Judith (Judy) Pace is a professor of teacher education in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. Before moving to California, she taught English-language arts and social studies and worked on school reform projects at Harvard Project Zero. Her research investigates teaching and its social, cultural, and political dynamics. She has studied the social construction of classroom authority and academic engagement, high school government classes in diverse school contexts, social studies teaching under high stakes accountability, and preparing preservice teachers to teach controversial issues in three countries. Her articles appear in leading journals such as Teachers College Record, Theory & Research in Social Education, Sociology of Education, and Review of Educational Research. She is co-editor, with Janet Bixby, of Educating Democratic Citizens in Troubled Times: Qualitative Studies of Current Efforts (2008, SUNY Press) and co-editor, with Annette Hemmings, of Classroom Authority: Theory, Research, and Practice (2006, Routledge). She is also the author of The Charged Classroom: Predicaments and Possibilities for Democratic Teaching (2015, Routledge).
Worldwide crises, including a global pandemic, have exposed deep divisions, democracy’s fragility... more Worldwide crises, including a global pandemic, have exposed deep divisions, democracy’s fragility, and humanity’s vulnerability. Educators are called upon to help students grapple with these crises and strengthen democracy through teaching controversial issues. How can teachers be prepared for this highly demanding, often avoided set of practices, particularly in contentious times? This exploratory case study examines how preservice teachers, in a citizenship methods course in the divided society of Northern Ireland, were provided by their teacher educator with an adaptable toolkit to safely and pragmatically teach controversial issues. The concept of adaptive appropriation explains how preservice teachers took up discussion of controversial issues, adjusting to their teaching contexts and identities.
... Urban Youth in Civic Practice: Community-Based Youth Organizations as Alternative Sites for D... more ... Urban Youth in Civic Practice: Community-Based Youth Organizations as Alternative Sites for Democratic Education 227 Jennifer O'Donoghue and Ben Kirshner 10. To Think, Live, and Breathe Politics: Experiencing Democratic Citizenship in Chicago 252 Janet S. Bixby 11. ...
Teaching controversial issues in the classroom is now more urgent and fraught than ever as we fac... more Teaching controversial issues in the classroom is now more urgent and fraught than ever as we face up to rising authoritarianism, racial and economic injustice, and looming environmental disaster. Despite evidence that teaching controversy is critical, educators often avoid it. How then can we prepare and support teachers to undertake this essential but difficult work? Hard Questions: Learning to Teach Controversial Issues, based on a cross-national qualitative study, examines teacher educators’ efforts to prepare preservice teachers for teaching controversial issues that matter for democracy, justice, and human rights. It presents four detailed cases of teacher preparation in three politically divided societies: Northern Ireland, England, and the United States. The book traces graduate students’ learning from university coursework into the classrooms where they work to put what they have learned into practice. It explores their application of pedagogical tools and the factors that facilitated or hindered their efforts to teach controversy. The book’s cross-national perspective is compelling to a broad and diverse audience, raising critical questions about teaching controversial issues and providing educators, researchers, and policymakers tools to help them fulfill this essential democratic mission of education.
At a time when debate over school reform commands unprecedented attention, Judith L. Pace argues ... more At a time when debate over school reform commands unprecedented attention, Judith L. Pace argues we must grapple with the underlying challenges of classroom teaching and, at the same time, strive to realize the ideals of democratic education. Building on three qualitative studies in grades four through twelve, The Charged Classroom examines the deeply embedded tensions, escalating pressures, and exciting possibilities of the contemporary American public school classroom. Through detailed descriptions and analyses of social studies and English language arts classrooms, Pace disentangles how teachers and students navigate three charged arenas: academic expectations, discussion of provocative topics, and curricular demands. In each domain, democratic learning opportunities, such as promotion of positive student identity, dialogue across differences, and exploration of conflict, are both opened up and closed down. A passionate and persuasive call for education reform, the book offers crucial insights about the realities of teaching and key recommendations for advancing democratic education in a multicultural society.
