Yes, we know the statement isn't politically correct.
Nevertheless, we unapologetically claim that no matter the contributions by learned men and wonderful fathers— education in the United States remains the dominant vocation and moral responsibility of determined women and mothers. Since the time of Eve, it's been our role to nurture our babies into thoughtful, caring and productive human beings.
Education Is A Women's Issue (fondly known as "Edisawi," — sounds like "eddie-sah-wee") is The MANY's very first Participatory Action Research project. We have a theory about the under-represented importance of women's work in education that happens both in our homes and in our schools. We believe there to be urgent bridge-building work to be done between women teachers and mothers of public school children, particularly those moms who are head of households and are struggling to make ends meet.
In order to prove our theory about labor and "home-work," we've done a lot of thinking and reading(!), and have asked for help from a foremost researcher and Black educator, Dr. Joyce E. King. She agreed! And with her guidance and the help of her colleague, our research advisor, Dr. Carmen Kynard, The mothers of The MANY are in the process of gathering research data and having crucial conversations in our homes and neighborhoods.
Please help us! Bring your ideas and participate in the study. To learn
more, click on the heart to send The MANY's brain-trust an email.
"Developing practical theory requires a return to second-wave feminism’s contention that “the personal is political,” in education, especially for women, who are still as a group responsible for children’s maintenance, in classrooms and in the family.
In their structure and their ideology urban school systems and institutions of higher education subvert opportunities for women divided by roles, as parents, researchers, teacher educators, school administrators, and
teachers, to meet as respectful equals.
The prospects of such collaboration are further eroded by differentials in power and status. To be effective, campaigns for gender equity in urban schools must occur within a context of collaboration, of democratic social relations, of a social movement for gender justice."
- The paragraphs written directly above were excerpted from Professor Weiner's essay entitled,
"Nitpicking: An Exploration of the Marginalization of Gender Equity in Urban School Research and Reform." Found in The Urban Review, Vol. 34. Number 4, December 2002.
Thank you
Professor Lois Weiner
for your work to highlight and elevate women educators and public school mothers simultaneously. While much of your writing is densely academic and labor related, it has nonetheless given The MANY much added fuel for thought.
"Dr. Lois Weiner is a professor of education at New Jersey City University. She is the Director of the Urban Education and Teacher Unionism Policy Project, and an internationally-known scholar in urban teacher education and teacher unionism. She brings her wide-ranging scholarship and first-hand experience as a mom, classroom teacher and union officer to her work. Professor Weiner is the author of numerous books and articles, including Preparing Teachers for Urban Schools which was honored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) for its contribution to research on teacher education."
Her recent thoughts can be read on her blog at New Politics —
http://newpol.org/blogs/lois-weiner
