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Emancipatory Education Now is a student-led initiative at the SJSU Lurie College of Education that examines what emancipatory education – the critical evaluation of the systems and structures of oppression that maintain the status quo in our educational institutions – looks like in today’s society and advocates for the expansion of emancipatory education research, policies, and practices.

In this episode, Vaishnavi leads a dialogue around inequality and access in education. The co-hosts shared their insights framed by questions such as:


What are some examples of initiatives at the classroom, school/university, state, or federal level that have been effective at creating a more equitable education for low income students? What are some examples of ineffective initiatives or missed opportunities?
How do you think race plays a factor in schooling in low income communities? The videos provided some examples. Did anything stand out to you?
In the Crash Course video, we saw that higher income parents are more likely to spend time with their children reading books and strengthening their cognitive skills. These higher income children enter school with more knowledge compared to a child from a lower income household. How can we support these young children early on to ensure that they are successful throughout their school journey?
FAFSA is a great way for students to get grants and money. However, do you think FAFSA is a simple process for low income families? Why or why not?
After reading the article on the factors that count against low income students in the college admissions process, what were your thoughts/initial reactions? Do you think that students that attend schools with extremely low budgets will always have no hope towards attending good colleges since they don’t have impressive extracurriculars or classes?

after reading the article “5 Ways Elite-College Admissions Shut Out Poor Kids” by Anya Kamenetz and watching the videos “Higher Education for Low-Income Students,” and “Schools & Social Inequality: Crash Course Sociology #41.”

This episode’s call to action: After our discussion, think about how San Jose State University aids low income students to continue attending classes. Find one resource that SJSU provides to support these students. Do you think this resource is helpful? Is there a resource that you would recommend to SJSU instead?

Join us live for our episode 5 on Friday, April 9, at 5:30pm on the Lurie College YouTube channel.  All of the recordings for this series are available at sjsu.edu/education/emancipatory-education-now

Emancipatory Education Now is a student-led initiative at the SJSU Lurie College of Education that examines what emancipatory education – the critical evaluation of the systems and structures of oppression that maintain the status quo in our educational institutions – looks like in today’s society and advocates for the expansion of emancipatory education research, policies, and practices.

In this episode, Aminah leads a dialogue around high-stakes standardized testing. The co-hosts shared their insights framed by questions such as:


What are your initial reactions to this reading? Do you have any examples or questions that came to mind after the reading?
How do you think standardized testing practices racial inequality and who do you think it affects the most?
How can we support students who are affected by the inequalities of standardized testing, when these practices are still in place?
What are possible standardized testing alternatives you would implement/want to see implemented in schools that would achieve racial equality and be accurate measures of a students knowledge? Or is this something we even need to measure?

after reading the article “Meritocracy 2.0: High-Stakes, Standardized Testing as a Racial Project of Neoliberal Multiculturalism” by Wayne Au prior to the episode.

This episode’s call to action: Raise our awareness of how biases in standardized testing affect our students in order to provide support for students who are affected by these biases and find ways to help them succeed.

Join us live for our episode 4 on Friday, March 19, at 5:30pm on the Lurie College YouTube channel.  All of the recordings for this series are available at sjsu.edu/education/emancipatory-education-now

Emancipatory Education Now is a student-led initiative at the SJSU Lurie College of Education that examines what emancipatory education – the critical evaluation of the systems and structures of oppression that maintain the status quo in our educational institutions – looks like in today’s society and advocates for the expansion of emancipatory education research, policies, and practices.

In this episode, Victor leads a dialogue around decolonization in education. The co-hosts shared their insights framed by questions such as:


What is your initial reaction towards the reading? Do you have an example or question that came to mind after reading the article?
How would you describe the topic of decolonization to a student?
What would efforts to decolonize education look like?

after reading the article “Decolonization and Education: Locating Pedagogy and Self at the Interstices in Global Times” by Nina Asher prior to the episode.

This episode’s call to action: The effects of colonization can be experienced by the narrow thinking developed in the human mind. As we return to society, we must be more mindful in how we interact with each other. Decolonization begins with decolonizing one’s own mind.

Join us live for our next live dialogue on Friday, March 12, at 5:30pm on the Lurie College YouTube channel.  All of the recordings for this series are available at sjsu.edu/education/emancipatory-education-now

Emancipatory Education Now is a student-led initiative at the SJSU Lurie College of Education that examines what emancipatory education – the critical evaluation of the systems and structures of oppression that maintain the status quo in our educational institutions – looks like in today’s society and advocates for the expansion of emancipatory education research, policies, and practices.  In this episode, you can learn more about our student co-hosts - Abby, Aminah, Ana, Vaishnavi, and Victor - through their name stories.  They also share a preview of some of the topics they plan to discuss in more detail later this semester.

The call to action for this episode: Exchange your name story with a family member, friend, colleague, or classmate!

Additional resources shared in this episode include:


Decolonization and Education: Locating Pedagogy and Self at the Interstices in Global Times by Nina Asher
The Four I's of Oppression YouTube video

All of the recordings for this series are available at https://sjsu.edu/education/emancipatory-education-now

We recently hosted Radical Monarchs' Cofounder Anayvette Martinez to learn more about their organization - http://radicalmonarchs.org​ - which creates opportunities for young girls of color to form fierce sisterhood, celebrate their identities and contribute radically to their communities. The talk with the Radical Monarchs cofounder included the herstory of the Radical Monarch movement, in addition to how methodologies and lived experiences inform our queer feminist social justice praxis; the concept of Radical Joy and the key role it plays in the Radical Monarch movement, especially in these heightened times.

Connect with Lurie College at https://linktr.ee/sjsulurie​​​ to receive more news about academic and student life.  Video recorded and edited by Brian Cheung Dooley - http://brianpdooley.com​​​. "Inspirational Outlook" provided royalty-free from Scott Holmes.

Learn about Science Education and Single Subject Credential Program student Eden Conhuyen as she discusses her journey to becoming a science educator as well as her experiences in the SJSU Lurie College of Education's Impact San José Fellows program, which supports and develops educators who are driven by their passions for social justice, educational equity, and positively impacting their communities.  Learn more about the fellowship program at http://sjsu.edu/education/fellows​.  

Connect with Lurie College at https://linktr.ee/sjsulurie​​ to receive more news about academic and student life.  Video and audio recorded by Brian Cheung Dooley - http://brianpdooley.com​​. "Going Higher" provided royalty-free by bensound.com.