Joel Westheimer

Joel Westheimer is an American-born academic who researches citizenship education. He is a professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

Biography Joel Westheimer was born to Manfred and Ruth Westheimer in Washington Heights, New York City. Ruth Westheimer, better known as Dr. Ruth, was a sex therapist, professor, author, and media personality, and one of the first to develop the field of media psychology.

In his youth, Westheimer attended private schools in New York City, which were balanced by a socially-minded educational experiences with Hashomer Hatzair, a socialist-Zionist youth group in weekly meetings, outings, and summer camps, enforcing ideals of community values and equality. Here, he was influenced to believe in building strong education communities that are open to critique and youth leadership.

Joel Westheimer lives in Ottawa with his wife and two children. He thus took on a teaching position as an assistant professor at Stanford.

New York University Westheimer was hired as an assistant professor at New York University in 1996, to fulfill a position as a professor of civic engagement, teaching communities, and service learning. Westheimer believed his tenure bid was denied because of his defense of the rights of graduate students to unionize: "I remember that, shortly after I testified, I got a letter from an associate dean about something saying that he was "shocked and disappointed" at my behavior." University authorities urged Westheimer to withdraw his bid for tenure "for his own good" so he would not have to put a failed bid for tenure on his CV. Doing so would have prevented him from taking further legal action, so instead he made the case public.

At the start of 2002, the federal government charged the university with illegally firing Westheimer, as his 'extramural utterances' had no bearing on his academic work. A settlement was reached soon after, in which the university offered Westheimer financial compensation and redacted its denial of his tenure. Westheimer then moved to Ottawa and became an associate professor of citizenship education at the University of Ottawa.

Honours and awards 2024 Fellow of the American Educational Research Association 2023 Excellence in Research Award, University of Ottawa 2004-2019 University Research Chair, University of Ottawa 2015 Laureate of Kappa Delta Pi 2013 Gala 100 Year Honouree for professional leadership in the field of democratic education and workers' rights for academics, Hashomer Hatzair International Youth Organization 2013 Appointment to Canadian Teachers Federation/National Education Association Joint Blue Ribbon Expert Panel on Teachers' Working Conditions and Professionalization 2012 Knight Fellow for Civic Engagement in Higher Education, Bob Graham Center for Public Service 2009–2010 Canadian Education Association's Whitworth Award for Education Research ("Recognizing research that matters.") 2008–2009 Choice Review's Significant University Press Titles for Undergraduates for Pledging Allegiance: The Politics of Patriotism in American Schools (Teachers College Press, 2007) 2008 Book of the Year Award, Foreword Magazine, for Pledging Allegiance: The Politics of Patriotism in American Schools 2004–2006 John Glenn Scholar in Service Learning and Social Justice in Education. Awarded by the John Glenn Institute for Public Service & Public Policy 2003 Outstanding Research of the Year Award from the American Political Science Association (APSA), Division on Teaching and Learning (with Joseph Kahne) 2003 Outstanding Paper of the Year Award for Research in Social Studies Education, American Educational Research Association (with Joseph Kahne) 1999 Goddard Fellowship, New York University 1998 Jason Millman Early Career Educational Research Award, Cornell University 1998 Daniel E. Griffiths Award for Excellence in Educ. Research, New York University 1997 University Research Award, New York University. 1993–1994 Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for Educational Research 1992–1994 Stanford University Teaching Fellowship 1991–1993 Stanford University Doctoral Fellowship

Publications Source: Books Among School Teachers: Community, Autonomy, and Ideology in Teacher's Work (1998) Pledging Allegiance: The Politics of Patriotism in America's Schools (2007) What Kind of Citizen: Educating Our Children for the Common Good (2015) What Kind of Citizen: Educating Our Children for the Common Good, Second Edition (2024)