Call for Papers: “Changing the Grammar of Schooling? An Empirical Examination” Special Issue American Journal of Education

Theme: Changing the Grammar of Schooling? An Empirical Examination

Guest Editors: Jal Mehta, Harvard University; Amanda Datnow, University of California, San Diego

Timeline: Manuscripts are due by April 1, 2018.

In 1995, David Tyack and Larry Cuban coined the term “grammar of schooling” to characterize the long-lasting and unchanging core elements of schooling. These elements include batch processing of students, separation of classes by academic discipline, age-graded classrooms, teaching as transmission, leveling and tracking, and schooling as a mechanism for sorting students by perceived ability. In recent years, however, there has been a range of efforts that in different ways try to move us away from the century-old grammar of schooling. These include personalized learning, blended schools, competency-based schooling, deeper learning, community-infused and social justice-oriented schools, and many more. Proponents argue that such shifts can help schooling move away from being intellectually lifeless places that primarily batch process and sort students and instead become more purposeful, equitable, and student-centered places. At the same time, some of these same ideas have been decried by opponents who see them as the harbinger of privatization and neo-liberalism. While these issues are frequently discussed in the education press, there has been very little careful dispassionate analysis of these issues by scholars.

This special issue seeks to jumpstart this conversation. We are seeking empirical contributions that explore significant efforts to change one or more elements of the familiar grammar of schooling. As befits the topic, we welcome contributions at different levels of analysis or across them, considering changes at the level of policy and politics, organizational level studies of schools, or changes to pedagogy or classroom practice. All contributions should consider the implications of these findings for equity and the distribution of learning opportunities for students. Contributions should also specifically connect to the ideas of the “grammar of schooling,” and be specific about the forces or groups—such as leaders, teachers, students, communities, or political actors—that inhibit or facilitate changing a century-old industrial structure. We are also interested in evidence about whether the articulated efforts at change are matched by actual evidence of changes in teacher practice or student experiences. We also would welcome theoretical or conceptual pieces that draw upon empirical evidence to develop ideas about the changing grammar of schooling. The special issue will include an introduction by the editors, as well as several commentaries on the pieces by noted scholars in the field.

Manuscripts are due by April 1, 2019.They will be reviewed through the customary AJE peer review process. Manuscripts should conform in style and length to the guidelines listed on the AJE website. We welcome a range of scholarly perspectives and seek a wide diversity of contributors. If you have questions about whether a potential contribution would fit this special issue, you can email the special issue editors at jal_mehta@gse.harvard.edu or adatnow@ucsd.edu.

To submit a manuscript go to https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/aje/instruct and indicate “Changing the Grammar of Schooling” in the comments section.