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Summer 2001
Resources
This list includes books and curricula to promote justice, children'sbooks,
audio/visual resources, catalogs, organizations, Web sites,and periodicals.
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 1 includes a full listing
of valuable classroom resources, including:videos; children's books;
curricula; literature anthologies; mapsand posters; organizations
and periodicals; and books on history,policy and theory. With the
exception of organizations and periodicals,by and large, the resources
included in these categories havenot been repeated in Rethinking
Our Classrooms, Volume Two. Please see Volume One for the
full listing. (Sorry, not yet available online.)
You can find another excellent list of resources on the RethinkingSchools
Web site at www.rethinkingschools.org//web_resource/index.shtml.
Books and Curricula to Promote Justice
All starred resources [*] are available from the
Teaching forChange catalog, www.teachingforchange.org;
800-763-9131.
*Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of MulticulturalEducation,
Sonia Nieto. White Plains, NY: Longman, 1996, second edition.Of
the scores of books on multicultural education, Nieto's isone worth
reading. The central message of this 422-page book isthat multicultural
education is essential to promote the academicachievement of students
of color; it is a message that comes throughpowerfully in her clear
explanations of related issues of bilingualeducation and critical
pedagogy, and her numerous case studiesthat give voice to students
of different backgrounds.
*Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children,
Louise Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force. Washington, DC:National
Association for the Education of Young Children, 1989.Perhaps the
best book for the early child/primary level on howto teach about all
forms of bias and what to do about it.
*Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist,Multicultural
Education and Staff Development, edited by Enid Lee, Deborah Menkart,
and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Washington,DC: Network of Educators on the
Americas, 1998. A 463-page collectiondeveloped by educators, parents,
and activists determined to createa valuable resource for change.
Lesson plans and staff developmentactivities are included, as well
as critical examinations of controversialschool issues such as bilingual
education and tracking. Containsan extensive resource guide of teaching
and learning resourcesand many helpful Internet sites.
*Caribbean Connections, edited by Catherine Sunshine. Washington,
DC: Network of Educatorson the Americas/EPICA, 1991. Stories, interviews,
songs, drama,and oral histories, accompanied by lesson plans for secondarylanguage
arts and social studies. Separate volumes on: PuertoRico, Jamaica,
Regional Overview, and Moving North.
Chicano! The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement,F.
Arturo Rosales. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1997. A comprehensiveaccount
of the struggle of Mexican Americans to secure and protecttheir civil
rights, starting with the U.S. invasion of Mexicoand subsequent annexation
of most of what is now the U.S. Southwest.The book is designed to
accompany a PBS series that is availableon video
*Child Labor is Not Cheap, (www.maslibraries.org/Publications/samplers/childlabor.html)
Amy Sanders and Meredith Sommers. Minneapolis, MN: ResourceCenter
of the Americas, 1997. A three-lesson unit for grades 8-12on the 250
million children throughout the world who spend mostof their day on
the job. First lesson is designed to accompanythe video, Zoned
for Slavery (see listing under Audio/Visual Resources).
*Classroom Crusades: Responding to the Religious Right's Agendafor
Public Schools, edited by Barbara Miner. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking
Schools, 1998.Classroom Crusades covers the religious right's
efforts to stamp their own brandof politics and religion upon the
country's schools. It includesan overview of key issues such as censorship,
creationism, gayrights and sexuality education, with resources and
examples fordefending the freedom to learn.
*Colonialism in the Americas: A Critical Look (1991) and Colonialism
in Asia: A Critical Look, Susan Gage. Victoria, BC: VIDEA. Sophisticated
descriptions ofcolonialism in an easy to read, comic book format.
Through dialogueand cartoons, each booklet traces the development
of colonialismand its legacy. Teaching ideas are included in each
volume.
*A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, Ronald
Takaki. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1993. Beginning withthe colonization
of the 'New World' and ending with the Los Angelesriots of 1992, this
book recounts U.S. history in the voices ofNative Americans, African
Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, AsianAmericans, Latinos and others.
Takaki turns the Anglocentric historicalviewpoint inside out and examines
the ultimate question of whatit means to be an American.
*Days of Respect: Organizing a Schoolwide Violence Prevention
Program,Ralph Cantor, et al. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 1997.
Step-by-stepinstructions for putting together an event that unites
students,parents, teachers and community leaders for a common goal:
preventingviolence and creating an atmosphere of respect in school.
De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a Multi-Colored Century,Elizabeth
Martinez. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 1998. Martinez'smore than
30 years of experience in the movements for civil rights,women's liberation,
and Latina/o empowerment are reflected inthese readable essays. Particularly
good on the struggles of MexicanAmericans.
*Education Is Politics: Critical Teaching Across Differences,
K-12, edited by Ira Shor and Caroline Pari. New York: Heinemann,
1999.In memory of Paulo Freire, the essays in this collection describecritical
practices by teachers committed to transformation inand beyond the
classroom. They show culturally diverse educatorsconstructively taking
sides and refusing to fit students or themselvesquietly into the status
quo.
*Failing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won't Fix Our Schools,edited
by Kathy Swope and Barbara Miner. Milwaukee, WI: RethinkingSchools,
2000. More than 50 articles provide a compelling critiqueof standardized
tests and also outline alternative ways to assesshow well children
are learning. The long arm of standardized testingis reaching into
every nook and cranny of education. Yet relyingon standardized tests
distorts student learning, exacerbates inequitiesfor low-income students
and students of color, and underminestrue accountability.
The Field Guide to the Global Economy, Sarah Anderson and
John Cavanagh, with Thea Lee. New York: TheNew Press, 1999. Illustrated
with charts, graphs, and politicalcartoons, this accessible and engaging
guide reveals the harmfuleffects of corporate-driven globalization.
It explains currenttrends in the global economy, the driving forces
behind globalization,and the organizations and individuals working
to reverse thesedestructive forces.
*Finding Solutions to Hunger: Kids Can Make a Difference,
Stephanie Kempf. New York: World Hunger Year, 1997. Engaging,interactive
and challenging lessons for middle school, high schooland adult education
on the roots and solutions to domestic andglobal hunger. Examines
colonialism, the media, famine vs. chronichunger, the working poor,
and more.
*Flirting or Hurting? A Teacher's Guide on Sexual Harassment inSchools
for 6th through 12th Grade Students, Nan Stein and Lisa Sjostrom.
Washington, DC: National EducationAssociation, 1994. An excellent
teacher-friendly curriculum, withstories and role plays. Widely used.
*Freedom's Unfinished Revolution: An Inquiry Into the Civil Warand
Reconstruction, The American Social History Project. New York:
The New Press,1996. Lively prose, primary documents, illustrations,
and photographsbring this key period of U.S. history to life and invite
studentsto study Reconstruction in depth. A 302-page book that includesexercises
and discussion questions. By the authors of Who Built America?
*Funding for Justice: Money, Equity and the Future of Public Education,
edited by Stan Karp, et al., Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.1997.
Presents the complicated issues of school finance in readableform
for teachers, parents, and the community. In more than 25articles
packed with information, background, and analysis, Funding for
Justice makes a strong case for providing adequate and equitable
fundingto all schools.
*Honoring Our Ancestors, edited by Harriet Rohmer. San Francisco:
Children's Book Press,1999. A must for teachers of all grade levels.
