Connecting modern-day social justice education initiatives with the American progressive education movement: lessons learned and insights for the future

Amber Strong Makaiau

Chapter 6 in Handbook of Social Justice in Education, 2026, pp 79-97 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: To expand the number of teachers, schools, and systems promoting equity and social justice, this chapter examines the relationship between contemporary social justice education initiatives and the century-and-a-half-old American progressive education movement. It asks: How are the two connected? What links matter for advancing these movements in the post-pandemic “DEIism” era? Can collaboration between progressive and social justice educators reimagine and realize the potential of schools in shaping a better society? The chapter first highlights their shared theoretical and philosophical foundations, then traces the history of American progressive education leading to today's social-justice-oriented progressivism. It concludes with three recommendations for integrating lessons from progressive education history with current social justice work. The chapter ends with a collective call to action, urging us to draw from the past as a guide to building a more just educational future.

Keywords: Social Justice Education; Progressive Education; Movement Building; Teaching is Political; Historical Perspective (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318445
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