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This article is about teaching art-based inquiry and equity pedagogy. The author introduces an aesthetic-inspired afterschool curriculum in the urban context in the United States and theorizes the meaning of active citizenship and community. Conceptually framed by "community without community," this article explicates the ways in which the ARtS children (Aesthetic, Reflexive thoughts, & Sharing) investigated the meanings of community through dance, poetry, and clay art. The author imagines and theorizes community that goes beyond emphasizing solidarity and a collective "we"-ness in the pursuit of social transformation. Rather, the author argues that "community without community" could be an important framework to revisit children's exploration of community, self-other, and active citizenship. The ARtS initiative opens up the possibility of valuing diverse epistemologies and calls for releasing the imagination for a different community. Most notably, the notion of community without community leaves open the possibility of reconceptualizing existing community and its vision for creating new communities always open to possibilities.

An arts-based afterschool program is introduced in advancing children's democratic citizenship and a sense of community. The ARtS Initiative (Aesthetic, Reflexive thoughts, & Sharing) has reimagined arts and aesthetics for young people in urban settings, providing an unquantifiable experience focused on promoting pluralistic societies. The program was designed to afford fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in neighborhood schools opportunities to grow and demonstrate skills in dance, poetry, and clay pottery. Reflecting on successful implementation of the program, the author suggests three important principles for implementation: (1) Connecting art and aesthetic experience with equity issues; (2) Developing a safe learning environment for sharing multiple perspectives; and (3) Creating a common language for university-school-community partnerships.

South Korean educators and curriculum scholars have attempted to challenge Eurocentric points of view in history education. Despite these efforts, the dominant textbooks and teaching practices in South Korea continue to project colonial epistemologies. This article argues that postcolonial inquiry into knowledge production can help expand the debate. Grounded in a framework of postcolonial theories, we examine three Korean high school world history textbooks for the ways in which they reproduce Eurocentric colonial hegemony. To conduct our study, we developed four analytical criteria: (a) constructions of Subject/Other, (b) discourses of inclusion/exclusion, (c) silencing of voices, and (d) narratives of re/colonization. Focusing on two major historical themes in the textbooks--the Discovery of New Trade Routes and the Industrial Revolution--we postulate the need to pluralize historical consciousness, reflect the contributions of the East to world history, and rethink curriculum and teaching practices. (Contains 1 table and 4 notes.)

This study examined and compared the educational perspectives of Korean parents of elementary school students and their teachers. 430 parents and 143 teachers in the New York metropolitan area participated in the survey and 16 teachers, administrators, and parents were interviewed. The findings indicated that the teachers not only misunderstood the parents' perspectives on the goals of schooling, but also underestimated the parents' ways of supporting their children's education. Regarding the current school/teacher practices, the two groups also expressed different perspectives. We discussed the urgency of educators' critical reflection on diverse cultures and the considerations for increasing parents' school involvement. (Contains 7 tables.)