Through portraitsand stories, 14 outstanding artists from diverse
communities honorthe ancestors who touched their lives. This book
32-page bookincludes Joe Sam's beautiful portrait of his three aunts
who raisedhim in Harlem during the 1940s while working as maids in
the whiteneighborhoods of Manhattan; and Hung Liu's portrait of her
grandmotherwho made shoes for the family in China. Can be used at
any gradelevel.
*Hope and History: Why We Must Share the Story of the Movement,
Vincent Harding. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1990. A series of essaysfrom
Harding's consultation on the Eyes on the Prize series. The
246-page book provides good ideas and poses challengingquestions for
a course or a teacher study group.
*Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and EnvironmentalActivities
for Children, Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. Golden, CO:
Fulcrum Inc.,1988. Features a collection of North American Indian
stories andrelated hands-on activities designed to inspire children.
An interdisciplinaryapproach to teaching about the earth and Native-American
cultures.
*Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History TextbookGot
Wrong, James W. Loewen. New York: New Press, 1994. Loewen's book
is anentertaining and eye-opening de-mything of key aspects of Americanhistory.
It's both an effective critique of some of the most widely-usedhistory
texts as well as an alternative history.
*The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities,
Sonia Nieto. New York: Teachers College Press, 1999. Nieto takesus
beyond individual learners to discuss the social context oflearning,
the history and manifestations of educational equity,the influence
of culture on learning, and critical pedagogy. Centeringon multicultural
education as a transformative process, the textincludes reflections
of teachers who have undergone this process.
Making the Grade: A Racial Justice Report Card. Applied ResearchCenter,
1999. 510-653-3415. Free. An extremely user-friendly tool tomeasure
racial equity in schools. The heart of this CD is an interactivereporting
mechanism through which the user inputs raw data thatare available
from most school districts and the program thenissues a 'racial justice
report card.' Designed for anyone whowants to document patterns of
institutional racism in schools,the CD has everything from sample
letters to send school administratorsto background information on
racial inequality in schools. [Althoughthis resource is no longer
available in CD format, it is on theARC Web site, at www.arc.org.]
*Making the Peace: A Violence Prevention Curriculum, Paul
Kivel and Allen Creighton. Hunter House. A comprehensiveteaching handbook
with all the information needed to implementa 15-session core curriculum.
It offers step-by-step instructionsfor sessions, anticipates difficult
issues that may arise, andsuggests ideas for follow-up both within
the classroom and withinthe school or youth program.
*Multicultural Education as Social Activism, Christine Sleeter.
Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1996. Sleeter connectsmulticultural education
with issues of power. Chapters include:'This curriculum is multicultural
... isn't it?' 'Teaching sciencefor social justice,' 'Reflections
on my use of multicultural andcritical pedagogy when students are
white,' and more.
Multicultural Voices in Contemporary Literature: A Resource forTeachers,
Frances Ann Day. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999. Day's updatedbook
provides classroom teachers and librarians with a quick referencefor
hundreds of multicultural titles as well as some thoughtfulwriting
prompts.
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, edited
by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Nellie V. McKay. W.W. Norton,1996. Too
many teachers have never read African-American literature.Most who
have read individual works have not systematically exploredthe tradition
and come to understand how it draws upon the vernacularlanguage of
African Americans. This anthology is where teacherswho work with African-American
children can find direction intheir study of the African-American
literary tradition.
*One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards, Susan
Ohanian. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 1999. This hilarious,unsparing,
and touching narrative recounts the author's questto make sense of
the Standards movement. Ohanian explores theironic results of the
movement in schools (e.g., failure to passstudents who lack 'necessary
knowledge' on topics such as covalentbonds and the Edict of Nantes),
the absence of critical dialoguein the media regarding standards,
and ultimately, issues a callto action.
*Open Minds to Equality: A Sourcebook of Learning Activities toAffirm
Diversity and Promote Equity, (second edition) Nancy Schniedewind
and Ellen Davidson. Boston:Allyn and Bacon, 1998. This resource both
inspires teachers toteach for justice and provides classroom-ready
ideas that work.The lessons integrate various curricular areas and
are presentedin a sequential fashion. Includes an excellent resource
bibliography.Also by Schniedewind and Davidson is Cooperative Learning,
Cooperative Lives: A Sourcebook for LearningActivities for Building
a Peaceful World, W.C. Brown Company, 1987.
*Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom,
Lisa Delpit. New York: The New Press, 1995. Gives an excellentbackground
on issues related to language and literacy. Delpitshows how educators'
unconscious assumptions about race and cultureplay out in classrooms
with harmful, if unintended, consequences.A vital resource for teacher
education.
*Peters Projection World Map New York: Friendship Press. This
is a map, not a book, but itcomes with a teaching guide. It presents
all countries accordingto their true size. Traditional Mercator projection
maps distortsizes, making Europe appear much larger than it actually
is. A New View of the World by Ward Kaiser is a handbook on
the Peters map.
*A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present, Howard
Zinn; New York: HarperCollins; revised 1995. The bestsingle volume
history of the United States. No teacher shouldbe without a copy.
Some sections are readable by high school students.
*The Power in Our Hands: A Curriculum on the History of Work andWorkers
in the United States, Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. New York:
Monthly Review Press,1988. Role-plays and writing activities help
students exploreissues about work and social change. An essential
curriculum forhistory and economics teachers, or for school-to-work
programs.
Preventing Prejudice, Marta Hawthorne, et al. Buena Vista
Lesbian and Gay Parents Group.1999. Age-appropriate gay-positive curriculum
for grades K-5.A valuable resource for teachers to talk openly and
respectfullywith their students about gays and lesbians and take concretesteps
to diminish homophobia.
*Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justiceand
the Power of the Written Word, by Linda Christensen. Milwaukee,
WI: Rethinking Schools, 2000.In this practical, inspirational book,
Christensen draws on her20-plus years as a high school teacher to
describe her visionof teaching reading, writing, and language courses
that are rootedin an unwavering focus on social justice. Includes
essays, lessonplans, and a remarkable collection of student writing.
*Readings for Diversity and Social Justice: An Anthology on Racism,Antisemitism,
Sexism, Heterosexism, Ableism & Classism, edited by Maurianne
Adams, et al. Routledge, 2000. An invaluableanthology of over ninety
readings by some of the foremost scholarsin the fields of education
and social justice, including GloriaAnzaldua, Patricia Hill Collins,
bell hooks, Michael Omi, RonaldTakaki, Beverly Daniel Tatum, Cornel
West and Iris Marion Young.Covers the scope of social oppressions,
emphasizing interactionsamong racism, sexism, classism, anti-Semitism,
heterosexism, andableism.
*The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language and the Education ofAfrican-American
Children, edited by Theresa Perry and Lisa Delpit. Rethinking
Schools,1998. Educators, linguists, writers and students examine the
lessonsof the Ebonics controversy and unravel complexities of the
issuethat have never been acknowledged.
Reinventing the Enemy's Language: Contemporary Native Women'sWritings
of North America, edited by Joy Harjo and Gloria Bird. New York:
W.W. Norton, 1997.This anthology includes work from such notable authors
as LeslieSilko and Louise Erdrich and lesser-known writers from a
varietyof Native cultures. It is groundbreaking in its depth, breadth,militancy,
and beauty.
