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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.

Latest News

Fall 2017 Foundations Course EPS 420/SOC 420 Sociology of Education Space

by Professor Bernice Barnett (bmbarnet@illinois.edu) / Aug 21, 2017

Fall 2017 Course EPS 420 & SOC 420 Sociology of Education

Day/Time: Tuesdays, 10am to 11:50am, Education Building, Room 323

Credit: 4 Hours Graduate (section A) or 3 Hours Undergraduate (section B)

EPS 420 – Sociology of Education: 4-Hours Graduate #33715 or 3-hours Undergrad #64995

SOC 420- Sociology of Education: 4-Hours Graduate: #33716 or 3-hours Undergrad #64996

Professor: Dr. Bernice Barnett (email: bmbarnet@illinois.edu)

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. The course will examine major sociological theories, research studies, questions, and issues in the sociology of education. A spotlight of the course is student and teacher activism in society and in education. Among other things, we examine the education impact and legacies of diverse 1960s/1970s movements led by New Left students (such as Mario Savio in the Free Speech Movement), teachers (such as literacy pioneer Septima Poinsettia Clark in the civil rights movement), hippies/flower children, Vietnam anti-war activists, women, people with disabilities, European Americans, African-Americans, Latinos/as, Asian/Pacific Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ+, welfare recipients and anti-poverty activists, language minorities, immigrants, migrant farm workers, and others who protested in and 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 Department of Educational Policy, Organization, & Leadership (EPOL), Department of Sociology, and Department of 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 in 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).