The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education

This edited collection from Alter and Fernekes introduces and expands on the history, theory, and application of human rights education (HRE). Chapters reinforce the basic tenets of teaching about, through, and for human rights and how they are integrated internationally. Frameworks for application are demonstrated in various contexts, while challenges to HRE implementation are also addressed. The contributing authors focus on the development of current human rights educators and strategies for better training teacher candidates globally. Human rights are defined through the overarching conventions, declarations, and guidelines put forth by the UN. The contributors do not ignore problems regarding how to responsively handle these principles in localized environments. Essays also demonstrate how HRE is used to discuss issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, global migration, and Indigenous peoples' rights. Each chapter includes helpful resources for further study, and many also provide additional classroom resources and professional development suggestions. Readers will come away with a deeper knowledge of HRE and how they can incorporate human rights in their educational settings, whether in PreK–12, higher education, or informal spaces. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. * Choice Reviews *
As teachers contend with a world marked by continued racialized and gendered violences, the proliferating climate crises, increasing totalitarianism, and stark, deepening wealth disparities, all amid an ongoing global pandemic, this timely volume makes the case for integrating human rights education (HRE) into teacher education. By unpacking the historical trajectories and theoretical orientations of HRE, and providing practical case studies of its application in teacher practice, this volume not only inspires but also provides the critical tools to navigate this complex world with young people across all grade levels. This book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners concerned with dignity, justice, and human rights in schools and beyond. -- Maria Hantzopoulos, Vassar College, author of Restoring Dignity in Public Schools: Human Rights Education in Action and (with Monisha Bajaj) Education for Peace and Human Rights: An Introduction
This book offers insightful perspectives as well as a blueprint for further integrating human rights into education in the United States and globally. This book not only informs and inspires, but is also an essential resource for teachers and teacher educators to align their work with the principles of human rights. -- Monisha Bajaj, University of San Francisco
This pioneering book is a major contribution to the burgeoning field of human rights education around the globe. The editors have assembled a comprehensive and cutting-edge volume on human rights in relation to teacher education, bringing together prominent scholars from an impressively wide range of perspectives. This is an essential resource for teacher educators, teachers, researchers and students committed to the urgent task of human rights education. -- Michalinos Zembylas, Open University of Cyprus and Nelson Mandela University, South Africa
The important contribution of this book is that it combines the argument for human rights education, the foundation and context of HRE, and curricular materials that can be immediately implemented. The distinct sections of the book provide a thorough grounding in HRE and teacher education in a global context, pedagogical considerations when bringing HRE into the schools, and practical examples of human rights-focused curriculum for different age levels in K–12 schools. -- Isabel Nuñez, Purdue University, Fort Wayne
The United Nations declares education a human right, but what if human rights were themselves the complex subject matter of serious curricular and pedagogical attention in teacher education? I cannot imagine critical pedagogy for justice and planetary sustainability without such, and this volume is a major contribution to exactly this end. Needed now more than ever! -- Richard Kahn, Antioch University
As a long-time professor of human rights education, I am thrilled to see the publication of this invaluable book that fills a critical need. The word 'imperative' in the title is strikingly resonant, since the necessity to bring human rights into teacher training everywhere is nothing less than urgent. -- Susan Roberta Katz, Professor Emerita of International and Multicultural Education, University of San Francisco
This indispensable book recognizes human rights education as a component part of the global movement for human rights, describes the historical and political development of that movement, and provides informative general profiles of subgroups often denied basic human rights. Editors Gloria T. Alter and William R. Fernekes have assembled an expert team of contributors comprising leading human rights educators from around the world. The contributors offer constructive suggestions and extensive resources for integrating HRE across the school curriculum, addressing organizational and political realities involved in K–12 school improvement and in teacher education. They also realistically identify obstacles and opportunities for implementing HRE. This comprehensive volume articulates thoughtful, pragmatic recommendations for advocating HRE on the policy, accreditation, pre-service, state, district, school, program, and classrooms levels. Each chapter includes provocative study questions that encourage a participatory, involved approach to exploring ways to actualize HRE. Readers will come away from Alter and Fernekes’s compelling volume with a vivid sense that there is continual work to do with HRE, a desire to be part of that work, and a knowledge of practical strategies and resources to get that work done. -- William G. Wraga, Professor Emeritus, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia
What a timely book! The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education makes the case for human and children’s rights as essential for learning environments. The authors of this edited volume offer insights and resources for teacher educators, teachers, communities, and families so they may respect and reify the rights of young people around the globe. This offering also supports understanding of rights among youth as they learn to make sense of a world where rights are far from universal. -- M. Francyne Huckaby, professor of curriculum studies and associate provost of faculty affairs, Texas Christian University
Access to basic human rights is not a reality for everyone, despite 2023 being the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, celebrated on the 10th December. The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education is not just timely in nature, but is one of those books that provides food for thought in a unique format. This book brings together some of the leading experts in human rights education (HRE) in a collection of chapters to provide a wealth of knowledge alongside suggested resources and materials to support. It is an accessible compendium of CPD and uses current examples to make points and explain positions that give the reader a thorough understanding of not only what human rights are, but examples that could transform both teacher training and the practice of teaching. This book is beneficial for anyone looking to become a more inclusive practitioner and would also be of interest to those outside of teacher education, as it provides examples for applying human rights in a range of contexts, as well as extending previous discourse surrounding human rights issues. Quite simply, this book is professional development without the need to schedule a Teams call or travel any distance! * teachingcitizenship.org.uk *
Gloria T. Alter, Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University, and William R. Fernekes, founding member of Human Rights Educators USA, take on the groundbreaking task of making human rights education (HRE) a central focus of global teacher education in their book, The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education: Developing Compassion, Understanding, and Advocacy (2023). The editors bring together prominent scholars in the field of HRE to offer teacher educators, researchers, and students an essential resource to transform teacher education and place human rights at the center of educational settings. This book is an essential contribution to the field of human rights, providing teacher education programs and their students with opportunities to understand the theoretical foundations of HRE and offering resources for practicing teachers who desire to integrate HRE into their daily practice. -- Christian Aguilar Valverde, International Journal of Human Rights Education