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The Forum on the Future of Public Education

The Forum on the Future of Public Education strives to bring the best empirical evidence to policymakers and the public.

The Forum draws on a network of premier scholars to create, interpret, and disseminate credible information on key questions facing P-20 education. The Forum pursues original research and facilitates collaboration between researchers and policymakers to examine the pressing issues shaping the future of public education. Key constituencies of the Forum include scholars who influence research, policy and practice; policy makers and policy making bodies at all levels; members of the media who influence public opinion; foundations, organizations, business groups and others who support, criticize and advocate for reform; and citizens who make choices about education for themselves and their children.

America is witnessing a drastic redefinition of the policies and practices associated with “public education.” Too often, discussions around the future of public education are strong on passion but short on actual evidence. The Forum for the Future of Public Education is filing that gap by building a resource of objective, research-based insights on key educational issues. We are establishing an open venue- a true public forum to debate controversial and consequential policy issues that will shape American’s future.

2017 Summer, Session II-A, 1st 4 Weeks (June 12 to July 7th )

Mar 29, 2017, 10:00 by Professor Bernice Barnett
Professor Bernice Barnett of the College of Education at Illinois will teach the Sociology of Education course during the summer of 2017.

Summer 2017  Course EPS 420/SOC 420 Sociology of Education

EPS 420 & SOC 420 - Sociology of Education,  M, T, W Th, 10am to 11:50am, Education building, Room 323

Professor: Bernice Barnett, Ph.D. (Sociology)  Email: bmbarnet@illinois.edu

Credit: 3 or 4 hours

Course Description:

This 400-level social foundations course is a combined graduate- and advanced undergraduate-level (juniors and seniors) sociological examination of education and schooling in society. A spotlight of the course is teacher and student activism in society and in education. Among other things, we examine the education impact and legacies of diverse 1960s/1970s movements led by teachers (such as literacy pioneer Septima Poinsette Clark), students (such as Mario Savio at Berkeley), hippies, Vietnam anti-war activists, women, people with disabilities and special needs, white European Americans, black African-Americans, Latinos/as, Asian Americans, Native/American Indians, LGBTQ, welfare recipients, language minorities, migrants, immigrants, and others who protested in/outside of classrooms, schools, and colleges/universities.

About the Professor

Professor Barnett earned her Ph.D. in Sociology. She is an historical sociologist and Associate Professor in the Departments of Educational Policy, Organization, & Leadership (EPOL), Sociology, and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has presented research on the 1960s and social movements at international forums in the U. S., Canada, and Germany and has received various awards, including the Faculty Award for Excellence i n Teaching, Advising, and Research by the Council of Graduate Student in Education and Incomplete List of Teachers Ranked Excellent by Students at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For questions, contact Professor Barnett (bmbarnet@illinois.edu).