Introduction 1.The Politics of Teachers and Texts. Teachers 2. Controlling the Work of Teachers 3. Teaching and 'Women's Work'. Texts 4. The Culture and Commerce of the Textbook. 5. Old Humanists and New Curricula. 6. Educational Reports and Economic Realities. 7. Is the New Technology Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem in Education? Conclusion 8. Supporting Democracy in Education.

Teachers and Texts: A Political Economy of Class and Gender Relations in Education

This study investigates the representation of Black women in high school history textbooks. To examine the extent to which Black women are represented visually and to explore how they are portrayed, the authors use a mixed-methods approach that draws on analytical techniques in content analysis and from visual culture studies. Their findings reveal that Black women are marginalized in high school history textbooks. Also, the authors argue that despite this dearth of Black women, they are portrayed in a greater variety of roles in the major Black history textbook on the market for secondary students. The study concludes by deriving a framework by which others may interpret the representation of Black women in texts and other curricular materials and by challenging traditional content analyses by bringing the notion of cultural parallax to bear on the widely used content analysis methodology.

Cultural Parallax and Content Analysis: Images of Black Women in High School History Textbooks.

1. Course Description and Goals: American government is a survey course intended to increase the student’s understanding of the institutions and processes of American democracy. The theme of the class is “How well does our democracy work?” and course materials, which include lectures, readings, audiovisual presentations and in-class discussions, are approached from this perspective. The class will assess critically the Constitution of the U.S. and the operation of representative democratic government under that Constitution, and explain the processes and interaction between political and civic institutions. Objectives for this course include the following:

/pdf/the-american-government-fypnqkn2ni.pdf

The American Government

Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in Current Textbooks

Student evaluations of teaching are ubiquitous in the academe as a metric for assessing teaching and frequently used in critical personnel decisions Yet, there is ample evidence documenting both measurement and equity bias in these assessments Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) have low or no correlation with learning Furthermore, scholars using different data and different methodologies routinely find that women faculty, faculty of color, and other marginalized groups are subject to a disadvantage in SETs Extant research on bias on teaching evaluations tend to review only the aspect of the literature most pertinent to that study In this paper, we review a novel dataset of over 100 articles on bias in student evaluations of teaching and provide a nuanced review of this broad but established literature We find that women and other marginalized groups do face significant biases in standard evaluations of teaching – however, the effect of gender is conditional upon other factors We conclude with recommendations for the judicious use of SETs and avenues for future research

Evaluating Student Evaluations of Teaching: a Review of Measurement and Equity Bias in SETs and Recommendations for Ethical Reform

This study surveys recent editions of circulating introductory texts for teaching American government/politics courses. Most of the major textbooks used for these courses utilize the traditional institutional and behavioral approaches to the study of American government, which have historically treated the African American political experience as separate from mainstream American politics; thus, relegating its discussions to a separate chapter on “civil rights” or “equal rights.” Modeling our textbook reviews after the APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendered in the Profession (Novkov and Gossett 2007) and the non-published 2006 report to the APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession, we analyze 27 circulating introductory American government/politics textbooks to examine to what extent African Americans are integrated into the study of American politics.This report was commissioned and supported by the American Political Science Association's Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession. The Committee reviewed earlier drafts and accepted the final report for publication and distribution. The Committee members include James Jennings, co-chair (Tufts University); Angela K. Lewis, co-chair (University of Alabama, Birmingham); Kerry L. Haynie (Duke University); Alice Jackson (Morgan State University); Mark Q. Sawyer (University of California, Berkley); Rogers M. Smith (University of Pennsylvania); Robert Starks (Northeastern Illinois University); and Toni-Michelle Travis (George Mason University).

/pdf/survey-of-african-american-portrayal-in-introductory-2fc0mc71jf.pdf

Survey of African American Portrayal in Introductory Textbooks in American Government/Politics: A Report of the APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession

Political science students learn the fundamental principles and values about the American political system from American government/politics textbooks. Most of the major textbooks used in these courses utilize the traditional institutional and behavioral approaches to the study of American government and politics, which examines institutions and processes from a hegemonic perspective with emphasis being placed on the political actors who dominate these institutions. As a result, the struggles of nondominant groups are not treated as integral in American historical development or political experience. Situated in a literature review of similar studies, we use content analysis to examine visualizations of African Americans in 27 circulating introductory American Government/Politics textbooks to ascertain whether these illustrations reinforce or argue against traditional, hegemonic coverage of politics. To test our hypotheses, we sampled 27 circulating introductory American Government/Politics textbooks publ...