*Resistance in Paradise: Rethinking 100 Years of U.S. Involvementin
the Caribbean and the Pacific, edited by Deborah Wei and Rachael
Kamel. Philadelphia: AmericanFriends Service Committee, 1998. In 1898,
the United States annexedthe Pacific Islands of Guam, Hawai'i, and
Samoa, as well as Cuba,Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. This major
event in U.S. historyis barely mentioned in school textbooks. Resistance
in Paradise fills the gap with over 50 lesson plans, role plays
and readingsfor grades 9-12. Includes illustrations, cartoons, maps,
and photographs.
*Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years, edited by Bill Bigelow
and Bob Peterson. Milwaukee, WI: RethinkingSchools, 2nd edition 1998.
This widely acclaimed book asks educatorsto think about the racial
and cultural biases in traditional talesof 'discovery,' and provides
numerous teaching ideas that encouragestudents to think critically
about these myths. An essential volumefor teacher education. Greatly
expanded from the first edition,which sold almost a quarter of a million
copies.
*Rethinking Schools: An Agenda for Change, edited by David
Levine, et al. 1995. Highlights from the country'sleading education
reform journal on curriculum, testing and tracking,national education
policy, anti-bias education, and school communities.
*Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice (Volume1),
edited by Bill Bigelow, Linda Christensen, Stan Karp, BarbaraMiner
and Bob Peterson. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools; 1994.This collection
includes creative teaching ideas, compelling classroomnarratives and
hands-on examples of ways teachers can promotevalues of community,
justice, and equality ' and build academicskills.
*Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice (Volume2),
edited by Stan Karp, Brenda Harvey, Larry Miller and Bill Bigelow.Milwaukee,
WI: Rethinking Schools; 2001. Supplements the firstvolume of Rethinking
Our Classrooms, which has sold over 100,000 copies. Practical
from-the-classroomstories from teachers about how they attempt to
teach for socialjustice. Extends and deepens many of the themes introduced
inthe first volume of Rethinking Our Classrooms.
*Roots of Justice: Stories of Organizing in Communities of Color,
Larry R. Salomon. Chardon Press. 1998. Roots of Justice recaptures
some of the nearly forgotten histories of communitiesof color. These
are the stories of people who fought back againstexploitation and
injustice ' and won. From the Zoot Suiters whorefused to put up with
abuse at the hands of the Navy to the womenwho organized the welfare
rights movement of the 1970s, Roots of Justice shows how, through
organizing, ordinary people have made extraordinarycontributions to
change society. In a time of cynicism, this isan especially needed
book.
*Selling Out Our Schools: Vouchers, Markets and the Future of
PublicEducation, edited by Robert Lowe and Barbara Miner. Milwaukee,
WI: RethinkingSchools, 1996. Covers the major issues surrounding 'school
choice,'vouchers, and other efforts to privatize our public schools.
Morethan 35 articles by nationally respected educators and policy-makersexplain
how vouchers and marketplace approaches to education threatenour basic
concepts of equality and opportunity. Ideal for communitiesfacing
charter, voucher or other privatization initiatives.
*Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America, Smitherman,
Geneva. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986.This wonderful
book is still the best introduction to the studyof Black language.
It is required reading for teachers who workwith African-American
children.
*Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: A Sourcebook, edited
by Maurianne Adams, Lee Anne Bell, and Pat Griffin. NewYork: Routledge,
1997. A compilation of course syllabi, lessons,and resources for college
courses and staff development on issuesof racism, sexism, classism,
anti-Semitism, heterosexism, andableism.
*Teaching Economics As If People Mattered: A High School CurriculumGuide
to the New Economy, Tamara Sober Giecek. United for a Fair Economy.
2000. Field-testedby high school teachers, this innovative economics
curriculumlooks at the human implications of economic policies. These
21lesson plans are designed to stimulate dialogue and encourageactive
student participation in the high school or college classroom.
*Teaching for Social Justice: A Democracy and Education Reader,edited
by William Ayers, Jean Ann Hunt and Therese Quinn. NewYork: Teachers
College Press/New Press. 1998. A unique mix ofhands-on, historical
and inspirational writings. The topics includeeducation through social
action, writing and community building,and adult literacy.
*That's Not Fair: A Teacher's Guide to Activism with Young Children,Ann
Pelo and Fran Davidson. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. 2000.Children
have a natural sense of what's fair and what's not. Thisbook helps
teachers learn to use this characteristic to developchildren's belief
that they can change the world for the better.Includes real-life stories
of activist children, combined withteacher's experiences and reflections.
Original songs for childrenand a resource list for both adults and
children.
*Transforming Teacher Unions: Fighting for Better Schools and
SocialJustice, edited by Bob Peterson and Michael Charney. Milwaukee,
WI: RethinkingSchools, 1999. A vital tool for anyone working in or
with teacherunions today. The 25 articles look at exemplary practices
of teacherunions from the local to national level, and present new
visionsfor the 21st century. Addresses the history of teacher unionismand
connects issues of teacher unions, classroom reform, localcommunities,
and social justice.
*We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, MultiracialSchools,
by Gary Howard. New York: Teacher's College Press. 1999. With25 years
of teaching experience as a multicultural educator, GaryHoward looks
into his own racial identity to search for what itmeans to be a culturally
competent white teacher in racially diverseschools. His lively stories
and compelling analysis offer a healingvision for the future of education.
*Who Are the Arabs: The Arab World in the Classroom, Steve
Tamari. Washington, DC: Center for Contemporary Arab Studies,Georgetown
University, 1999. History, poetry, photographs, maps,short stories
and articles by and about the Arab-speaking world.This 12-page booklet
is available free if requested along withan order for other titles
from the Teaching for Change catalog,www.teachingforchange.org.
*'Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?'and
Other Conversations About Race, Beverly Daniel Tatum. New York:
HarperCollins, 1997. In 270 pages,Tatum, a psychologist and a professor
at Mount Holyoke College,provides a detailed explanation of racial
identity developmentfor people of color and whites. This remarkable
book, a road mapfilled with wisdom and humanity, tells those looking
to exploreissues of race where to begin.
*Women of Hope. New York. Bread and Roses Cultural Project.
A poster and curriculumseries on African-American, Native American,
Latina, and AsianAmerican women. The posters and study guides provide
a powerfultool for challenging stereotypes by teaching about the real
historyand contemporary reality of extraordinary women of color.
Children's Books/Catalogs
América Is Her Name, by Luis RodrÍguez, illus.
by Carlos Vásquez. Simultaneosly publishedin a Spanish edition,
La Llaman América, trans. by Tino Villanueva. Willimantic,
CT: Curbstone, 1998. Thesebooks are the first children's picture books
to be published byCurbstone, which has long published quality books
by Latin Americanand Latino authors. The story, by prize-winning poet
and journalistRodrÍguez (author of the memoir Always Running),
deals with lifein urban neighborhoods, but with a positive theme:
You can succeeddespite odds against you.
*The Birchbark House, Louise Erdrich. Hyperion Books for Children.
1999. Omakayas,a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa
tribe, livesthrough the joys of summer and the perils of winter on
an islandin Lake Superior in 1847. This is the first in a series of
youngadult novels based on noted author Louise Erdrich's own familyhistory.
This book begins to tell the story untold in the LauraIngalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie series.
*Dreams of Looking Up, Cindy Goff; art by Paul and Mary Fricke.
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.1999. This educational comic book teaches
the meaning and importanceof tribal sovereignty. Through the Ojibwe
oral tradition, a younggirl learns about her people's culture in conversations
with herdeceased grandmother. She passes on these vital lessons to
herskeptical older brother.
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, Julius Lester, paintings
by Rod Brown. New York: Puffin Books,1998. A beautifully illustrated
book that presents the slave experience' from auction block to freedom.
*Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet Book in Spanish and English,
Alma Flor Ada and Simón Silva. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books.1997.
In children's poems and sun-drenched paintings, Gathering the Sun
take us into the fields and orchards, and the lives of the peoplewho
work them. Using the letters of the Spanish alphabet as atemplate,
Alma Flor Ada has written twenty-eight poems that celebratehonor and
pride, family and friends, history and heritage, and,of course, the
bounty of the harvest.
*Get Real Comics, Philadelphia: COLLAGE/Tides Center. 1997.
Popular culture thathelps kids 8-14 rethink issues like gender, sexuality,
self-esteem,race, violence, friendship, and family. Award-winning
series usedin classrooms and community groups nationwide.
Grab Hands and Run, Frances Temple. New York: HarperTrophy.
1992. Set during the civilwar in El Salvador, a family flees north
to escape the governmentsoldiers. 4th/up.
Home to Medicine Mountain, Chiori Santiago. San Francisco:
Children's Book Press, 1998. Basedon a true story, this picture book
tells the story of how twoyoung members of the Mountain Maidu and
Hamawi Pit-River tribesin California escaped from the government-run
boarding schooland came back home.
I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry,Catherine
Clinton, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Boston: HoughtonMifflin, 1998.
A beautiful collection of poetry from 25 of thegreatest African-American
poets, accompanied by striking coloreddrawings. Appropriate for all
age groups.
*In My Heart, I Am A Dancer, Chamroeun Yin. Philadelphia Folklore
Project. 1996. Through photosand large print, traditional Cambodian
dancer Chamrouen tellsthe story of his life. Children learn that not
only does he dance,but he also sews, gardens, cooks, spends time with
his friendsand is a teacher. In My Heart is a model for teaching
about cultural traditions. BilingualEnglish and Cambodian.
*The Long March: A Famine Gift for Ireland, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
and Gary WhiteDeer. Hillsboro, OR: BeyondWords Publishing, 1998. Based
on a true story of solidarity, thispicture book for all ages tells
of the Choctaws in 1847 who collected$170 from their meager savings
for the people of Ireland duringthe Potato Famine. Readers learn the
story of the Choctaw whowere forced by the U.S. government to leave
their ancestral homein Mississippi. In the Long March west, thousands
died of coldand starvation. The story's protagonist Choona, a young
Choctaw,grapples with whether he is willing to extend help to a groupof
Europeans after the pain his own family has experienced.
Moon Over Crete, Jyotsna Sreenivasan. Holy Cow Press!, 1994.
This novel for youngadults is about the mixed messages society sends
to young girls,and the double standards and sexual discrimination
it subjectsthem to. The story centers on 11-year-old Lily, and her
'travels'back to ancient Crete, an egalitarian culture that did not
havegender-specific roles or jobs.
*My Name is Maria Isabel, Alma Flor Ada. Alladin. 1993. For
Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez,the hardest thing about being the new girl
in school is that theteacher doesn't call her by her real name. Named
for her Papa'smother and for Chabela, her beloved Puerto Rican grandmother,Maria
must find a way to make her teacher understand that if sheloses her
name, she's lost an important part of herself.
Passage to Freedom, The Sugihara Story, Ken Mochizuki. New
York: Lee and Low Books, 1997. A children'spicture book which describes
the true story of Hiroki Sugihara,the eldest son of the Japanese diplomat
in Lithuania who at greatrisk to his family help save hundreds of
Jews from the Nazis.
The Pasteboard Bandit, Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes,
illustrated by Peggy Turley.New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Written 60 years agoby two great African-American poets, this beautifully
illustratedchildren's book depicts a white American boy and a Mexican
boyin an intercultural adventure in which both cultures and languagesare
equal, although the Americans are viewed as the 'strange'ones. Never
published before, this is a must for all elementaryschool libraries.
The Red Comb, by Fernando Pic, illustrated by María
Antonia Ordez. Ri Piedras,PR: Ediciones Huracán, 1991. In a
story set in Puerto Rico, twowomen conspire to save a young woman
from a slave catcher. Basedon historical documents, this beautifully
illustrated book bringsto children another aspect of the struggle
against slavery inthe Americas. Spanish version also available.
Richard Wright and the Library Card, by William Miller, illus.
by Gregory Christie. New York: Lee &Low Books, 1997. 888-320-3395.
A wonderfully illustrated picturebook that describes the struggle
of the great African-Americanauthor Richard Wright's attempt to get
access to all-white libraries.Appropriate for all ages and a good
way to introduce Wright'sworks to older students.
Stolen Spirit, Peter Hays and Beti Rozen, illustrated by Graça
Lima. Fort Lee,NJ: Sem Fronteiras Press, 2001. One interpretation
of how a Nativeboy might have reacted to the first encounter in 1500
with Portugueseexplorers who chop down trees that the boys' people
think aresacred. Beautifully illustrated.
*The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores, Sub-comandante
Marcos. Cinco Puntos Press. 1999. A beautifullyillustrated, bilingual
folktale from the indigenous people ofChiapas. This story celebrates
diversity as it tells how all thecolors of the earth were born.
*The Streets are Free, Kurusa. Annick Press. 1995. An illustrated
story based on theexperience of children in a low-income neighborhood
in Caracas,Venezuela who fought for the right to turn an empty lot
into aplayground. Useful at all age levels to raise discussion abouthow
people can organize to defend their rights.
Sweet Words So Brave: The Story of African American Literature,
Barbara K. Curry and James Michael Brodie. Madison, WI: ZinoPress,
1966. Inspired by African-American literature and history, this colorful work reflects the magic of the Harlem
Renaissance and the influence of African-Americanwriters.
*Talking Walls: The Stories Continue, Margy B. Knight and
Anne S. O'Brien. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House.1996. Illustrations and
text tell the stories of walls, and thepeople they divide, throughout
the world. Includes the storiesof: Chinese detainees who wrote poetry
on the walls of Angel Island,children who write poetry on the fence
around the home of PabloNeruda in Chile, children who created a garden
in Philadelphiafrom an abandoned lot and painted a mural on the surrounding
wall,children in Belfast who are divided by a wall constructed by
thearmy in the 1970s, and more.
The Turtle Watchers, Pamela Powell. New York: Puffin Books,
1992. A chapter book setin the Caribbean where three sisters work
to protest the killingsof the giant leatherback turtle. 4th/up.
*We Can Work It Out: Conflict Resolution for Children, Barbara
K. Polland. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. 2000. An invaluabletool
for parents and teachers. Through beautiful color photographsand questions,
this book encourages conversations between adultsand children about
typical conflicts children encounter, suchas teasing and sharing.
It helps children develop problem-solvingskills they need to resolve
conflicts independently.
The Well, Mildred Taylor. Dial, 1995. The newest book in Taylor's
sagaof the Logan family introduced in Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.This
story is of the grandfather's childhood, when his familyis the only
one in the county that has a functional well. Racialtensions erupt
between two teenage kids exposing the early 1900sSouthern power structure.
Highly recommended, 4th grade up.
We Shall Not Be Moved: The Women's Factory Strike of 1909,
Joan Dash. New York: Scholastic, 1996. A readable non-fictionaccount
of one of the most important women's strikes in US history.5th/up.
What Do You Know About Racism, Pete Sanders and Steve Meyers.
Copper Beach Books, 1995. A children'sbook from England that directly
addresses racism with clear definitionsand realistic comic strips.
