Episode Description
In the third episode of a four part mini series about "parental rights", Stephen and Shannon speak to Dr. Wayne Journell.
Dr. Journell is Professor of Social Studies Education and Associate Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
A former high school social studies teacher, Dr. Journell received his undergraduate degree and teacher licensure at James Madison University. He then received a master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Secondary Social Studies Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since then, he has taught at UNCG, where he also coordinates the Secondary Teacher Education Program.
Dr. Journell's research focuses primarily on the teaching of politics and controversial issues in secondary education, with secondary interests in teaching social studies with technology and via inquiry. Dr. Journell has received numerous awards for his scholarship, including being a two-time recipient of the Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award from the National Council for the Social Studies. He is also the current editor of Theory & Research in Social Education, which is the premier empirical journal in the field of social studies education, and editor for the Research and Practice in Social Studies book series at Teachers College Press.
Bio source:
https://www.waynejournell.com/Through this episode, Stephen and Shannon speak to Dr. Journell about the distinction between public and private values--and the relevance of this distinction to the public school classroom. Specifically, we speak about issues that remain open and valid for discussion in public school classrooms, and those that should be approached as closed or settled. Dr. Journell introduces criterion that can help educators determine which issues are closed for debate in public school classrooms. In particular, we speak about the ethical responsibility of educators to approach issues as closed/settled when they impact the identity, rights, and well-being of students in the classroom. Dr. Journell’s writing, and responses through this interview, intersect with discussions of parental rights and the attempted enforcement of private values in public schools. As he says, people can hold private values, but in the public school classroom we must uphold decided public values.
Episode Resources
Journell, W. (2016). Teaching Social Studies in an Era of Divisiveness: The Challenges of Discussing Social Issues in a Non-partisan Way. Rowman & Littlefield.
Journell, W. (2017). Framing Controversial Identity Issues in Schools: The Case of HB2, Bathroom Equity, and Transgender Students. Equity & Excellence in Education, 50(4), 339–354.
Journell, W. (2018). Should Marriage Equality be Taught as Controversial Post-Obergefell v. Hodges? Teachers College Record, 120(8), 1–28.
Journell, W. (2022). Classroom Controversy in the Midst of Political Polarization: The Essential Role of School Administrators. NASSP Bulletin, 106(2), 133–153.
