Decatur Revisited
Last spring, controversy in the Illinois town of Decatur exposed the racial inequities in ‘zero tolerance’ polices. A year later, not much has changed.
Test Restricted Content
A high school senior asks, “Who makes our graduation gowns?”
A high school senior asks, “Who makes our graduation gowns?” -and recounts the struggle that ensues.”
Student Voices 19.4
Students Share Perspectives on Their Small School
Shorts 17.3
School Named for Civil Rights Leader
No Comment 16.4
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No Comment 17.2
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No Comment 17.3
Poetry Cancelled
Introduction: Teaching About Haiti
As the devastation wrought by the earthquake fades from the headlines, this is a critical time to re-examine the history and culture of Haiti, and to develop ways to integrate Haiti into our curricula.
“I Thought This U.S. Place Was Supposed To Be About Freedom”
A 5th-grade math club contributes skills and determination to a community struggle to keep their school open.
“Bait and Switch”
Voucher advocates are fast-talking their way around a new report that cast doubts on the value of the program.
“It Was So Much Fun! I Died of Massive Blood Loss!”
A mock battle highlights the line between role-playing and re-enactment.
“Rewriting the Script”
Together, the following eight articles outline how the standards-tests-punishment machine has subverted public schools from their democratic promise. With action, we can write a future where education isn’t a soulless profit machine for the few.
The Power of Words
Top-down mandates masquerade as social justice reforms
“The Laptops Are Coming! The Laptops Are Coming!”
Things to think about before the laptops arrive in your classroom.
History Textbooks: “Theirs” and “Ours”
Teachers must get students to dig deeper than the official” history.”
Promises, Promises
What students need to know to make good decisions about military service
It takes more than a brilliant teacher or two to ensure that our youth leave school with the skills, confidence, and critical consciousness to be productive and thoughtful participants in the world. It takes vibrant school communities with strong, visionary leadership. The fall issue of Rethinking Schools shines a light on the possibilities when principals and superintendents buck the trend toward testing and standardization:
Confession
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Rethinking Our Classrooms
Teaching for equity and justice is more important than ever.
La educación bilingüe es un derecho civil y humano
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Black Students’ Unlikely ‘Emancipators’
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Austin Says “No” to Edison
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#Teachers Reject Testing Bribes”
Across California, a growing number of teachers are rejecting the financial incentives tied to scores on high-stakes testing.
Standards and Multiculturalism 16.3
A Dialogue between Anita Bohn and Christine Sleeter Two noted educators discuss how the increasing reliance on textbooks and standardized tests undermines multicultural education.
Disabled Education
A legal advocate for people with disabilities realizes, through her own son’s experiences, the inequities in access, diagnosis, and services for children with special needs.