Abstract
Freirean pedagogy in adult education programs that embrace an open dialectic can be responsive to situations where ambiguity in policy implementation results in discrimination and disenfranchisement. The case presented below comes from my experiences as an educator in a Freirean, Spanish-language, high school equivalency (HSE) program in New Jersey during significant national changes to HSE credentialing in 2014. It describes policy implementation in the local context within the relationships between governing institutions, service organizations, and the people policies are meant to govern. The case constructs a narrative for the relevant policy environments and actions at the time through the assemblage of primary sources, such as policy documents and internal organizational reports, as well as an analysis of 25 news reports and commentaries taken from 2013-2014. I argue that all policies, even those initiated at the national level, are ultimately enacted locally through the dialectic relationships between policy makers, administrators, program staff, and students at a variety of public and private organizations. I show how Freirean approaches to program design and operation respond to political, policy, and programmatic complexities to address discrimination and disenfranchisement. In conclusion, I discuss implications for educators seeking to adopt a Freirean framework into their own program design and implementation. These include the development of local praxis within an analysis of larger oppressive structures, thoughtful design and critical flexibility to work closely with students in program operation, and engagement in dialectic relationships with existing or potential collaborators.
Highlights
Before 2014, people in the county who sought to obtain a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma sat for the GED exam at the Pine Street School
When I began at Bridgeway, a local nonprofit organization, in 2011, I joined colleagues in adult education who shuttled between our office and the Pine Street School to complete registrations, coordinate with test proctors, drop off and pick up students on test day, and pick up test results
Initial coding identified actors involved in the change, actors’ goals, and the challenges actors faced in providing or accessing HSE credentialing
Summary
Before 2014, people in the county who sought to obtain a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma sat for the GED exam at the Pine Street School.1 When I began at Bridgeway, a local nonprofit organization, in 2011, I joined colleagues in adult education who shuttled between our office and the Pine Street School to complete registrations, coordinate with test proctors, drop off and pick up students on test day, and pick up test results. I summarize how the case has been constructed, outline the changes in and responses to HSE testing, review exam changes as described in news reports and commentary, and consider local policy implementation. Freirean pedagogy emphasizes the mutually influencing relationships between people and their world; between the past, present, and future; between reflection and action; between educators, students, content, and methods; and even between oppressed and oppressors.
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