The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Washington that has been named the "number one learning community" in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report." There are no grades at Evergreen; instead, faculty provide a narrative evaluation of students' performance in their courses. There are also no majors…

In Aotearoa New Zealand journeys of discovery and colonization were also scientific journeys that brought "Maori woman" under the intellectual control of the emerging "scientific" academy. This paper argues that the historical construction of "Maori woman" through the discourses of Enlightenment science continues to…

In a series of three papers, I examine the identity development of three Chinese women teachers as they moved back and forth between Eastern and Western cultures and languages amid the rapidly changing events of the last four decades. I use a river metaphor to explore three phases in the cross-cultural lives of these women: in the first paper,…

This is the first of two self-studies of my first five years as a teacher educator attempting to prepare preservice teachers for the practical realities of the classroom while being respectful of their personal professional knowledge. I coined the term "relational teacher education" to convey my approach, which is informed by Rogers' (1961)…

This teacher-researcher case study examines the use of digital storytelling in a teacher assisting seminar. During the field placement, students composed a digital story of a teaching hour. Combining reflection with classroom footage, students exhibited their work for their colleagues. Digital stories added to the written narratives from the…

In her first year as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools, Beverly Hall encountered what she describes as the nearly universal disbelief that poor children of color can achieve high levels of learning. This chapter recounts how she confronted this and other obstacles and challenges as the new leader of the Atlanta Public Schools. Hall is…

This collection explores the range of uses of autobiography from the 19th century to the present and from Africa, the United States, Middle East, France, New Zealand, and Britain. The chapters draw on a number of approaches, including historical and literary methods. They are frequently about the retrieval and reclamation of previously hidden or…

In his autobiography, Mark Monroe relates his life experiences as a Lakota Sioux Indian in White America. The book begins with Monroe reminiscing about his happy childhood on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. In 1941 his family moved to Alliance, Nebraska, and his father Dakota. In 1941 his family moved to Alliance, Nebraska, and his father…

This book suggests that professional knowledge (knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and pedagogy) is not sufficient for becoming an exemplary teacher. It must be combined with interpersonal knowledge (relationships with students and with the educational and local communities), and intrapersonal knowledge (teachers ethics, dispositions, and…

This book presents a series of autobiographical profiles that demonstrate how educational organizations often marginalize and silence different groups. The book suggests that the development and critical analysis of personal histories of those who have been silenced and denied access in schools and in society represent ways of attaching meaning,…

A teacher with a new Ph.D. recounts her experience in returning to her previous role as a full-time teacher as she attempts also to conduct a teacher research program. She recounts her previous unsatisfactory experience co-teaching on a part-time basis while doing graduate research and her realization of the need to be the real teacher to conduct…

This paper presents the views of four general education teachers who without prior notice or training were assigned to teach special education classes. It also provides a short history of special education and requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The elements of special education and the specific levels of special…

The narrative records events leading to, during, and following an English language literacy event for older First Nations, Metis, and other Canadian older women, which took place in Saskatchewan in January 1996 under the supervision of Intergenerational Grandmothers Uniting, formally known as the Cross Cultural Intergenerational Pilot Project, an…

Ten personal accounts by successful leaders of colleges and universities in the United Kingdom describe how these individuals are reshaping their roles to respond to and shape the rapid and profound changes in higher education today. The opening and closing papers are by the editor and review current changes in education, and the importance of…

The preliminary findings of an on-going 3-year study examining the experiences of black students in a Canadian public school system are discussed. The project has been using students' narratives of their experiences in an inner-city public school system to explore the influences of race/ethnicity, class, gender, power, and social structures on…