expert team of contributors comprising leading human rights educators from around the world. The contributors offer constructive suggestions and extensive resources for integrating HRE across the school curriculum, addressing organizational and political realities involved in K-12 school improvement and in teacher education. They also realistically identify obstacles and opportunities for implementing HRE. This comprehensive volume articulates thoughtful, pragmatic recommendations for advocating HRE on the policy, accreditation, pre-service, state, district, school, program, and classrooms levels. Each chapter includes provocative study questions that encourage a participatory, involved approach to exploring ways to actualize HRE. Readers will come away from Alter and Fernekes's compelling volume with a vivid sense that there is continual work to do with HRE, a desire to be part of that work, and a knowledge of practical strategies and resources to get that work done. This pioneering book is a major contribution to the burgeoning field of human rights education around the globe. The editors have assembled a comprehensive and cutting-edge volume on human rights in relation to teacher education, bringing together prominent scholars from an impressively wide range of perspectives. This is an essential resource for teacher educators, teachers, researchers and students committed to the urgent task of human rights education. What a timely book! The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education makes the case for human and children's rights as essential for learning environments. The authors of this edited volume offer insights and resources for teacher educators, teachers, communities, and families so they may respect and reify the rights of young people around the globe. This offering also supports understanding of rights among youth as they learn to make sense of a world where rights are far from universal.

Author Information

Dr. Gloria T. Alter was a teacher educator for over 20 years—an Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU), a Visiting Associate Professor at DePaul University, and an Assistant Professor at Valparaiso University. She received education degrees from Valparaiso University (B.S.), the University of Denver (M.A.), and Northern Illinois University (Ed.D). She also completed an M.Div. in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and was a postdoctoral student and a visiting scholar at Harvard University. Dr. Alter’s academic work includes numerous invited and refereed presentations at national and international conferences, and publications in journals such as, Educational Leadership, Multicultural Review,Social Education,Theory and Research in Social Education, and Urban Education. Her most recent publication, co-authored with Bill Fernekes, is “Human Rights Education and Issues-Centered Social Studies,” in the Handbook on Teaching Social Issues (2nd ed.) published by Information Age. Dr. Alter’s research primarily addresses diversity and social justice issues in social studies curriculum and instruction. She taught a wide variety of courses in elementary and secondary education with an emphasis on social studies and developed courses in citizenship and social justice education. Dr. Alter served as the Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner, a national, refereed journal of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). And she was the guest editor of the first special issue of Social Education to focus on LGBTQ+ topics. In addition, she was the President of the International Assembly of NCSS and Associate Editor of its Journal of International Social Studies. William R. Fernekes (B. A., M. A., Ed. D., Rutgers University) taught social studies and Spanish from 1974-1987 at Hunterdon Central Regional HS in Flemington NJ, and served as supervisor of social studies at Hunterdon Central from 1987 to his retirement in December 2010. He received his doctorate in social studies education and curriculum in 1985 under the tutelage of Jack L. Nelson, a leading scholar in social studies and issues-centered education. Co-author with Beverly C. Edmonds of Children's Rights: A Reference Handbook (Santa Barbara CA: ABC-CLIO: 1996), he has published widely in the fields of Holocaust and genocide studies, human rights education, and issues-centered social studies education. His 2002 publication for Greenwood Press, The Oryx Holocaust Sourcebook, was recognized as an outstanding reference book by Choice magazine. Most recently he authored two essays dealing with human rights education: “Global Citizenship Education and Human Rights Education: Are They Compatible With U. S. Civic Education?” Journal of International Social Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2016 and “On the Matter or Black Lives: Studying African-American History Using a Human Rights Perspective.” Teaching Social Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2017. With Gloria T. Alter, he has co-authored an essay on “Human Rights Education and Issues-Based Social Issues” for the forthcoming Handbook on Teaching Social Issues, 2nd edition (Charlotte NC: Information Age Publishing, 2021, in press). He is currently completing a biography of US Senator from NJ Clifford P. Case II. He is a founding member of Human Rights Educators USA.

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