World experts in human rights education attend global IOE conference

This is the theme of the thirteenth annual International Conference for Education and Democratic Citizenship (ICEDC) which addresses issues of rights and responsibilities in a globalising world.

The event considers how educational policy and education professionals, including teachers, can help children’s voices be heard and respond to important global challenges such as climate change, terrorism, hate speech and xenophobia.

The conference features speakers from around the world including several IOE academics. Professor Hugh Starkey will chair panel discussions on the ‘challenges to citizenship and human rights education’ and ‘citizenship education policy and politics’.

The IOE’s Dr Eleanore Hargreaves is set to report her research on children’s experience of social status within primary school, particularly how they fit into the institutionalised culture valuing of high attainment scores in maths and writing.

It investigates how these children describe their experiences and feelings related to their status and how these may lead to potentially unjust effects. Dr Hargreaves will also explore whether their narratives relate to matters of social injustice in the institution of schooling.

Professor Hugh Starkey, organiser of the conference, said: “We are living in very uncertain times when the international institutions set up to promote peace and protect human rights are under threat. This conference allows us to share research from across the world that addresses educational responses to these global challenges. Many papers engage with enabling young people to develop the confidence and the skills to participate in shaping the agenda for their futures.”