Radical change through radical means: learning power

The history of US schooling is a remarkable tale of expanding educational opportunities in the midst of educational inequality. Despite cultural commitments to equality and justice, the US educational system continues to provide clear and consistent advantages for white and wealthier Americans and disadvantages for low-income, students of color. This paper explores why efforts to equalize education have fared so poorly and how US schools and society might become more equitable and just. Our conclusions are straightforward: Equity reforms rarely take hold because they rely on conventional, technical approaches to policymaking and educational change. Instead, equitable, high-quality schooling for all students will likely fare better with social movement activism that addresses the societal norms and politics which cement the status quo. At the heart of such activism is a process we call "learning power." (The ideas presented here are presented more fully in Jeannie Oakes and John Rogers, Learning Power: Organizing for Education and Justice (New York: Teachers College Press, 2006).)