William Ayers |

William Ayers

Activist and Professor of Education

Host: Basima Farhat

Previously Aired On: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 – Listen to the Show!

William Charles Ayers is an American elementary education theorist who was a 1960s anti-war activist. He is known for the radical nature of his activism in the 1960s and 1970s as well as his current work in education reform, curriculum, and instruction. In 1969 he co-founded the radical left organization the Weather Underground, which conducted a campaign of bombing public buildings during the 1960s and 1970s. He is now a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, holding the titles of Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar. His interests include teaching for social justice, urban educational reform, narrative and interpretive research, children in trouble with the law, and related issues.

He began his career in primary education while an undergraduate, teaching at the Children’s Community School (CCS), a project founded by a group of students and based on the Summerhill method of education. After leaving the underground, he earned an M.Ed from Bank Street College in Early Childhood Education (1984), an M.Ed from Teachers College, Columbia University in Early Childhood Education (1987) and an Ed.D from Teachers College, Columbia University in Curriculum and Instruction (1987).

He has edited and written many books and articles on education theory, policy and practice, and has appeared on many panels and symposia.

Ayers worked with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in shaping the city’s school reform program, and was one of three co-authors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal that in 1995 won $49.2 million over five years for public school reform.[35] In 1997 Chicago awarded him its Citizen of the Year award for his work on the project. Since 1999 he has served on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, an anti-poverty, philanthropic foundation established as the Woods Charitable Fund in 1941.

During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, a controversy arose regarding Ayers’ contacts with then-candidate Barack Obama. Obama’s contacts with Ayers had been public knowledge in Chicago for years. After being raised by the British press the connection was picked up by blogs and newspapers in the United States. The matter was raised in a debate by Hillary Rodham Clinton in February 2008 after it had been suggested by Sean Hannity and other hosts on conservative talk radio programs. It later became an issue for the John McCain presidential campaign. Investigations by The New York Times, CNN, and other news organizations concluded that Obama does not have a close relationship with Ayers.

FUGITIVE DAYS: Memoirs of an Antiwar Activist

In Fugitive Days, Ayers tells the real story of the defining events of the radical ’60s. The book is an eyewitness account of a young pacifist who helped found one of the most radical political organizations in U.S. history, and who consequently lived for ten years as a fugitive. In a new era of antiwar activism and suppression of protest, Fugitive Days is more poignant and relevant than ever.

Handbook of Social Justice in Education

The “Handbook of Social Justice in Education” – a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the field – addresses, from multiple perspectives, education theory, research, and practice in historical and ideological context, with an emphasis on social movements for justice.Each of the nine sections explores a primary theme of social justice and education: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives, International Perspectives on Social Justice in Education, Race and Ethnicity, Language and Identity: Seeking Social Justice in Education Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice in Education Bodies, Disability and the Fight for Social Justice in Education Youth and Social Justice in Education, Globalization: Local and World Issues in Education, The Politics of Social Justice Meets Practice: Teacher Education and School Change Classrooms, Pedagogy, and Practicing Justice. Timely and essential, this is a must-have volume for researchers, professionals, and students across the fields of educational foundations, multicultural/diversity education, educational policy, and curriculum and instruction.