Grade 4 and up.
Audio/Visual Resources
(The prices below are current as of Spring 2001,
and in most instancesapply only to individual purchasers from the Teaching
for Changecatalog, www.teachingforchange.org.
Institutional purchasers should contact the distributors, if listed.)
*Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation, by Puhipau
and Joan Lander. 1993, 60 min., $65. Comprehensivedocumentary on the
events surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiianmonarchy in 1893 from
the perspective of Native Hawaiians. Act of War explores colonialism
and the conquest of a Pacific Island nationby western missionaries
and capitalists.
*The Ad and the Ego, by Harold Boihem and Chris Emmanouilides;
California Newsreel(www.newsreel.org),
1996, $70. This is the best video-critique of the social andecological
effects of advertising. Blending MTV-style editingwith brilliant narration,
The Ad and the Ego can be a real awareness-raiser for many
high school students.
*Ancient Futures: Learning from the Ladakh, based on the book
by Helena Norberg-Hodge. Produced by John Pagewith International Society
for Ecology and Culture. 1993, 60 min.,$25. Through the story of Ladakh,
a Himalayan region in India,this video enables students to confront
the devastating impactof 'development.' They see the root causes of
environmental, socialand psychological problems that arise when a
traditional societyis invaded by Western investment, culture, and
consumer goods.This is an extraordinarily useful film that uses one
case studyto consider some of the intimate meanings of 'globalization.'
*Arms for the Poor, Maryknoll. 1998, 25 min. $20. This video
presents an internationalspectrum of dignitaries and activists who
share the belief ofone Nobel Laureate that, 'The poor are crying out
for schoolsand doctors, not guns and generals.' Through interviews
and footageof the impact of massive amounts of weapons throughout
the world,students learn who benefits and who loses from the military-industrialcomplex.
*At the River I Stand, California Newsreel. 1993, 56 min.
$50. Martin Luther King sawin Memphis an opportunity to use nonviolence
to challenge theeconomic power structure of the North and South.
At the River I Stand documents Memphis' black community support
for a path-breakingstrike by 1300 city sanitation workers for a living
wage. Thisfilm joins together many critical issues: violent vs. nonviolentstruggle,
white privilege vs. black poverty, and grassroots mobilizationvs.
national politics.
*Banking on Life and Debt, narrated by Martin Sheen, Maryknoll
World Productions. 1995. $20.More than 90% of the world's population
lives in countries directlyaffected by World Bank and International
Monetary Fund policies.This video takes students to Brazil, Ghana,
and the Philippinesto see the results of these policies. A valuable
resource forclasses in economics, global studies, and U.S. government.
30minutes. (A longer version, The Moneylenders, is also available.)
*Barefoot Gen, (DVD format; video out of print), 1983, 83
min $24.99. Chroniclesthe devastating impact of the bombing of Hiroshima
as experiencedby a family in Japan. A stylistically close adaptation
of KeijiNakazawa's graphic autobiographical novel, this animation
bringshome the horrors of the war and the strength of people who survived.
*Bus Riders Union, by Haskell Wexler. Strategy Center (213-387-2800,
www.busridersunion.org).
2000, 86 min., $30. Video documentary tracing three years ofthe Los
Angeles Bus Riders Union, one of the nation's most dynamicsocial movements
formed to fight transit racism, clean up L.A.'slethal auto pollution,
and win billion dollar victories for realmass transit. Bus Riders
Union is a rare mix of fine filmmaking,astute political awareness,
and a complex portrayal of a multiracialgrassroots movement that is
taking on some of the most powerfulforces in Los Angeles ' and winning.
*Business of Hunger, Maryknoll. 1984, 28 min., $20. In many
countries, crops are exportedwhile the poor go hungry. This phenomenon,
one of the major causesof world hunger, is examined in Latin America,
Africa, Asia, andNorth America. The film proposes a more just distribution
of theearth's resources offering a vision of a world where all haveenough
to eat.
Civil Rights: The Long Road to Equality, The Duncan Group,
AGC/United Learning, 1999. 800-323-9084. $95.The Civil Rights Movement:
The Role of Youth in the Struggle is the first video in this helpful
two-video set. The secondvideo, Overcoming Racism, has middle-
and high-school youth reflecting on their own racialidentity and discrimination.
The producers are aware of the limitationsof any short video on such
a complex subject. Upper elementarythrough high school.
*Earth and the American Dream, by Bill Couturie. Direct Cinema
Limited, 1993; $95 (individualor institution). This extraordinary
77-minute film examines U.S.history from the standpoint of the earth.
Beginning with Columbus,it effectively blends contrasting quotes from
Native Americansand European 'settlers' with images of the environmental
consequencesof these ideas. We've never seen a film that does this
so powerfully.A vital classroom resource.
Freedom On My Mind, by Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford. Clarity
Educational Productions,800-343-5540, $69.95 for high schools and
public libraries. Othersinquire. A mesmerizing 115-minute video that
puts the Civil RightsMovement into the context of the daily lives
of Mississippiansand of Black and white activists. What distinguishes
this documentaryis its willingness to delve into complicated issues.
Activistsdiscuss the joys of struggle and the community it creates,
aswell as the implications of difficult decisions like the one tobring
white northerners down to Mississippi to increase mediaand government
attention.
*Freedom Song, starring Danny Glover. Directed by Phil Alden
Robinson. 2000,150 min., $20. Inspired by accounts of the women and
men on thefront lines of the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Song
chronicles a family nearly torn apart by the struggles of a nationand
the impact of the movement on a small Mississippi town. Indocumenting
the complexity and effect of the movement on the volunteers,their
families, and their community, Freedom Song places heroismsquarely
on the shoulders of the local people ' the unsung volunteerswho risked
their lives to make change at the grassroots level.Effective for young
people as the story is seen through the eyesof a grade school student.
Gay Lives & Culture Wars, produced by Elaine Velazquez
and Barbara Bernstein. DemocracyMedia, P.O. Box 82777, Portland, OR
97282; 503-452-6500. $20,plus $2.50 s+h for individuals. $50, plus
$2.50 s+h for institutions.A powerful 27-minute video that looks at
the relationships betweengay and lesbian youth and their families
against the backdropof the intolerance of the religious right.
*Global Village or Global Pillage? How People Around the Worldare
Challenging Corporate Globalization, by Jeremy Brecher with Tim
Costello and Brendan Smith. 1999,28 min., $25. This documentary explores
the impacts of globalizationon communities, workplaces, and environments.
Narrated by Ed Asner,Global Village weaves together video of
interviews, music, and comics to showthat, through grassroots organizing
and international solidarity,ordinary people can empower themselves
to deal with the globaleconomy.
*It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School, by Debra
Chasnoff and Helen Cohen. New Day Films, 888-367-9154.1997. This video
provides a window into what really happens whenteachers address lesbian
and gay issues with their students inage-appropriate ways. It shows
how addressing anti-gay prejudiceis connected to preventing violence,
supporting families and promotingsocial equality.
*Off the Track: Classroom Privilege for All, by Michelle Fine,
et al. New York: Teachers College Press, 1998,$50. This 30 minute
video takes the viewer into a World Literatureclassroom where all
the students ' lower income, middle class,and affluent; white, African
American, Asian-American, and Latino;girls and boys; those automatically
'advanced' and those who havebeen labeled in need of 'special education'
' receive and producehigh quality education. Useful for staff development.
