Unshackled: Education for Freedom, Student Achievement, and Personal Emancipation: Education for Freedom, Student Achievement, and Personal Emancipation

Harnessing conceptual inspiration through the work of Harriet Tubman and Queen Nanny the Maroon of Jamaica, this book explores the historical and contemporary role that education has – and can continually play as an instrument of personal and group liberation. The book discusses the early formations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the enslavement of native populations, and the subsequent development of the Underground Railroad and Maroon societies in the Caribbean and Americas as systems of liberation. It investigates the development and maintenance of racial, gendered and class stratifi cation, and provides a personal path to freedom as a context for a broader discussion on using education as a mechanism for dismantling the effects of colonization, miseducation, and social-psychological domination in schools and society. As a contemporary issue, it presents an in depth analysis of the Tucson Unifi ed School District in Arizona, and the controversy surrounding its ethnic studies program as an example of one of the contested sites of curriculum development and student liberation. Additionally, it discusses high performing charter schools as an alternative model of education, which may help to provide a systematic way of unshackling institutional barriers and oppression. Ultimately, this book acknowledges that today the road tofreedom is still one we must all travel as: miseducation, school failure, school dropout, unemployment/underemployment, poverty, neighborhood violence, incarceration, and a growing prison industrial complex are all reminders of the work that still must be accomplished. Like those who historically sacrifi ced their lives to gain freedom and an education, today, with the lingering effects of institutionalized systems of domination, education must continue to be an instrument of social mobility and liberation, if indeed, we are to make schools and society more humane and inclusive towards those who are still waiting to be unshackled. The book presents implications regarding the treaties on education for freedom as a school reform and public policy topic. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 8 INTRODUCTION 10 CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD UNDER SIEGE AND THE RAILROAD TO FREEDOM: UNSHACKLED 12 UNSHACKLED: RAILROAD TO FREEDOM 18 HARRIET TUBMAN: THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 20 THE EXPANSIVE UR 23 NOTE 28 CHAPTER 2: GLOBAL AND LOCAL RESISTANCE; MEMORIES OF THE MOTHERLAND-AFRICA, UNSHACKLED 29 AN APPEAL FOR FREEDOM 33 ANNEXATION OF MEXICO 35 THE DRED SCOTT CASE AND THE CIVIL WAR 38 POST-EMANCIPATION: THE STRUGGLE CONTINUED 40 POLITICAL REPRESENTATION 40 ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE 42 EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM 43 CHAPTER 3: JOURNEY TO FREEDOM: FROM MISEDUCATION AND COLONIZATION TO LIBERATION 46 JOURNEY TO FREEDOM: GREG WIGGAN 46 JOURNEY TO FREEDOM: LAKIA SCOTT 47 JOURNEY TO FREEDOM: MARCIA WATSON 49 UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGICAL ENSLAVEMENT AND THE PROCESS OF LIBERATION 53 UNDERSTANDING SLAVERY AND COLONIZATION 54 A NEED FOR AN ADJUSTMENT IN THINKING 55 BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF DECOLONIZATION 58 IGNORING THE DANGERS 59 THE DECOLONIZATION AS A SOCIAL ACT 61 ISSUES OF DECOLONIZATION 62 THE COLONIZED DILEMMA 63 EDUCATION FOR PERSONAL EMANCIPATION 63 CHAPTER 4: TO BE UNSHACKLED: THE RISE AND FALL OF TUCSON, ARIZONA’S ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM 67 BLACK AND LATINO/LATINA RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA 67 THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS EQUALITY 68 CURRICULUM SEGREGATION 70 ETHNIC STUDIES IN ARIZONA: THE BEGINNING 71 ETHNIC STUDIES IN ARIZONA: THE RISE AND FALL 72 ETHNIC STUDIES IN ARIZONA: THE AFTERMATH 74 CURRENT HEGEMONIC SYSTEMS 75 BENEFITS OF ETHNIC STUDIES 77 LIBERATION THROUGH CURRICULUM 78 CHAPTER 5: NONTRADITIONAL MODELS OF SUCCESS: THE CHARTER SCHOOL OPTION 79 THE LEGISLATIVE PUSH FOR OPTIONS IN SCHOOLING 80 CHARTER SCHOOLS AND URBAN STUDENT POPULATIONS: EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM AWAITS 83 CHARTER MODELS UNDER QUESTION 84 Voluntary Racial Segregation 85 Teacher Quality and Turnover 85 Systems of Privilege 87 CHARTER MODELS AS AN EMANCIPATORY EDUCATION 88 EXEMPLARY CHARTER MODELS 89 Harlem Children’s’ Zone 89 Knowledge is Power Program 89 Animo Leadership Charter School 90 Youth Engaged in Service (YES Prep) 90 Roxbury Preparatory Charter School 91 CHAPTER 6: UNSHACKLED: SCHOOL REFORM AND THE WAY FORWARD 92 NATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS 93 STATE AND DISTRICT RECOMMENDATIONS 95 REFERENCES 98 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 107 INDEX 108 "Harnessing conceptual inspiration through the work of Harriet Tubman and Queen Nanny the Maroon of Jamaica, this book explores the historical and contemporary role that education has - and can continually play as an instrument of personal and group liberation. The book discusses the early formations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the enslavement of native populations, and the subsequent development of the Underground Railroad and Maroon societies in the Caribbean and Americas as systems of liberation. It investigates the development and maintenance of racial, gendered and class stratification, and provides a personal path to freedom as a context for a broader discussion on using education as a mechanism for dismantling the effects of colonization, miseducation, and social-psychological domination in schools and society. As a contemporary issue, it presents an in depth analysis of the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona, and the controversy surrounding its ethnic studies program as an example of one of the contested sites of curriculum development and student liberation. Additionally, it discusses high performing charter schools as an alternative model of education, which may help to provide a systematic way of unshackling institutional barriers and oppression. Ultimately, this book acknowledges that today the road to freedom is still one we must all travel as: miseducation, school failure, school dropout, unemployment/underemployment, poverty, neighborhood violence, incarceration, and a growing prison industrial complex are all reminders of the work that still must be accomplished. Like those who historically sacrificed their lives to gain freedom and an education, today, with the lingering effects of institutionalized systems of domination, education must continue to be an instrument of social mobility and liberation, if indeed, we are to make schools and society more humane and inclusive towards those who are still waiting to be unshackled. The book presents implications regarding the treaties on education for freedom as a school reform and public policy topic"--publisher's website Harnessing conceptual inspiration through the work of Harriet Tubman and Queen Nanny the Maroon of Jamaica, this book explores the historical and contemporary role that education has—and can continually play as an instrument of personal and group liberation. The book discusses the early formations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the enslavement of native populations, and the subsequent development of the Underground Railroad and Maroon societies in the Caribbean and Americas as systems of liberation. It investigates the development and maintenance of racial, gendered and class stratifi cation, and provides a personal path to freedom as a context for a broader discussion on using education as a mechanism for dismantling the effects of colonization, miseducation, and social-psychological domination in schools and society. As a contemporary issue, it presents an in depth analysis of the Tucson Unifi ed School District in Arizona, and the controversy surrounding its ethnic studies program as an example of one of the contested sites of curriculum development and student liberation. Additionally, it discusses high performing charter schools as an alternative model of education, which may help to provide a systematic way of unshackling institutional barriers and oppression. Ultimately, this book acknowledges that today the road to freedom is still one we must all travel as: miseducation, school failure, school dropout, unemployment/underemployment, poverty, neighborhood violence, incarceration, and a growing prison industrial complex are all reminders of the work that still must be accomplished. Like those who historically sacrifi ced their lives to gain freedom and an education, today, with the lingering effects of institutionalized systems of domination, education must continue to be an instrument of social mobility and liberation, if indeed, we are to make schools and society more humane and inclusive towards those who are still waiting to be unshackled. The book presents implications regarding the treaties on education for freedom as a school reform and public policy topic. Front Matter....Pages i-x The World Under Siege and the Railroad to Freedom....Pages 1-17 Global and Local Resistance; Memories of the Motherland-Africa, Unshackled....Pages 19-35 Journey to Freedom....Pages 37-57 To Be Unshackled....Pages 59-70 Nontraditional Models of Success....Pages 71-83 Unshackled....Pages 85-90 Back Matter....Pages 91-103