Teaching Introduction to American Government/Politics: What We Learn from the Visual Images in Textbooks

The purpose of this exploratory analysis is to review the state of the literature on student evaluations (SEs) of teaching and examine to what extent an instructor's race/ethnicity influences stude...

The State of the Literature on Student Evaluations of Teaching and an Exploratory Analysis of Written Comments: Who Benefits Most?

Affirmative action debates remain hotly contested across America. Given how the topic is presented in respective disciplines and core textbooks, students are often misinformed. Introductory textboo...

/pdf/affirmative-action-debates-in-american-government-4dd1hdsvmc.pdf

Affirmative Action Debates in American Government Introductory Textbooks

INTRODUCTION"Considerable deference is owed to a university in defining those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are central to its identity and educational mission."-Justice Anthony Kennedy, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, 136 S.Ct. 2198, 2214_ (2016) (Majority Opinion)The increase in racial incidents and racially-hostile environments made visible by students' reactions, protests, and social media exposure of perceived "institutional unresponsiveness to pervasive issues of racial inequity" (Harper and Davis, 2016) on increasingly diverse college campuses, highlights the significant role that faculty members should play in classroom dialogues about race and racism. As faculty teaching at the college-level and surprised by the range of definitions and interpretations ascribed to affirmative action policy in American government introductory textbooks, the purpose of this study is to investigate the definitions of affirmative action policy in college textbooks.The Supreme Court decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2016) affirming higher education institutions' right to use racial considerations in admissions policies is significant in that it reinforces the benefits of diversity as a societal value, and underscores the relevance and intent of affirmative action policy. Spanning more than a dozen presidential administrations, the history of affirmative action policy consists of a broad collection of executive orders, bureaucratic decisions, court cases, and state legislation designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination of applicants to educational programs or professional employment, to remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and to prevent discrimination in the future. In an effort to expand opportunity for underrepresented groups that have been subject to institutionalized discrimination, President Clinton's 1995 directive - "Mend It, Don't End It" -outlined specific criteria for affirmative action policy, stating "any program must be eliminated or reformed if it creates a quota, creates a preference for unqualified individuals, creates reverse discrimination or continues even after its equal opportunity purposes have been achieved" (Beeman et al., 2000, 99; Stephanopolous and Edley, 1995). After Clinton, the George W. Bush administration, seeking to dismantle affirmative action, filed - to no avail - two amicus curiae briefs with the Supreme Court regarding the use of race in admissions in two University of Michigan cases: Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), respectively. The Obama administration's Executive Order 13583 has not altered the 1995 Clinton directive, which to date remains the most explicit executive order on the policy. Targeted congressional legislation - such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991 - has expanded protections beyond underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in education and employment to include women, people of a certain age, people with disabilities, and veterans. However, teaching the intent of affirmative action policy remains a challenge because of its controversial nature, particularly when affirmative action debates are presented or distorted as a program created primarily to eliminate race discrimination absent the inclusion of gender, age, disability or other protected categories (Wallace and Allen, 2016; Beeman et al., 2000). This is due, understandably, to the major cases that have challenged the use of race as the primary issue. This study posits that the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin cases can be useful for teaching college students about why affirmative action policy is still relevant for diversity and inclusion in higher education and beyond.BRIEF HISTORY OF MAJOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CASESViews on affirmative action have long been associated with "reverse discrimination," quota systems, lowering of standards, and excessive or unnecessary federal interference in the internal policies and practices in areas of public education and employment. …

/pdf/affirmative-action-in-american-government-introductory-3tz5nw1u1r.pdf

Marcus D. Allen

Papers

Survey of African American Portrayal in Introductory Textbooks in American Government/Politics: A Report of the APSA Standing Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession

Teaching Introduction to American Government/Politics: What We Learn from the Visual Images in Textbooks

The State of the Literature on Student Evaluations of Teaching and an Exploratory Analysis of Written Comments: Who Benefits Most?

Affirmative Action Debates in American Government Introductory Textbooks

Affirmative Action in American Government Introductory Textbooks