*Regret to Inform, by Barbara Sonneborn. Sun Fountain Productions.
1999, 72 min.,& teacher's guide by Bill Bigelow, $25. This beautifully
filmedOscar-nominated documentary follows director Barbara Sonnebornas
she travels to Vietnam to the site of her husband's wartimedeath.
Woven into her personal odyssey are interviews with Americanand Vietnamese
widows who speak openly and profoundly about themen they loved and
how war changed their lives forever. Regret to Inform is ideal
for classes taking a critical look at the Vietnam War.
*Rethinking Columbus Slide Show, by Bill Bigelow. NECA. $70.
Slides and script provide a critiqueof the story of the 'discovery
of America' as it is told in mostchildren's literature and textbooks.
Ideal for workshops for teachersor students on critiquing bias.
*Scarves of Many Colors: Muslim Women and the Veil. Audiotape
by Joan Bohorfoush and Diana Dickerson. Curriculumby Bill Bigelow,
Sandra Childs, Norm Diamond, Diana Dickerson,and Jan Haaken. 2000,
audiotape 24 min., curriculum 54 pp., $10.This award-winning audiotape
and curriculum engage students inthinking critically about stereotypes
of 'covered' Islamic women.The audiotape introduces a range of U.S.
and Middle Eastern womenwho tell stories and offer insight. The curriculum
offers fourclassroom-tested lessons, including an excellent role play/tribunalon
'Women and the Veil,' with accompanying student handouts. Alively
addition to any Global Studies, psychology, sociology,women's studies,
world history, or teacher education curriculum.
The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America, by
Charles Guggenheim. Order Dept., Teaching Tolerance, 400 WashingtonAve.,
Montgomery, AL 36104. $25, free to middle and high schoolprincipals
and college history department chairs upon writtenrequest. A teaching
kit that details the legacy of prejudice towardethnic and religious
minorities, immigrants and other groups.The kit includes a 40-minute
video, teacher's guide, and a studenthandbook. While the video has
technical shortcomings, the teacher'sguides and student handbook are
excellent.
*Some Mother's Son, 1995, 112 min., $20. From start to finish,
students are rivetedby this poignant dramatization of the hunger strikes
initiatedby imprisoned Irish Republican Army members in 1981. Based
ontrue events, it explores the struggle in Northern Ireland fromthe
standpoint of two mothers of IRA prisoners ' each of whomresponds
very differently to her son's political involvement andincarceration.
Although this film was unfairly slapped with anR rating for some harsh
language and violence, this should notdeter teachers who want to expose
students to the complexitiesof the Irish 'Troubles'.
*Sweating for a T-Shirt, Medea Benjamin. 1999, Global Exchange,
24 min., $25. An excellentclassroom resource. Arlen Benjamin decides
to travel to Honduraswith her mother, activist/writer Medea Benjamin,
to find out theconditions of workers who make t-shirts and sweatshirts
for collegestudents such as herself. Her narration deftly responds
to a numberof the myths about life in poor countries and we meet severalwomen
workers, who share powerful descriptions about their livingand working
conditions.
*Trinkets and Beads by Christopher Walker. First Run/Icarus,
1996. This powerful52 minute video examines the impact of oil 'development'
in therainforests of eastern Ecuador. Unforgettable images weave inand
out of interviews with Huaorani Indians, oil company officials,and
missionaries. The video has been used successfully with middleand
high school students throughout the country. Accompanyingteaching
guide to Trinkets and Beads, by Bill Bigelow, available from
www.teachingforchange.org.
*Viva La Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History, by the SouthWest
Organizing Project and Collision Course VideoProductions, SouthWest
Organizing Project, 211 10th Street S.W.,Albuquerque, NM 87102. 505-247-8832;
fax 505-247-9972. $112.50,includes s&h. A multicultural kit that
includes the 238 page bilingualbook 500 Years of Chicano History
in Pictures, the two-part video VivaLa Causa! 500 Years of Chicano
History, and a teacher's guide for elementary and secondary schools.
Thekit spans pre-Colombian times to the present, focusing on ancientMexican
societies, Spanish colonization, the U.S. War againstMexico and the
resistance to U.S. colonization, and other significantevents in Chicano
history.
*Zoned for Slavery/The Child Behind the Label, National Labor
Committee, 1995, $20. This 23-minute video looksat the exploitation
of children and teenagers working in factoriesin Central America that
make clothes for U.S. companies such asthe GAP, Eddie Bauer, JC Penney
and WalMart. Some of the youngworkers earn only 12 cents to make a
shirt that retails for over$20. The video works with students as young
as 5th grade but isalso excellent for high school students.
Catalogs
Asian American Curriculum Projects; www.asianamericanbooks.com.
83 W. 37th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403. 800-874-2242; fax: (650)357-6908.e-mail:
aacpinc@best.com. An extensive
catalog of resources and services that underscorethe importance and
diversity of the Asian-American experience.Books for students of all
ages.
Center For Media Literacy. www.medialit.org.
4727 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 403, Los Angeles, CA 90010. 800-226-9494;fax:
213-931-4474. e-mail; cml@medialit.org.
A catalog that offers educators and parents a means of evaluating,understanding,
and challenging our media culture. It containsliteracy workshop kits,
videos, books, guides and other resourcesdesigned to help parents
and teachers through the media maze.
The National Women's History Project catalog; www.nwhp.org.
3343 Industrial Dr., Suite 4, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. (707) 838'6000;fax:
(707) 838'0478 e-mail: nwhp@aol.com.
A non-profit distributor of multicultural, women's history books,CDs,
videos, posters, and curricula. The Learning Place page featuresteaching
ideas and info at http://www.nwhp.org/tlp/main/main.html
Network of Educators on the Americas (NECA) ' see Teaching
for Change, below.
Northern Sun Merchandising; www2.northernsun.com.
2916 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55406-2065. 800-258-8579;fax: 612-729-0149.
e-mail: nsm@scc.net. A distributor
of valuable resources on environmental, gay/lesbian,multicultural
and feminist themes. Beautiful, classroom-friendlyposters.
Syracuse Cultural Workers; www.syrculturalworkers.org.
P.O. Box 6367
Syracuse, NY 13217. 315-474-1132; fax (toll-free): 877-265-5399.e-mail:
scw@syrculturalworkers.org.
A long-time distributor of multicultural, social justice resources,including
the Peace Calendar that should adorn all classrooms.
Teaching for Change catalog; www.teachingforchange.org.
P.O. Box 73038, Washington, D.C. 20056-3038; 800-763-9131, fax:202-238-0109
The most comprehensive catalog of social justice,multicultural teaching
resources available. Indispensible.
Organizations
Adbusters Media Foundation; www.adbusters.org.
1243 West 7th Ave., Vancouver, BC, V6H 1B7, Canada; 604-736-9401;fax:
604-737-6021; e-mail: adbusters@adbusters.org.
Adbusters describes itself as 'a global network of artists,activists,
writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurswho want
to advance the new social activist movement of the informationage.'
Adbusters publishes a magazine of the same name, sponsorsBuy Nothing
Day and TV Turnoff Week, produces clever 'uncommercials'and seeks
to agitate so that folks 'get mad about corporate disinformation,injustices
in the global economy, and any industry that pollutesour physical
or mental commons.'
American Federation of Teachers; www.aft.org.
555 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001. 202-879-4400; fax: 202-879-4439. e-mail:online@aft.org.
Resources and information from the national teachers union.
