Selected Resources
Books about the civil rights movement recommended for students in grades 2 through 8.
Test Restricted Content
Teaching the Word—And the World
Editorial As educators, we owe allegiance not simply to the students in our classrooms, but to the wider human community and to the earth itself.
Vouchers and Public Accountability
Public schools face increasing scrutiny while private voucher schools are allowed to operate with almost no oversight. Why the double standard?
Problems Erupt in Cleveland
Voucher schools chalk up concerns over safety hazards, unlicensed teachers, and reliance on videos for instruction.
Why the Secrecy?
The Milwaukee Archdiocese refuses to release information about voucher schools.
Forward…Into the Past
Traditional approaches to teaching are back in vogue. Get ready for a return to memorization and recapitulation of accepted facts – and don’t forget to keep those desks in straight rows.
No’ Is the Right Answer
A high school student explains why she refused to take the state-mandated standardized test.
We Object to These Tests
Parents tell why they believe the Massachusetts test does more harm than good.
Rethinking Discipline
What are we teaching our students when discipline policies are reduced to punitive measures grounded in coercion, control, and compliance?
Moving Beyond Tired
For many teachers, the thought of a video is far more appealing on a Friday night than the idea of going to a potluck meeting. What keeps teacher activists going?
Networking, Organizing, and Resisting
The story of the Portland Area Rethinking Schools group, which is taking on issues ranging from standardized tests to teaching about globalization.
Tips for New Groups
Ten suggestions for getting a new teacher group off on the right foot.
The Influential E.D. Hirsch
A look at the assumptions behind Hirsch’s prescription for reform, and some thoughts on whether his proposals will get us where we need to go.
Drive-By School Reform
How hit-and-run approaches to reform can turn schools into passive targets of intervention, rather than active partners in change.
Confronting Racism, Promoting Respect
A program developed by a Canadian teachers union takes on racism, giving students new ways to confront their beliefs and the racial discord in their communities.
Bilingual Education: New Visions for a New Era
Two California schools with large Latino populations take very different tacks to preserve bilingual literacy in the wake of Proposition 227’s “English-only” provisions.”
To Improve Bilingual Ed…
Bilingual educators describe the challenges faced today by their programs.
Coming Soon: The Son of Unz
The father of California’s Prop 227 is coming to Arizona, and perhaps to a state near you.
The Columbine Tragedy
Editorial Violence in our schools springs from violence in our culture. Stopping violence means stopping the intolerance and bullying that permeate highs schools today. It means treating kids like people instead of test scores. And it means fighting to end the policies that unleash missiles on our enemies while we urge our children to settle their problems peacefully.
Milwaukee: Who Won and Why
The city’s school board election was portrayed nationally as a vote on vouchers. But the race was really about race and power, and how bad decisions can doom a campaign.
High-Voltage Protest
Students and parents are taking action against over-testing. Some student have even launched boycotts and deliberately failed tests to protest how standardized tests distort learning.
Badger-State Parent Power
Wisconsin parents organize against “no social promotion” tests. Politicians are taking notice.”
One Size Fits Few
Do the people developing standards have any clue about kids, and why we shouldn’t force “Moby Dick” on them?
Yours, Mine, or Ours?
A high school teacher struggles with issues of control and responsibility as he works with students on their literary magazine.
Students
Details on free speech laws and student publications, as defined by landmark court cases.