The events of September 11th raised profound questions for educators about how to understand an u... more The events of September 11th raised profound questions for educators about how to understand an unprecedented crisis and how to address it in our work. In preparing the American Educational Research Association's Division B (Curriculum Studies) Fall 2001 newsletter, Vice President Reba Page and I decided that interviewing curriculum scholars on the implications of September 11th for education could be a powerful way to promote thoughtful dialogue about these questions. As newsletter editor, I conducted phone interviews with Maxine Greene, Nel Noddings, Jesse Goodman, Michael Apple, and Gloria Ladson- Billings. Edited excerpts from these conversations were printed in the Division B newsletter, but seemed to beg for a much wider audience, so I obtained permission from the participants to submit their reflections for publication. I thank each of them for sharing their thoughts at such a provocative and important time.
Based on a cross-national study conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the United States, th... more Based on a cross-national study conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the United States, this article expands current literature by examining 4 teacher educators’ efforts to prepare preservice teachers to teach controversial issues. Teaching controversial issues, strongly advocated for decades, is both urgent and risky, especially in divided societies. The risks include emotional reactions that interfere with learning, inflammatory discourse threatening to students, and criticism from community members or school administrators. Using vignettes from class sessions and interview data, this article highlights strategies teacher educators taught their students to deal with these risks, as well as the approaches they used to teach them. Overall, the teacher educators prepared preservice teachers for contained risk-taking when teaching controversial issues, and they enacted this stance in their own practice. The findings raise important questions, such as what balance should be struck between an open classroom climate and safe space in politically turbulent times and divided societies.
In book: The charged classroom: Predicaments and possibilities for democratic teaching, 2020
The chapter uses Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia to analyze competing ideologies and practices... more The chapter uses Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia to analyze competing ideologies and practices in four teachers' ELA and social studies classrooms, grades 4-12. It identifies both tensions and possibilities for democratic teaching in "the charged classroom" as teachers are faced with conflicting demands to both standardize and diversify their curriculum and teaching.
In a divisive age, how do we support beginning teachers in taking up the challenge of teaching co... more In a divisive age, how do we support beginning teachers in taking up the challenge of teaching controversial topics and creating classroom environments that promote civil discourse? For insights, the author looked to the work of teacher educators in Northern Ireland, a region that is still affected by many generations of intense sectarian conflict. Their practices, she argues, offer timely lessons to educators in the U.S.
The presidential election offers a rich opportunity for democracy education, through which young ... more The presidential election offers a rich opportunity for democracy education, through which young people engage with political, social, and moral questions about how we should live together. Discussion of controversial issues is widely advocated, yet teachers need support from researchers, teacher educators, and school leaders as they grapple with tensions in the charged classroom.
As a collection, the studies in this book investigate the diversity of purposes of citizenship ed... more As a collection, the studies in this book investigate the diversity of purposes of citizenship education, meanings of citizenship held by participants, and approaches to teaching and learning. The studies present the voices of educators and youth involved in these civic education efforts and analyze key elements of their practices. The authors utilize a wide variety of theoretical lenses and qualitative methodologies, including ethnography, focus group interviews, and content analysis of textbooks. All of the chapters offer findings that bear valuable and specific implications for strengthening citizenship education. The authors’ analyses deepen the often tenuous connections between research and practice.
This paper examines the dynamics of authority relationships and curriculum enactment in a lower-l... more This paper examines the dynamics of authority relationships and curriculum enactment in a lower-level, college-preparatory US History class. It explains how a teacher and his students construct a relaxed order shaped by uncertain educational goals, the use of entertainment, and students' wants. Ambiguity and entertainment in the teacher's practise signal tensions within the school's moral order, and reflect the values of egalitarianism, individualism, and anti-intellectualism. This approach wins compliance and popularity; it also perpetuates ambivalence towards schooling and low investment in educational aims.
