Who’s talking about the summer issue?

by Kris Collett

Our summer issue is out, and many articles are already garnering positive attention.

We’re stoked that our editorial “The New Misogyny” spread on Twitter like wildfire. Thanks to Diane Ravitch for retweeting it to her 30,000+ followers! Read it now to see what the buzz is about.

Our friends at AlterNet and at Common Dreams posted Bill Bigelow’s article “From Johannesburg to Tucson.” I always learn something new about the people’s history when I read Bill’s articles, but it’s his insightful observations that make me pause and reflect on the kind of society I want to leave behind:

“The common denominator in these instances is the disrespect of those in power for students’ capacity to think critically and to take action based on their beliefs. When educational authorities consistently display such slight regard for students’ academic and moral capacities, is it any wonder that they match this contempt with an intellectually thin, idea-poor curriculum?”

The Institute for Humane Education has a very fine blog, Humane Connection. They dedicated a post to a brief review of the issue focusing on two articles they believe embody the principles of humane education.

The National Writing Project shared Linda Christensen’s article with their 7,300 twitter followers. “The Danger of a Single Story” is about an essay writing unit Linda completed with her high school students shortly following the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin.

In addition to directing the Oregon Writing Project at Lewis & Clark College, which takes her into schools all around the Portland area, Linda also teaches a class at Jefferson High School (as a volunteer), where she taught for almost 25 years.

We also dedicated space in the magazine to teacher quality issues, including Stan Karp’s article “Taking Teacher Quality Seriously.”  The article was picked up by the Marshall Memo, a widely read “weekly round-up of important ideas and research in K-12 education.”

These are just a few highlights from the issue. Check out the entire issue, and consider a subscription if you like what you see.  (Use code 5PAYWALL12 for a 15% discount.)

Kris Collett is the Outreach/Marketing Director for Rethinking Schools.