Thinking in the Midst

Ginger Barnhart and Lauren Links sat down to talk with Cara about cultivating and sustaining graduate student communities and graduate students, finding and creating place together, and so much more.

Kathleen Knight-Abowitz gives the Presidential Address, the Value of Local Control: Place and Educational Governance delivered at the Philosophy of Education Society Annual meeting. This session is introduced by Sarah Stitzlein. Two paper responses are delivered by Clarence Joldersma and Campbell Scribner respectively. For more writing by Kathleen: For more work by Kathleen: Knight-Abowitz, Kathleen and Dustin Hornbeck (2025).  “The right to invite and the right to decline: Parental rights in public schools,” Theory and Research in Education 23 (2), 1-21. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1177/14778785251351377⁠ Knight-Abowitz, Kathleen (2025). “Serving on a school board, 2019-2023: Strengths and vulnerabilities of a democratic institution,” AERA Open 11 (1), 1-17.  ⁠https://doi.org/10.1177/233285842513238⁠For Sarah and Kathleen’s co-authored writing:https://kappanonline.org/abowitz-stitzlein-public-schools-public-goods-and-public-work/https://kappanonline.org/telling-new-stories-about-schools-reframing-narrative-shared-responsibilities-stitzlein-abowitz/ For more of Campbell’s writing: The Fight For Local Control: Schools, Suburbs, and American Democracy (Cornell, 2016)https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501700804/the-fight-for-local-control/A is for Arson: A History of Vandalism in American Education (Cornell, 2023)https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501770722/a-is-for-arson/

Kathleen Knight Abowitz and Danny Mamlok sat down to talk with Cara about the upcoming Philosophy of Education Society conference themed on To Be Rooted in Place, Education, and Ethics. They shared insights into their current roles in the organization as president and program chair, and then dove into the conference theme.For the program:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-2MXScBtQKMyUa4oH3pbjMueszv3dYOV/viewFor more work by Danny:Mamlok, Dan. 2023a. “The Quest to Cultivate Tolerance Through Education.” Studies in Philosophy and Education 42 (3): 231–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-023-09874-8.Mamlok, Dan. 2023b. “The Quest to Cultivate Tolerance Through Education.” Studies in Philosophy and Education 42 (3): 231–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-023-09874-8.Mamlok, Dan, and Kathleen Knight Abowitz. 2022. “132 Words: A Critical Examination of Digital Technology, Education, and Citizenship.” Technology, Knowledge and Learning 27 (4): 1237–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09540-3.For more work by Kathleen: Knight-Abowitz, Kathleen and Dustin Hornbeck (2025).  “The right to invite and the right to decline: Parental rights in public schools,” Theory and Research in Education 23 (2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/14778785251351377 Knight-Abowitz, Kathleen (2025). “Serving on a school board, 2019-2023: Strengths and vulnerabilities of a democratic institution,” AERA Open 11 (1), 1-17.  https://doi.org/10.1177/233285842513238

Michael Hand and Quentin Wheeler-Bell sat down to talk with Cara about teaching amidst strong divides. My guests discussed and debated how to address partisan leanings in the classroom, how to ethically support a range of student perspectives, what makes a topic controversial, and the criterion for judging the validity of a claim.For Michael's article: https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.70065. The original article: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.2008.00285.x. For more work by Michael: Hand, M. (2026) ‘Is there a principled exception to the epistemic criterion of controversiality?’, in Drerup, J. (ed) Teaching Controversy: The Politics and Ethics of Classroom Conflict, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Hand, M. (2018) A Theory of Moral Education, London: Routledge.For Quentin's article:  https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.70074.

Jessica Fremland , Kali Simmons, Kat Milligan-McClellan, Mishuana Goeman, and Sandy Grande join Cara to talk about indigenous feminists philosophy, why gardening is a rich and fertile metaphor for their work, and tending to communities with care. This episode showcases the 75th Anniversary of Educational Theory.For their paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/edth.70075For Sandy’s original paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-5446.2003.00329.xFor the 75th Anniversary Issue: ​​https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17415446/2026/76/1For more work by Sandy: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/red-pedagogy-9781610489881/For more work by Kali: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/105/article/815922/pdf?casa_token=fLW8470Re8wAAAAA:HYVCaY0WobYaFqJwmoYQrK2yLqV_YLxhMXx234L88bCesCGrcCJRXs0YXuUkIwoZ-M2vZJBllsIFor more writing by Mishuana: https://poshmark.com/listing/Settler-Aesthetics-Visualizing-the-Spectacle-of-Originary-Moments-in-the-New-Wo-654af186af9ad15787384a86?srsltid=AfmBOopAJqQhoYrzY9aJyetAC-fAxe8cL17Q8s3sqjZKiVsrg77qY_Slhttps://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816677917/mark-my-words/https://nyupress.org/9781479808120/keywords-for-gender-and-sexuality-studies/

Gert and Michele join Cara to talk about philosophers, schools, and education. They ask us to consider what matters? The role of schools as places of inquiry? And how these and many more questions effect schools, teachers, and students at all levels? This episode showcases the 75th Anniversary of Educational Theory.For Gert's essay: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11217-010-9191-xand original essay: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-5446.2006.00241.xand more writing by Gert: https://www.routledge.com/World-Centred-Education-A-View-for-the-Present/Biesta/p/book/9780367565527For Michele's essay: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/edth.70073?af=RFor more of Michele's work on higher education: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo22776687.htmlFor the full special issue: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/edth.70076

Anmarie Paul, Diane Schnoor, and Myra Hernandez join Cara to talk about belonging, place, and children's literature. To learn more about Behind the Book check out: https://www.behindthebook.org/To learn more about Dr. Diane's work check out: https://www.drdianeadventures.com/

Philip Francis, Tom Van Winkle, and Rachel Seher join Cara to talk about place as school and what it means to build a relationship with places and the people in them. Seguinland Institute is currently accepting applications for its Spring '26 and Fall '26 semester programs: Check them out and Philip's here!Check out Rachel's work here and here! Check out Tom's work and Williams Mystic here!

Mara Teigen, a professor at Bates College, dives into the significance of place-responsive education and its impact on rural communities. She explores how educational policies can intensify spatial injustice, particularly for rural students facing identity dilemmas in elite colleges. Mara emphasizes the need for context-aware policies that connect curriculum to local environments, advocating for practices that respect community relationships and diverse perspectives. Their discussion highlights the urgent need for education that fosters a sense of belonging and democratic engagement.

Emmalee Forristall, Kathy Hytten, and Kurt Stemhagen sat down to talk with Cara about youth sports and democracy. They explained how practices from cell phones in the locker room, financial accessibility, and whether you play for the town team influence democratic habits. Listen and keep the conversation going with your teams and players. To learn more about this year's philosophy of education conference and submit: https://www.philosophyofeducation.org/For more on this topic from Kathy and Kurt check out:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23328584241311810From Kurt on democracy (and math) check out: https://www.routledge.com/Democracy-and-Mathematics-Education-Rethinking-School-Math-for-Our-Troubled-Times/Stemhagen-Henney/p/book/9780367608200