Additional information
by Gloria T. Alter (Editor), William R. Fernekes (Editor)
Human rights education (HRE) is a worldwide movement designed to place human rights at the center of K-university educational theory and practice, providing a critical foundation for global citizenship education, social justice and diversity education, and equity-based schooling reforms. Readers will learn how: (1) HRE content supports core values of U.S. education, including those focused on liberty, justice, and social equality for all educators and students; (2) HRE concepts and illustrative learning strategies support inclusive education and promote peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding; and (3) the theoretical foundations of HRE are compatible with recognized teacher preparation standards and program goals. Pre-service educators seeking teaching licenses and practicing classroom educators desiring to expand their focus into human rights education will find this book very helpful, as will professors teaching methods courses and courses dealing with social justice, multicultural education, and diversity in education. The book blends theory and practice to help educators make human rights education a central focus of their daily practice, providing sample HRE units concerning the rights of global migrants, Indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ+ communities. Readers will not only apply what they learn but also become part of a non-partisan movement supporting human rights across the globe.
Author Biography
About the Editors
Gloria T. Alter, EdD, was a teacher educator for over 20 years--associate professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU), visiting associate professor at DePaul University, and assistant professor at Valparaiso University. Dr. Alter's academic work includes numerous invited and refereed presentations at national and international conferences, and publications in journals such as, Educational Leadership, Multicultural Review, Social Education, Theory and Research in Social Education, and Urban Education. Her most recent publication, co-authored with Bill Fernekes, is "Human Rights Education and Issues-Centered Social Studies," in the Handbook on Teaching Social Issues (2nd ed.) published by Information Age. Dr. Alter's research primarily addresses diversity and social justice issues in social studies curriculum and instruction. She taught a wide variety of courses in elementary and secondary education with an emphasis on social studies and developed courses in citizenship and social justice education. Dr. Alter served as the Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner, a national, refereed journal of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). And she was the guest editor of the first special issue of Social Education to focus on LGBTQ+ topics. In addition, she was the President of the International Assembly of NCSS and Associate Editor of its Journal of International Social Studies.
William R. Fernekes, MA, EdD, is Part-time Lecturer 2 at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and a founding member of Human Rights Educators USA. He taught social studies and Spanish from 1974-1987 at Hunterdon Central Regional HS in Flemington, New Jersey, and served as supervisor of social studies at Hunterdon Central from 1987 to his retirement in December 2010. Co-author with Beverly C. Edmonds of Children's Rights: A Reference Handbook (1996), he has published widely in the fields of Holocaust and genocide studies, human rights education, and issues-centered social studies education. His 2002 publication for Greenwood Press, The Oryx Holocaust Sourcebook (2002), was recognized as an outstanding reference book by Choice magazine. Most recently he authored two essays dealing with human rights education: "Global Citizenship Education and Human Rights Education: Are They Compatible With U. S. Civic Education?" (2016) in Journal of International Social Studies and "On the Matter or Black Lives: Studying African-American History Using a Human Rights Perspective" (2017) in Teaching Social Studies. With Gloria T. Alter, he has co-authored an essay on "Human Rights Education and Issues-Based Social Issues" for the forthcoming Handbook on Teaching Social Issues, 2nd edition. He is currently completing a biography of US senator Clifford P. Case II.
Contributors
Gloria T. Alter, Katherine Covell, William R. Fernekes, Nancy Flowers, Page Hersey, R. Brian Howe, Abraham Magendzo Kolstrein, Glenn Mitoma, Adaobiagu Nnemdi Obiagu, Audrey Osler, Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, David Shiman, Sandra L. Sirota, Hugh Starkey, Felisa Tibbitts
