ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PUBLIC FORUMS

The annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forums were started in 1999 as a public space for the university community and the general public to come together to discuss the deeper educational issues that emerge in a pluralistic, democratic society.  Since the founding of the Journal of Educational Controversy in 2006, the forums have become a platform for exploring the issues raised in the journal and have included many of the authors whose articles were published in the journal. On this page, we are providing videotapes of the forums for our readers to view. 

Earlier Forum Topics

• 1999 - Hate Speech and Free Speech in an Open Society
• 2000 - Can Student Rights Survive Columbine?
• 2001 - What are Your Rights? Technology and Rights in Schools and Colleges
• 2002 - Teaching Controversy after September 11th
• 2003 - Cancelled
• 2004 - Schooling in a Democracy
• 2005 - Not in Our Town: Human Rights in Whatcom County
• 2006 - Opening Forum: What Culture Do Public Schools Promote? What Culture Should Public Schools Promote in a Pluralistic, Democratic Society?
• Forum 2: What Teachers Need to Know: Native American Perspectives
• Forum 3: What Teachers Need to Know: Asian American Perspectives
• Forum 4: What Teachers Need to Know: Latin American Perspectives
• Forum 5: What Teachers Need to Know: African American Perspectives

 
VIEW VIDEOS FROM THE FOLLOWING FORUMS AND READ ABOUT THE ISSUES IN THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL CONTROVERSY

2007 - Forum on Volume 2 Number 1 Winter 2007: Does Race Still Matter in America's Public Schools? Race, Seattle Schools and the U.S. Supreme Court

9^th Annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forum
May 2, 2007
6:30-8:30pm, Miller Hall 163, WWU

View a video of a discussion with a panel of lawyers, administrators, teachers, students and community members who talk about the highly influential U.S. Supreme Court case, PICS v. Seattle School District. This forum occurred before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision. Most panelists have published articles in the Volume 2 Number 1 issue of the Journal of Educational Controversy on the theme, “Jonathan Kozol’s Nation of Shame Forty Years Later.” Two of the panelists, Sonya Jones and Brett Rubio, have also written an analysis of the U. S. Supreme Court decision that was decided on June 28, 2007 for the rejoinder section.

• Click here to view video of this event

Panelists:

• Andrew Griffin, Assistant Superintendent, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington State (OSPI)
• Thelma Jackson, African American Think Tank
• Sonya Jones, Pacific Legal Foundation
• Brett Rubio, American Civil Liberties Union
• Bruce Bivins, Principal, West Side High School (former Assistant Principal of Franklin High School)
• David Engle, Principal, Squalicum High School (former Principal of Ballard High School)
• Rachel Bjarnason, WWU student who was bused from Ballard to Franklin High School

2008 - Forum on Volume 3 Number 1 Winter 2008: Schooling as if Democracy Matters

10^th  Annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forum
April 30, 2008
Miller Hall 163, WWU

See a video from the 10th Annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forum on the theme of Volume 3 Number 1 issue, "Schooling as if Democracy Matters," that took place on April 30, 2008 at Western Washington University. Three authors whose work was published in this issue were on the panel. View a video of their discussion and power point presentations.

• Click here to view video of this event (Windows format)
• Click here to view video of this event (Mac format)

Panelists:

• Democracy and Student Rights: Aaron Caplan, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union--Washington
• Democracy and Race: William Lyne, Professor of English, Western Washington University
• Democracy and Schools: Vale Hartley, Teacher, Whatcom Day Academy

2009 - Forum on Volume 4 Number 1 Winter 2009: Rethinking Poverty and Education

11^th Annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forum
April 29, 2009
6-8pm, Wilson Library Presentation Room, WWU

View a video of the 11^th Annual Educational Law and Social Justice Forum on the theme of Volume 4, Number 1 issue, "The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty: Rethinking Poverty and Education," that took place on April 29, 2009 at Western Washington University.  John Korsmo's article entitled, "Poverty and Class: Discussing the Undiscussibles," was published in Volume 4 Number 1 issue of the journal. The Multiethnic Think Tank Position Paper to which Darcy Lees refers was published in the Volume 2 Number 1 issue of the journal. Rose Spidell spoke on the "School to Prison Pipeline."

• Click here to view a video of this event (Windows format)
• Click here to view a video of this event (Mac format)

Panelists:

• John Korsmo, Assistant Professor, Human Services Department, Western Washington University
• Darcy Lees, Multiethnic Think Tank, civil rights consultant, former Equity Coordination Program Supervisor for the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
• Rose Spidell, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Washington