How do teachers negotiate classroom authority so they can persuade students to do what they do no... more How do teachers negotiate classroom authority so they can persuade students to do what they do not necessarily want to do, while building and maintaining positive rapport? This case study of a high-track English class shows how a teacher used multiple claims to legitimacy and ambiguous standards to manage this dilemma. It found that relationships between teachers and students involve both conflict and collusion. A teacher's claims to professional authority can be undermined by weak professional development, classroom heterogeneity, and the privileging of grades over learning. The reliance on bureaucratic authority may have the unintended consequence of weakening students' engagement with school subjects.
Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A bet... more Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A better understanding of classroom authority can be achieved by reviewing writings on social theory, educational ideology, and qualitative research in schools. Social theories provide important analytical tools for examining the constitutive elements of authority but fall short of explaining its variability and contextual influences. Discussion of educational ideologies offers insights into the debates, historical contexts, and policy and reform agendas that shape the politics of authority while neglecting empirical realities. Qualitative studies present empirical data and analyses on the challenges intrinsic to classroom relations, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority. More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.
The authors extend the literature on multicultural democratic citizenship education (Marri, 2005)... more The authors extend the literature on multicultural democratic citizenship education (Marri, 2005) with a case study about how a highly esteemed high school teacher involved a heterogeneous group of students in a rigorous, engaging, critical study of U.S. History. Mr. Scott's* teaching was noteworthy in its community building, thorough disciplinary content and deliberative pedagogies, yet obstacles to student engagement persisted. This study illustrates powerful pedagogical practice that informs research and practice and reveals ongoing challenges in high school teaching, even in a supportive environment. It adds to the research on teaching for multicultural. citizenship and provides descriptive examples of how powerful pedagogical practice (Shulman, 1987) can be combined with multicultural democratic citizenship education (Banks, 1993; Parker, 1996).
Worldwide crises, including a global pandemic, have exposed deep divisions, democracy’s fragility... more Worldwide crises, including a global pandemic, have exposed deep divisions, democracy’s fragility, and humanity’s vulnerability. Educators are called upon to help students grapple with these crises and strengthen democracy through teaching controversial issues. How can teachers be prepared for this highly demanding, often avoided set of practices, particularly in contentious times? This exploratory case study examines how preservice teachers, in a citizenship methods course in the divided society of Northern Ireland, were provided by their teacher educator with an adaptable toolkit to safely and pragmatically teach controversial issues. The concept of adaptive appropriation explains how preservice teachers took up discussion of controversial issues, adjusting to their teaching contexts and identities.
... Urban Youth in Civic Practice: Community-Based Youth Organizations as Alternative Sites for D... more ... Urban Youth in Civic Practice: Community-Based Youth Organizations as Alternative Sites for Democratic Education 227 Jennifer O'Donoghue and Ben Kirshner 10. To Think, Live, and Breathe Politics: Experiencing Democratic Citizenship in Chicago 252 Janet S. Bixby 11. ...
Teaching controversial issues in the classroom is now more urgent and fraught than ever as we fac... more Teaching controversial issues in the classroom is now more urgent and fraught than ever as we face up to rising authoritarianism, racial and economic injustice, and looming environmental disaster. Despite evidence that teaching controversy is critical, educators often avoid it. How then can we prepare and support teachers to undertake this essential but difficult work? Hard Questions: Learning to Teach Controversial Issues, based on a cross-national qualitative study, examines teacher educators’ efforts to prepare preservice teachers for teaching controversial issues that matter for democracy, justice, and human rights. It presents four detailed cases of teacher preparation in three politically divided societies: Northern Ireland, England, and the United States. The book traces graduate students’ learning from university coursework into the classrooms where they work to put what they have learned into practice. It explores their application of pedagogical tools and the factors that facilitated or hindered their efforts to teach controversy. The book’s cross-national perspective is compelling to a broad and diverse audience, raising critical questions about teaching controversial issues and providing educators, researchers, and policymakers tools to help them fulfill this essential democratic mission of education.
