Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to recognize women teachers' alternative progressive versions of education, and in doing so, to recreate the possibility of public debate which has actually been suppressed by the national reports. It outlines an overarching model for understanding the multiplicity and diversity of various discourses on education in both contemporary and historical contexts. The book also introduces the narratives of Catholic women religious; these women have taught in parochial schools, and have been politically involved in "social justice ministry". It concentrates on the life histories of secular Jewish women, who have taught in inner-city schools, and whose political projects are connected with the "Old" and "New" Left. The book presents the stories of black women teachers; their personal, professional, and political lives are committed to "the uplift of the race".