The Public Pedagogy of Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE)

• In Event: A Discourse of Democracy: The Role of Researchers, Faculty, and Community Organizations in Education Reform

Abstract

In the introduction to the revised edition of his influential book Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning toward Social Justice, Kevin Kumashiro (2009) describes the current climate of education reform and explains how crucial it now is that “each one of us assumes the responsibility to lead, to take action, to build movement” (p. xxvi). Moreover, he has walked this talk in his founding of one of the presenting organizations, Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education, or CReATE. This is a group of over 100 university-based researchers in metropolitan Chicago who volunteer their time to educate the public and influence policy makers by producing and disseminating research documents, and hosting public events.
CReATE’s primary purpose is “public pedagogy,” a term that was coined in 1894 and mapped over five distinct areas of scholarship in a Review of Educational Research meta-analysis (Sandlin, O’Malley, & Burdick, 2011). The one relevant here is “public intellectualism and social activism” (p. 338), in particular of the form inspired by Said: the “translat[ion of] social issues for a public audience and the public good” (p. 354). We are similarly indebted to Giroux (2003) for his exploration of public pedagogy as a means for resisting oppression, and to Brady’s (2006) location of impetus for this work within grassroots and collective organizing efforts. In terms of the specific kind of influence we are seeking, we draw on Hill’s (2010) elucidation of the role of “educational researcher as policy shaper” (p. 596). Each of these ideas is central to the purposes of this group.
This collective of researchers and activists was formed to interrogate myths and realities and provide new visions for schooling in the city of Chicago. Prior to a highly publicized mayoral campaign and election that would inevitably disrupt a political dynasty, the grassroots group sought to be a resource and share research-based perspectives on the public debates surrounding school reform in that city and around the country. Through public forums and collectively written position papers, CReATE has begun to decenter common assumptions and the current of public rhetoric that pushes towards privatization, corporatization, and punitively oriented school reform.
In the paper, we will share the experience of CReATE with regard to: the need for scholar activism; how to get started; changing the frames in public discourses; using the media; institutional challenges; partnerships and collaborations; issues of professional identity; influencing policy makers; and future visions. With the other presenters who have done this work in the own contexts, we can share experiences and resources as related to the above topics, as well as any others that have proved important to the work of making educational research a part of the policy conversation. Through this discussion, we hope to deepen our understanding of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of our efforts, as well strengthen the competencies and strategies that will best further them.

Author

• Isabel Nunez, Concordia University - Chicago