At a time when debate over school reform commands unprecedented attention, Judith L. Pace argues ... more At a time when debate over school reform commands unprecedented attention, Judith L. Pace argues we must grapple with the underlying challenges of classroom teaching and, at the same time, strive to realize the ideals of democratic education. Building on three qualitative studies in grades four through twelve, The Charged Classroom examines the deeply embedded tensions, escalating pressures, and exciting possibilities of the contemporary American public school classroom. Through detailed descriptions and analyses of social studies and English language arts classrooms, Pace disentangles how teachers and students navigate three charged arenas: academic expectations, discussion of provocative topics, and curricular demands. In each domain, democratic learning opportunities, such as promotion of positive student identity, dialogue across differences, and exploration of conflict, are both opened up and closed down. A passionate and persuasive call for education reform, the book offers crucial insights about the realities of teaching and key recommendations for advancing democratic education in a multicultural society.
The events of September 11th raised profound questions for educators about how to understand an u... more The events of September 11th raised profound questions for educators about how to understand an unprecedented crisis and how to address it in our work. In preparing the American Educational Research Association's Division B (Curriculum Studies) Fall 2001 newsletter, Vice President Reba Page and I decided that interviewing curriculum scholars on the implications of September 11th for education could be a powerful way to promote thoughtful dialogue about these questions. As newsletter editor, I conducted phone interviews with Maxine Greene, Nel Noddings, Jesse Goodman, Michael Apple, and Gloria Ladson- Billings. Edited excerpts from these conversations were printed in the Division B newsletter, but seemed to beg for a much wider audience, so I obtained permission from the participants to submit their reflections for publication. I thank each of them for sharing their thoughts at such a provocative and important time.
Based on a cross-national study conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the United States, th... more Based on a cross-national study conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the United States, this article expands current literature by examining 4 teacher educators’ efforts to prepare preservice teachers to teach controversial issues. Teaching controversial issues, strongly advocated for decades, is both urgent and risky, especially in divided societies. The risks include emotional reactions that interfere with learning, inflammatory discourse threatening to students, and criticism from community members or school administrators. Using vignettes from class sessions and interview data, this article highlights strategies teacher educators taught their students to deal with these risks, as well as the approaches they used to teach them. Overall, the teacher educators prepared preservice teachers for contained risk-taking when teaching controversial issues, and they enacted this stance in their own practice. The findings raise important questions, such as what balance should be struck between an open classroom climate and safe space in politically turbulent times and divided societies.
In book: The charged classroom: Predicaments and possibilities for democratic teaching, 2020
The chapter uses Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia to analyze competing ideologies and practices... more The chapter uses Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia to analyze competing ideologies and practices in four teachers' ELA and social studies classrooms, grades 4-12. It identifies both tensions and possibilities for democratic teaching in "the charged classroom" as teachers are faced with conflicting demands to both standardize and diversify their curriculum and teaching.
In a divisive age, how do we support beginning teachers in taking up the challenge of teaching co... more In a divisive age, how do we support beginning teachers in taking up the challenge of teaching controversial topics and creating classroom environments that promote civil discourse? For insights, the author looked to the work of teacher educators in Northern Ireland, a region that is still affected by many generations of intense sectarian conflict. Their practices, she argues, offer timely lessons to educators in the U.S.
The presidential election offers a rich opportunity for democracy education, through which young ... more The presidential election offers a rich opportunity for democracy education, through which young people engage with political, social, and moral questions about how we should live together. Discussion of controversial issues is widely advocated, yet teachers need support from researchers, teacher educators, and school leaders as they grapple with tensions in the charged classroom.
As a collection, the studies in this book investigate the diversity of purposes of citizenship ed... more As a collection, the studies in this book investigate the diversity of purposes of citizenship education, meanings of citizenship held by participants, and approaches to teaching and learning. The studies present the voices of educators and youth involved in these civic education efforts and analyze key elements of their practices. The authors utilize a wide variety of theoretical lenses and qualitative methodologies, including ethnography, focus group interviews, and content analysis of textbooks. All of the chapters offer findings that bear valuable and specific implications for strengthening citizenship education. The authors’ analyses deepen the often tenuous connections between research and practice.