The Applied Research Center; www.arc.org.
3781 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611. 510-653-3415; fax: 510-653-3427;e-mail:
arc@arc.org. ARC is an important
public policy, educational and researchinstitute whose work emphasizes
issues of race and social change.Publishes the acclaimed ColorLines
Magazine ' see Periodicals.
Center for Law and Education, www.cleweb.org.
515 Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02111. (617) 451-0855;fax:
(617) 451-0857. e-mail: cle@cleweb.org.
See especially NewsNotes, the Center's newsletter for up-to-dateinformation
on vocational education legislation.
Children's Defense Fund; 25 E. Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.
(202) 628-8787; fax:202-662-3510. e-mail: cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org.
This Web site offers a great deal of information about the CDFand
its positions on critical issues affecting children, especiallyminorities
and the disabled. Also includes position papers andbackground materials
on many topics, and a host of links to otherresources on the Web.
Corporate Watch; PO Box 29344 San Francisco, CA 94129. tel:
415-561-6568; fax:415-561-6493. e-mail: corpwatch@corpwatch.org.
A must-visit site for activists who want to keep tabs on thebehavior
of corporations. Lots of timely news and impressive archivesof past
corporate misdeeds.
Defence for Children International ' North American Affiliate,
www.defence-for-children.org.1350
Sycamore Drive, Burlington, Ontario L7M 1H2, Canada, 905-336-7898;fax
905-319-0615. e-mail: les.horne2@sympatico.ca.
Defence for Children international (DCI) is an independent non-governmentalorganisation
set up during the International Year of the Child(1979) to ensure
on-going, practical, systematic and concertedinternational action
specially directed towards promoting andprotecting the rights of the
child.
Designs for Change, www.dfc1.org/dfc.htm.
220 S. State St., Suite 1900, Chicago, IL 60604. 312-922-0317;fax:
312-857-9299. e-mail: dfc1@aol.com.
Detailed reports on Chicago's site-based reform, the country'smost
ambitious governance reform. Materials for parents, teachers.
Economic Policy Institute
The mission of the Economic Policy Institute is to provide high-qualityresearch
and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair,and sustainable
economy. The Institute stresses real world analysisand a concern for
the living standards of working people, andit makes its findings accessible
to the general public, the media,and policy makers.
Electronic Policy Network; www.epinet.org.1660
L Street NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036. 202-775-8810; fax: 202-775-0819. e-mail:epi@epinet.org.
A very extensive site dedicated to "providing you with timelyinformation
and leading ideas about national policy and politics."Loaded
with links to progressive organizations dealing with awide variety
of social issues. Also includes Idea Central, EPN's online
magazine.
Facing History and Ourselves; www.facing.org.
16 Hurd Road, Brookline, MA 02146. 617-232-1595; fax: 617-232-0281.An
education project that targets hatred, prejudice, racism, andindifference
by focusing on teaching students about the Holocaust.Resources, workshops,
and newsletter.
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting; www.fair.org.
130 W. 25th Street, New York, NY 10001. 212-633-6700; fax: 212-727-7668;e-mail:
fair@fair.org. FAIR is a national
media watch group that has been offeringwell-documented criticism
of media bias and censorship since 1986.FAIR publishes the indispensable
Extra!, an award-winning magazineof media criticism, and regular updates,
available via their listserve.FAIR also produces a weekly radio program,
CounterSpin. An excellentsource to get students thinking critically
about media coverageof world events.
Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy; www.foodfirst.org.
398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618. tel: 510-654-4400; fax:510-654-4551;
e-mail: foodfirst@foodfirst.org.
Since its founding in 1975, Food First has published some ofthe most
useful books on food and hunger issues. Through theirpublications
and activism they continue to offer leadership tothe struggle for
reforming the global food system from the bottomup. Their catalog
is on-line at their Web site.
Gay, Lesbian, Straight Educators Network (GLSEN); www.glsen.org.
212-727-0135; e-mail: glsen@glsen.org
GLSEN is the leading national organization fighting to end anti-gaybias
in K-12 schools. The organization offers many useful resources.The
GLSEN-initiated student organizing project provides supportto young
people as they 'form and lead gay-straight alliances' helping them
to change their own school environments from theinside out.'
Global Exchange; www.globalexchange.org.
2017 Mission Street #303, San Francisco, California 94110; 415-255-7296;
fax 415- 255-7498; e-mail: info@globalexchange.org.
Global Exchange is a human rights organization dedicated topromoting
environmental, political, and social justice aroundthe world. In the
late 90s, it was perhaps the most importantorganization drawing attention
to Nike's sweatshop abuses. Theirexpansive Web site will be valuable
for students researching justabout any important global issue.
International Education and Resource Network (iEARN); www.iearn.org.
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 540, New York, NY 10115. 212-870-2693;e-mail:
iearn@us.iearn.org. iEARN
is a non-profit organization made up of almost 4,000 schoolsin over
90 countries. It aims to empower teachers and young people(K-12) to
work together online at low cost through a global telecommunications
network.
Media Education Foundation; www.mediaed.org.
26 Center St., Northampton, MA 01060. 413-584-8500; fax: 413-586-8398.e-mail:
mediaed@mediaed.org.
The Media Education Foundation is a nonprofit educational organizationdevoted
to media research and production of resources to aid educatorsand
others in fostering analytical media literacy. Their mission,"We
believe that a media literate citizenry is essential to avibrant democracy
in a diverse and complex society".
National Association for the Education of Young Children;
www.naeyc.org. 1509 16th Street,
N.W. Washington, DC 20036-1426. 800-424-2460;fax: 202-328-1846. e-mail:
naeyc@naeyc.org. Publishes Young
Children, and other useful materials.
National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest); www.fairtest.org.
342 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139. 617-864-4810. fax: 617-497-2224.e-mail:
info@fairtest.org. The major
clearinghouse for information and activism on counteringtesting injustice.
See especially, FairTest Examiner, a quarterlynewsletter on assessment
issues.
National Association for Multicultural Education; www.nameorg.org.
733 Fifteenth Street, NW - Suite 430, Washington,DC 20005 202-628-6263
fax: 202-628-6264. e-mail: name@nameorg.org.
Founded in 1990, NAME provides resources and support that helpeducators
promote "a philosophy of inclusion that embraces thebasic tenets
of cultural pluralism," and "promoting cultural andethnic
diversity as a national strength."
National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education; www.ncbe.gwu.edu.
The George Washington University Center for the Study of Language&
Education, 2121 K Street NW, Suite 260, Washington, DC 20037.800-321-6223;
fax: 800-531-9347. e-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu.
News, discussion groups and resources for educators workingwith linguistically
and culturally diverse students.
National Coalition of Education Activists (NCEA); http://members.aol.com/nceaweb.
PO Box 679, Rhinebeck, NY 12572;914-876-4580; fax: 914-876-4461. e-mail:
ncea@aol.com. A network of teacher,
parent, and community activists who organizearound equity issues in
schools and communities. Bi-annual conferencesfeature workshops on
teaching strategies for social justice. Publishesthe newsletter, Action
for Better Schools.
National Education Association; www.nea.org.
1201 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036. 202-833-4000 fax: 202-822-7292.e-mail:
Online home of the nation's largest teachers union.
National Labor Committee; www.nlcnet.org.
275 Seventh Avenue, 15th Floor,
New York, NY 10001. 212-242-3002; fax: 212-242-3821. e-mail: nlc@nlcnet.org.
