Alternative education and social justice: considering issues of affective and contributive justice

Abstract

This paper considers the ways in which three alternative education sites in Australia support socially just education for their students and how injustice is addressed within these schools. The paper begins with recognition of the importance of Nancy Fraser's work to understandings of social justice. It then goes on to argue that her framework is insufficient for understanding the particularly complex set of injustices that are faced by many highly marginalised young people who have rejected or been rejected by mainstream education systems. We argue here for the need to consider the importance of 'affective' and 'contributive' aspects of justice in schools. Using interview data from the alternative schools we highlight issues of affective justice raised by students in relation to their educational journeys, as well as foregrounding teachers' affective work in schools. We also consider curricular choices and pedagogical practices in respect of matters of contributive justice. Our contention is that the affective and contributive fields are central to the achievement of social justice for the young people attending these sites. Whilst mainstream schools are not the focus of this paper, we suggest that the lessons here have salience for all forms of schooling.

Attachment and pedagogical relevant practices as elements of a successful alternative school through the narratives of its students

“…These practices are one aspect of the attachment practices used in the classroom. As Mills, McGregor, Baroutsis, Te Riele, and Hayes (, p. 105) argue:

Applying Lynch's (2012) conceptualization of “relational care work” (p. 56) in alternative settings suggests that teachers play an important mediating role in the nexus of these relationships: supporting and working with students and their families or caregivers; developing flexible structures and processes that provide a caring schooling environment and working in solidarity with students to resist their continued marginalization in schooling and beyond.Noy: “Although I have my difficulties, this school gives you the ability to express yourself. They give you time and freedom of sorts.

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Hesitant hopes: How a comprehensive approach to learning impacts on the transition hopes of marginalised young people in an alternative learning programme in regional Australia

“…Vernon et al (2019) refer to this marginalisation in the way that education systems in Australia push students from working-class backgrounds into vocational learning pathways rather than academic ones. To contextualise the marginalisation of young people within education institutions, Mills et al (2016) identify how 'students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, are disproportionately represented in the lower bands of achievement and attendance data and in the upper bands of data on exclusion, suspension and special needs' (p. 102). To contextualise the marginalisation of young people within education institutions, Mills et al (2016) identify how 'students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, are disproportionately represented in the lower bands of achievement and attendance data and in the upper bands of data on exclusion, suspension and special needs' (p. 102).…”

“…This same message was heard four decades ago in the UK from Willis (1977). To contextualise the marginalisation of young people within education institutions, Mills et al (2016) identify how 'students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, are disproportionately represented in the lower bands of achievement and attendance data and in the upper bands of data on exclusion, suspension and special needs' (p. 102). The gap between 76 C. Bloomfield et al…”

“…the middle-class expectations of teachers representing these institutions and the cultural capital of these marginalised young people has been attributed as a major cause of this disproportionate representation (Mills et al, 2016;McGregor et al, 2018). Without the requisite cultural capital to successfully navigate the hidden curriculum of schools, many of these young people lose the opportunity to choose a path towards a socially mobile future.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Alternative Pathways in Education for Disenfranchised Children and Young People in the Australian Context

“…A shift that we have observed, and that is reflected in papers in this special issue, is a growing sense of confidence regarding what this context has to offer mainstream education settings. This shift is based on research highlighting the breadth of practice experience that can inform and revitalise new approaches to engagement and inclusion of young people in any education setting (Mills, McGregor, Baroutsis, te Riele, & Hayes, 2015;Morgan, Pendergast, Brown, & Heck, 2014, 2015Shay, 2015). This issue presents some of the emerging trends in research.…”