This paper examines the dynamics of authority relationships and curriculum enactment in a lower-l... more This paper examines the dynamics of authority relationships and curriculum enactment in a lower-level, college-preparatory US History class. It explains how a teacher and his students construct a relaxed order shaped by uncertain educational goals, the use of entertainment, and students' wants. Ambiguity and entertainment in the teacher's practise signal tensions within the school's moral order, and reflect the values of egalitarianism, individualism, and anti-intellectualism. This approach wins compliance and popularity; it also perpetuates ambivalence towards schooling and low investment in educational aims.
How do teachers negotiate classroom authority so they can persuade students to do what they do no... more How do teachers negotiate classroom authority so they can persuade students to do what they do not necessarily want to do, while building and maintaining positive rapport? This case study of a high-track English class shows how a teacher used multiple claims to legitimacy and ambiguous standards to manage this dilemma. It found that relationships between teachers and students involve both conflict and collusion. A teacher's claims to professional authority can be undermined by weak professional development, classroom heterogeneity, and the privileging of grades over learning. The reliance on bureaucratic authority may have the unintended consequence of weakening students' engagement with school subjects.
Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A bet... more Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A better understanding of classroom authority can be achieved by reviewing writings on social theory, educational ideology, and qualitative research in schools. Social theories provide important analytical tools for examining the constitutive elements of authority but fall short of explaining its variability and contextual influences. Discussion of educational ideologies offers insights into the debates, historical contexts, and policy and reform agendas that shape the politics of authority while neglecting empirical realities. Qualitative studies present empirical data and analyses on the challenges intrinsic to classroom relations, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority. More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.
The authors extend the literature on multicultural democratic citizenship education (Marri, 2005)... more The authors extend the literature on multicultural democratic citizenship education (Marri, 2005) with a case study about how a highly esteemed high school teacher involved a heterogeneous group of students in a rigorous, engaging, critical study of U.S. History. Mr. Scott's* teaching was noteworthy in its community building, thorough disciplinary content and deliberative pedagogies, yet obstacles to student engagement persisted. This study illustrates powerful pedagogical practice that informs research and practice and reveals ongoing challenges in high school teaching, even in a supportive environment. It adds to the research on teaching for multicultural. citizenship and provides descriptive examples of how powerful pedagogical practice (Shulman, 1987) can be combined with multicultural democratic citizenship education (Banks, 1993; Parker, 1996).
In book: Classroom authority: Theory, research, and practiceChapter: Saving (and losing) face, race, and authority in a 9th grade English classPublisher: RoutledgeEditors: Pace, Hemmings, 2005
What kinds of authority relations exist in today's high schools? Throughout the last century, edu... more What kinds of authority relations exist in today's high schools? Throughout the last century, educational thinkers from different ideological camps have strongly advocated particular kinds of authority to promote educational aims. However, in the last few decades, sociologists of education have not adequately studied classroom authority (Hum, 1985). Drawing on an interpretive study of classroom authority relations in a U.S. metropolitan high school, this article describes and analyzes the character of these relations, and their connection to social theory and educational ideologies. It reveals that conservative, bureaucratic, progressive, and radical positions all contribute to commonsense understandings, or taken for granted notions, that produce confused and shifting enactments of authority in classrooms. While they facilitate teachers' and students' modus vivendi, these ambiguous, hybridized versions (Kliebard, 1986; Page, 1999) of authority may not adequately serve educational purposes.
Social studies scholars and educators argue that democratic purposes in K-12 public schools are n... more Social studies scholars and educators argue that democratic purposes in K-12 public schools are neglected, even suppressed, by an obsession with raising achievement in literacy and mathematics. Teacher education can play a crucial role in preparing teachers who can and will commit themselves to furthering democratic aims. This special feature article discusses how one teacher educator is experimenting with classroom dialogue and inquiry in two courses, “Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice” and “Curriculum Currents and Controversies” to work toward those aims.
