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Abstract
This article considers the ways in which three alternative education sites in Australia support socially just education for their students and how injustice is addressed within these schools. The article begins with recognition of the importance of Nancy Fraser’s work to understandings of social justice. It then goes on to argue that her framework is insufficient for understanding the particularly complex set of injustices that are faced by many highly marginalised young people who have rejected or been rejected by mainstream education systems. We argue here for the need to consider the importance of ‘affective’ and ‘contributive’ aspects of justice in schools. Using interview data from the alternative schools, we highlight issues of affective justice raised by students in relation to their educational journeys, as well as foregrounding teachers’ affective work in schools. We also consider curricular choices and pedagogical practices in respect of matters of contributive justice. Our contention is that the affective and contributive fields are central to the achievement of social justice for the young people attending these sites. Whilst mainstream schools are not the focus of this article, we suggest that the lessons here have salience for all forms of schooling.
Acknowledgements
Martin would like to thank Kathleen Lynch for her comments at the Vere Foster Trust and the Institute of Educational Research in Ireland Lecture, 2013.
Notes
1. In this article, we have used the terms flexible learning centre and alternative school somewhat interchangeably. We note, as do Mills and McGregor (Citation2014) that there is no agreed-upon definition and much contestation regarding what constitutes ‘alternative education’. The schools involved here are those that cater to marginalised young people and are also often referred to as ‘second chance’ schools.
2. The Big Picture model of schooling has its origins in the USA. Its basic principles articulated on its Australian website state: ‘highly personalised approach to education combines academic work with real world learning. It places the student, their passions and their interests, at the centre of the learning process’ (See http://www.bigpicture.org.au/).
3. An Australian colloquial term for a bedroll containing all one’s personal belongings.
Additional information
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Notes on contributors
Martin Mills
Martin Mills is a Research Professor in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, Australia. His research focuses on social justice issues in education. He holds a Visiting Professorship at Kings College London.
Glenda McGregor
Dr Glenda McGregor is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University, Australia. Her research interests include democratic and alternative approaches to schooling, youth studies and social justice and education.
Aspa Baroutsis
Dr Aspa Baroutsis is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Education, The University of Queensland. Her research is concerned with issue to do with teachers’ work, teacher identities, social justice and education and the media.
Kitty Te Riele
Associate Professor Kitty te Riele is Principal Research Fellow at The Victoria Institute for Education, Diversity & Lifelong Learning at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. Her research and publications focus on alternative approaches to schooling for marginalised youth, and on the ethical conduct of research.
Debra Hayes
Debra Hayes is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. Her research is located in contexts in which there are high levels of poverty and difference. She draws upon systems of thinking that focus on the effects of disadvantage to examine how these are constituted by schooling discourses and teaching practices.