Education International Research
Education systems are not walking the talk to promote ESD Mainstreaming ESD is not simply a matter of integrating its components into policy, school curricula, teacher training, and assessments. It also requires education reform to ensure that educational institutions, processes and policies model the appreciation of sustainability, diversity, equality, gender sensitivity and cultural respect we want students to develop. As we move into the fifth year of the Education 2030 Agenda, we must recognise the importance of environmentally friendly education institutions, as well as processes and policies in the education sector that reflect the principles of the SDG agenda such as “leaving no one behind”. In Spain, some schools are beginning to introduce solar panels and improved waste management and recycling systems. The case study below (Box 11) outlines how educators in the US are opposing the government’s violation of students’ civil rights, which thwarts progress towards Target 4.7.
Box 11: Respecting Immigrants’ Education Rights — Union Action for Students in the United States Educators in the United States have witnessed a spike in aggressive federal immigration law enforcement activities on or around public schools. These activities have invasively interrupted public education in school districts across the nation; as a result, some parents have hesitated to send their children to school. These actions harmfully disrupt the learning environment and significantly interfere with the ability of all students, including US citizens, to access free quality public education. In the current political context of heightened levels of anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions on the part of US federal officials, recent detentions of child immigrants at the Mexican border, and the rise in hate crimes, all of these actions have inflicted trauma on students, families and communities. While the US should be making strides to implement SDG 4 and ensure quality, inclusive, and equitable education for all, there are unfortunately many examples of the current United States administration acting regressively to limit students’ civil rights, impeding progress on gender equality and cultural diversity in education. The National Education Association (NEA), which boasts 3 million public education members in the US, is pushing for the implementation of SDG Target 4.7, which would ensure that “all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote” human rights, peace and non-violence, and appreciation of cultural diversity, inter alia. The right to education is at the core of the Education 2030 Agenda. While the right to education is not enshrined in the United States Constitution, there is an important Supreme Court ruling, Plyer v. Doe, that provides foundational precedent establishing access to public education for immigrant children, regardless of their immigration status. In the highly decentralised public education system of the United States, policies are decided at the state and local level. The NEA has developed a sample Safe Zone School policy153 for school districts, which clarifies and amplifies the right to education of immigrant students. There is also a higher education version154 for use at the community college and university levels. GRO.EI-IE
There are numerous examples of student advocacy and education union leadership related to the Safe Zone School policy, including:
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Las Cruces, New Mexico — In 2017, a total of 2,100 students stayed home from school for several days, fearing that immigration raids at school would impact them and their families. This sparked concerns across Las Cruces, which is located 40 miles (64 km) from the Mexican border. The Las Cruces public school system includes children whose families are undocumented, as well as children whose parents work for ICE and law enforcement. An education union partnership organised the Informational Immigration Seminar, which focused on ICE interventions and impacts on students and their families. This community conversation led to greater advocacy, and the School Board unanimously adopted a “Safe Zone” resolution to protect the rights of students within the school system.155
153 See: https://neaedjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12.13.16-Sample-Board-Resolution-Immigration-Safety-FINAL.pdf; https://neaedjustice. org/safe-zones 154 See: https://neaedjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12.15.16-Template-Safe-Zone-Resolution-Higher-Ed.pdf 155 Telephone and text conversations with Steve Sianez, NEA UniServ Director, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. 15–17 May 2019
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