Becky_Critical+Theory

=Brown vs. Board of Education and the application of critical science= Willmott states, "In contract to the 'empirical-analytic' and 'historical-hermeneutic' sciences, which each regard existing social formations and patterns of meaning as //given// objects of prediction and control or of interpretation, critical science strives to expose //the unreasoned, political basis of this givenness"// (p.100).

Until 1954 with the passage of Brown, the //givenness// of education was simply that african american children were not offered the same quality education as white students. This was a given. A clear violation of the 14th ammendement which was not written with african american's in mind. The ruling exposed the 'unreasoned political basis of this givenness' almost more than any other decision since the emancipation proclamation. The timing after the freeing of slaves was one of vast political upheaval where the 'givenness' was not easy to predict or control. At this time, the politically powerful had an opportunity to truly emancipate all the oppressed but fear and uncertantity assured that a new form of oppression emerged. One that was not as easily observed, predicted or controlled.

With the passage of Brown, the powerful were once again offered the opportunity to finally emancipate the oppressed and although this was a landmark case that changed history, in some cities, like Milwaukee, schools are as segregated now as they were in the 1950s, the difference is that it isn't against the law. Maybe it should be.

The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in //Oliver L. Brown et.al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) et.al.// is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. By declaring that the discriminatory nature of racial segregation ... "violates the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws," //Brown v. Board of Education// laid the foundation for shaping future national and international policies regarding human rights.

//Brown v. Board of Education// was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Ending this behavior as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which continue to be felt throughout our country. The //Brown// decision inspired and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world.

What this legal challenge represents is at the core of United States history and the freedoms we enjoy. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in //Brown// began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. []


 * A newer phenomena - Critical theory and gender performance in K-12 schools**

Throughout the 1900s boys performed better in school however since the early 2000s, this is no longer a given. In fact, around the world, girls are outperforming their male counterparts at every level of education. Boys outperforming girls was just scientifically a given but we see that there is now something else at work that wasn't oberservable or necessarily value-neutral. The last few year have seen politicians, parents and educators join forces to understand this phenomena and look for solutions to move boys back onto even footing with girls. What is interesting about all of this is that coporate power is still predominately white men. As these high performing girls enter the work force with the millenial generation at 28, will we finally see a gender equity movement throughout the U.S. and possibly the world? Will the performance of males in careers follow the same performance in schools? What will this mean for both the family structure and the world of work that we have come to know? Inequity in all its forms should be abolished but is it possible to have gender equity or will one gender always have control? According to Acker, "the theory and practice of gender neutrality covers up, obscures, the underlying gender structure, allowing pratices that perpetuate it to continue even as efforts to reduce gender inequality are also under way" she suggests, from a crticial theorists perspective, that "strategies will have to challenge the privileging og the 'economy; over life and raise questions..." (p. 456). I suggest we start addressing the male under-performance issue now with the hope that the long term strategies will help ensure long term gender equity for both sexes.

=The Gender Gap: Boys Lagging= ==Girls Move Ahead: **Lesley Stahl** Reports “[Girls] tend to dominate the landscape academically right now,” he says, even in math and science. The school's advanced placement classes, which admit only the most qualified students, are often 70 percent to 80 percent girls. This includes calculus. And in AP biology, there was not a single boy. According to Badalment, three out of four of the class leadership positions, including the class presidents, are girls. In the National Honor Society, almost all of the officers are girls. The yearbook editor is a girl. While there are statistically more boy geniuses than girl geniuses, far more boys than girls are found at the very bottom of the academic ranks. School districts from Massachusetts to Minnesota to California report that boys are withdrawing from the life of schools, and girls are taking over. “Girls outperform boys in elementary school, middle school, high school, and college, and graduate school,” says Dr. Michael Thompson, a school psychologist who writes about the academic problems of boys in his book, "Raising Cain." He says that after decades of special attention, girls are soaring, while boys are stagnating. []==