The National Labor Committee is the producer of some of themost valuable
videos and reports on sweatshop and labor rightsissues around the
world (see, for example, the videos Zoned forSlavery and Mickey Mouse
Goes to Haiti.)
National TV-Turnoff Week. Contact: TV-Free America, 1322 18th
St., N.W., Suite 300, Washington,DC 20036. 202-887-0436; fax: 202-887-0438.
e-mail tvfa@essential.org.
The annual No-TV observation is set for April. An 'Organizer'sKit'
is available for a $5 tax-deductible donation. It includesa guide,
a poster, bumper stickers, pledge cards and an informationpacket.
National Women's History Project; www.nwhp.org.
The project has a variety of K-12 curriculum materials, andalso holds
workshops and training seminars.
Network of Educators on the Americas (NECA); www.teachingforchange.org.
P.O. Box 73038., Washington, DC 20056-3038. 800-763-9131; fax:202-238-0109;
e-mail: necadc@aol.com. Publisher
of excellent multicultural, social justice teachingmaterials, such
as the widely-used Beyond Heroes and Holidays,and the essential Teaching
for Change catalog.
NMMLP - New Mexico Media Literacy Project; www.nmmlp.org.
6400 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. 505-828-3129.Excellent
materials on critical media literacy teaching.
People For the American Way; www.pfaw.org.
2000 M Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036. 800-326-7329;fax:
202-293-3672. e-mail: pfaw@pfaw.org.
A national progressive organization that fights school vouchersand
other right-wing policy initiatives.
Rainforest Action Network; www.ran.org.
221 Pine Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104; tel: 415-398-4404;fax:
415-398-2732. RAN works to protect the earth's rainforestsand support
the rights of their inhabitants through education,grassroots organizing,
and non-violent direct action. Theirs isa must-visit comprehensive
Web site that includes a wealth ofinformation, including ideas for
activities and activism withstudents, classroom-friendly factsheets,
and links to indigenousrainforest groups.
Resource Center of the Americas; www.Americas.org.
3019 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406. 612-276-0788; fax:612-276-0898;
e-mail: rainforest@ran.org.
The Resource Center provides information and develops programsthat
demonstrate connections between people of Latin America,the Caribbean,
and the United States. Over the years they havepublished a great deal
of curriculum in this area. Their Web siteincludes an on-line catalog
of these and other classroom materials,along with resources on critical
issues about the Americas.
TURN - Teacher Union Reform Network; www.turnexchange.net.
30 N. Union St. Suite 301, Rochester NY 14607. 716-546-2681;fax: 716-546-4123.
Network of progressive AFT and NEA locals engaged in educationalreform.
Includes contract language of innovative contracts.
United for a Fair Economy; www.ufenet.org.
37 Temple Place, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02111. 617-423-2148;fax: 617-423-0191.
UFE provides numerous resources to organizationsand individuals working
to address the widening income and assetgap in the U.S. and around
the world. They publish useful trainingand curriculum materials, and
their Web site features an economicslibrary, research library, and
fact sheets.
ZNet/Z Magazine; www.zmag.org.
18 Millfield St., Woods Hole, MA 02543. Z Net is one of themost amazing
Web sites we know of. Forums, commentaries from aroundthe world, song
lyrics for 530 songs-with-a-conscience, courses,analyses on global
issues of all kinds. Many pre-college studentsmight find some of the
writing a bit hard-going, but there isan awful lot here. Z Magazine
is available the old fashioned way' see Periodicals.
Periodicals
Adbusters. www.adbusters.org
1243 West 7th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6H 1B7 800.663.1243 fax: 604.737.6021.adbusters@adbusters.org.
Canadian journal that promotes critical thinking about consumerculture.
See Adbusters Media Foundation in Organizations.
ColorLines Magazine; www.arc.org.
1322 Webster St., Suite 402, Oakland, CA 94612. 510-465-9577;fax 510-465-4824.
Published quarterly; subscriptions $15 for sixissues. An award-winning
national magazine that covers race, culture,and community organizing,
with a particular focus on issues thataffect communities of color.
Dollars and Sense; www.dollarsandsense.org.
740 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02141-1401. 617 876-2434fax: 617
876-0008 dollars@dollarsandsense.org.
Provides easy to understand articles on the economy from a criticalperspective.
Indispensable for economics teachers.
The Ecologist; www.theecologist.org.
PO Box 326, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8FA, UK. An outstandingjournal
that challenges basic assumptions about 'development,''progress,'
and 'growth.' Important articles that can help studentsand teachers
consider the environmental consequences of globalization.
FairTest Examiner. See the National Center for Fair and Open
Testing (FairTest),in Organizations.
Green Teacher; www.greenteacher.org.
95 Robert St., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2K5. Emphasizes hands-onenvironmental
education.
In These Times; www.inthesetimes.com.
2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647. (773) 772-0100; fax:(773)
772-4180. A weekly news magazine that promotes an anti-corporateperspective
on national and international issues.
Labor Notes; www.labornotes.org.
7435 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48210 (313) 842-6262 fax: (313)842-0227.
labornotes@labornotes.org.
A monthly newsletter of news and analysis dealing with on-goinglabor
union and ran-and-file activities.
The Nation, www.thenation.com.
72 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011. Weekly. Important articleson world
and national events from a progressive perspective.
New Internationalist; www.newint.org.
P.O. Box 1143, Lewiston, NY 14092. A colorful monthly magazineon issues
of global inequality. Articles reproducible for students.Each issue
has a different theme: child labor, global warming,the AIDS crisis,
etc.
New Youth Connections; www.youthcomm.org.144
W. 27th St., 8R, New York, NY 10001. (212) 242-3270. Monthlynewspaper
written by high school students. Also publishes FosterCare Youth United.
NACLA Report; www.nacla.org.
North American Congress on Latin America , 475 Riverside Drive,#454,
New York, NY 10115. (212) 870-3146. 5 issues a year. Detailedanalyses
on Latin American and Caribbean issues.
Radical Teacher Magazine, www.radicalteacher.com.
Boston Women's Teachers' Group, P.O. Box 102, Kendall SquarePost Office,
Cambridge, MA 02142. Many valuable articles and teachingideas from
a critical standpoint.
Rethinking Schools; www.rethinkingschools.org.
1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212; 800-669-4192; fax:414-964-7220;
e-mail: rethink@execpc.com.
A quarterly journal put out by classroom teachers with a focuson social
justice and equity. Rethinking Schools OnLine containsthis entire
resource list with all web site addresses hot-linkedso all you have
to do is click on them and you are taken to thesite. Rethinking Schools
also publishes a number of the bookslisted in these Resources, including
Rethinking Our Classrooms:volumes one and two, (see descriptions above.)
Sex, Etc; www.sxetc.org.
Rutgers University, 100 Joyce Kilmer Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854.732-445-7929;
fax: 732-445-4154. An award-winning web site byand for teens about
health and sexuality issues. Sponsored bythe Network for Family Life
Education.
Teaching Tolerance; www.teachingtolerance.org.
400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104. Mailed twice a yearto teachers
at no charge, this magazine has a range of popularlywritten articles
and a useful resource section. Published by SouthernPoverty Law Center,
which also has a film and curriculum packageon the Civil Rights Movement.
Z Magazine; www.znet.org.
11 issues a year. Detailed articles on current events from acritical
perspective. Valuable column on the politics of the media.See description
of ZNet in the Organizations.
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