The Long Road to School Education and Democracy in Latin America

1
The Long Road to School Education and
Democracy in Latin America

• Kate Arnold
• Outreach Coordinator
• UW LACIS

2
Relationships..

• Democracy
• Education

• Poverty
• Inequality

3
Overview

• Brainstorm key components of Democracy
• Recent History of Democracy in Selected Countries
• Poverty, Inequality, and the Impacts on
  Education.
• Brainstorm Purpose of Schooling
• Democracy and Education
• Solutions?

4
Movement towards Democracy

• 12 presidential elections in 2006 across the
  region
• Most of these were considered free and fair by
  international observers.
• Widespread participation in elections.
• Leaders in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia come from
  impoverished backgrounds, and are more interested
  in the plight of the poor than past presidents.
  Socialist in Chile.
• Bolivia 2003 popular protest rather than
  electoral accountability as a means for change
  (constitutional issues)
• Limits on free speech, press, political parties

5
History of Democracy in Selected Countries

• Bolivia
• 1964-1985 Succession of military
  governements/coups
• 1985 Transition to Democracy
• 2003 Strike, protest and govt. violence led to
  resignation of President Gonzalo Sanchez de
  Lozada.
• 2005 Evo Morales elected, first indigenous
  leader of Bolivia.
• 55 Indigenous 30 mixed 15 white.

• Brazil
• 1964-1985 Military Rule
• Transition to Democracy starting in 1985,
  reconfirmed in 1993

6
History of Democracy (cont)

• Chile
• Following 40 years of democratic rule, Augusto
  Pinochet staged a Military coup in 1973.
• Democracy Restored in 1990, and stable since
  then.
• Very small indigenous population (mostly killed
  during conquest)

• Guatemala
• 1954 CIA overthrew democratically elected
  president
• 40 years of Military leaders ruling under the
  guise of election. (not free and fair)
• 1995 return to a more open elections process
• 1996 Peace Accords officially ended 35 year
  civil war
• Population 55 indigenous and 42 mixed heritage
  (2 European)

7
Factors Impacting Education Systems

• History of Military Regimes (recent move towards
  consolidated democracy)
• Frequent shifts in political power
• Poverty and Inequality
• Conflict between indigenous groups and elites
  (who control govt)
• Lack of govt. resources and cuts in government
  spending in the 80s and 90s to rein in debt and
  inflation

8
Poverty, Inequality and Schooling
9
Roots of Poverty

• Legacy of Colonial Rule
• Reliance on Natural Resources exports
• Political and Economic Instability
• Discrimination
• Civil War

10
Resulting Problems in School Systems

• Lack of funding
• Inequality in access
• Racial/Ethnic/Linguistic discrimination
• Institutional Instability
• Low attendance and enrollment of the poor

11
Two Primary Issues

• Access
• Physical
• Economic
• Adequate preparation for higher levels
• Quality
• Lack of teachers
• Pedagogical Issues
• Teacher Preparation/Pay
• Purpose of Schooling

12
Purposes of Education

• Utility
• Conformity
• Prosperity
• Democracy
• Equality
• Individuality
• Local and Global Citizenship

13
Positive Feedback

• How does Education support Democracy?
• How does Democracy support Education?
• What are the biggest threats to this relationship
  in Latin America?

14
Possible Solutions

• Need to address 1) Access 2) Quality 3) Purpose
• State level Education Policy
• Increased Funding
• Teacher Ed
• Equity Reforms
• International Aid supplement state budgets,
  build schools, lower costs, train teachers
• NGO sector involvement to promote democracy.

15
Sources

• Political History of Guatemala
  http//www1.umn.edu/humanrts/ins/guatemala_demochu
  mrts_97.html
• Fernando Reimers Educating Democratic Citizens
  In Latin America http//gseacademic.harvard.edu/r
  eimers/Reimers2006pp95-114.pdf
• CIA World Factbook https//www.cia.gov/cia/publica
  tions/factbook/
• World Development Indicators http//devdata.world
  bank.org/data-query/

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Web Resources on Latin America

• Outreach World
• http//www.outreachworld.org/
• Searchable database of lesson plans and
  activities for all world areas, all ages, all
  disciplines. The one stop shop for finding
  teaching resources on international topics.
• Maps of the Americas
• http//www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas.html
• This site has maps of the whole region and for
  each specific country.
• International Relations Center, Americas Program
• http//americas.irc-online.org/
• If you are looking for current articles and
  information about policy like trade, immigration,
  drugs, energy, agriculture and the like, this
  site has a lot of great, up do date content.
  There is some content in Spanish as well. For a
  high school audience.
• Latin American Network Information Center
• http//lanic.utexas.edu/
• All kinds of information about Latin America
  arranged by topic and country. Very useful.
  Upper high school level. Some content in
  Spanish.
• UWM Center for Latin American Caribbean and
  Iberian Studies
• http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/CLACS/outreach.html
• UW Milwaukee CLACS resources for teachers,
  including curriculum units, books and videos for
  loan, and information on professional development
  opportunities.

17
More resources

• Ancient Observatories
• http//www.exploratorium.edu/ancientobs/chichen/fl
  ash.html
• This website gives lots of information about
  Chichen Itza with information about Mayan
  Mythology and Astronomy. It includes activities
  about Mayan Math and the Mayan calendar, as well
  as a teachers guide and webcasts.
• Mesoamerican Ballgame
• http//www.ballgame.org/main.asp
• A great site exploring Mesoamerican history and
  people though artifacts and evidence of a team
  sport ballgame played by people about 2000 years
  ago. Lots of graphics.
• BBC Audio, Central America Legacies of
  Rebellion
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1731_ce
  ntralamerica/
• Radio programs on El Salvador, Nicaragua,
  Honduras, and Costa Rica which focus on civil war
  and conflict in the past thirty years. There is
  also supporting written material on each country.
• Mexico From Empire to Revolution
• http//www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/
  digitized_collections/mexico/flash/english/index.h
  tml
• Older kids-adults. Collection of photographs in
  Mexico from mid 1800s to Revolution. Lots of
  information about photography and the
  photographers represented.
• Kids Corner Brazil
• http//www.kidscornerbrazil.org/
• Lots of info on Brazil from maps, food, animals
  etc. For Children.