This article contributes to research on the impact of high stakes accountability on social studie... more This article contributes to research on the impact of high stakes accountability on social studies teaching where it is not tested by the state, and addresses the question of what is happening in middle and higher performing versus struggling schools (Wills, 2007). The author presents complex findings from a qualitative study in five California classrooms spanning grades four through seven. Different from previous accounts of social studies under high stakes accountability, teachers in these middle and higher performing, middle class settings were generally satisfied with their social studies teaching. Yet observations revealed that in combination with other factors, accountability did influence social studies gatekeeping, or teachers' curricular-instructional decision making, in both direct and indirect ways. Its impact varied according to school performance status and student demographics, combined with other factors. A few teachers embraced the goals of raising test scores and developing skills in literacy, but in the lowest performing school with the most students of color, academic literacy skills training interfered with exploration of history. The author closes with questions raised by the study and recommendations for future research.
In book: Learn and liveChapter: Building a bridge to knowledge for every childPublisher: George Lucas Educational FoundationEditors: Burness, 1996
Through conversations with various people, our visitors learn that King School is an integral par... more Through conversations with various people, our visitors learn that King School is an integral part of its community, a mid-size town whose population has become increasingly diverse. School-related decisions are made with input from a variety of groups, including school staff, family members, students, the town council and the business community. In this racially and economically diverse setting, decision makers strive to make a match between the school and the needs, values, and interests of the larger community.
How are we to understand what the character education movement is all about? How did it become so... more How are we to understand what the character education movement is all about? How did it become so popular? What does its curriculum look like? And what is its educational impact? Lee Jerome and Ben Kisby answer these questions in a bold and brilliant book called "The Rise of Character Education in Britain: Heroes, Dragons, and the Myths of Character." Focusing specifically on the character education movement in Britain, they dissect its theoretical foundation, explain its ascendancy, analyze its curricula, and examine its results. They make explicit connections to other countries and the United States in particular. The authors construct a compelling argument that character education clashes with education for democracy. They offer an alternative— democratic citizenship education that develops political literacy and agency.
Audrey Osler’s new book, Human Rights and Schooling, explores the possibilities of education as a... more Audrey Osler’s new book, Human Rights and Schooling, explores the possibilities of education as a vehicle for building freedom, justice and peace at home and throughout the world. It makes a strong argument for including human rights in the social studies/citizenship curriculum of our schools. First, to cultivate ‘cosmopolitan citizens’, schools must develop values, skills and knowledge that are embedded in the field of human rights. Second, human rights education (HRE) strengthens efforts to teach responsively to diverse populations and for social justice. Third, young people have the right to receive HRE, as stated in the U.N.’s Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Civic Education in the Elementary Grades, by Dana Mitra and Stephanie Serriere, is an inspiring b... more Civic Education in the Elementary Grades, by Dana Mitra and Stephanie Serriere, is an inspiring book about a public elementary school that puts civic engagement at the center of its mission. The authors along with their research team conducted research at Dewey Elementary for 5 years and explored the following questions: “In what spaces can civic engagement be fostered in elementary schools, given a narrowing of focus in U.S. curriculum especially at the elementary level?” and “How can a civic engagement focus influence a school’s vision, school activities, and outcomes for students?”
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Lee Jerome and Ben Kisby answer these questions in a bold and brilliant book called "The Rise of Character Education in Britain:
Heroes, Dragons, and the Myths of Character." Focusing specifically on the character education movement in Britain, they dissect its theoretical foundation, explain its ascendancy, analyze its curricula, and examine its results. They make explicit connections to other countries and the United States in particular. The authors construct a compelling argument that character education clashes with education for democracy. They offer an alternative— democratic citizenship education that develops political literacy and agency.