Crossing Boundaries of Difference
A review of “Brave New Schools: Challenging Cultural Illiteracy Through Global Learning Networks”
Test Restricted Content
Is Whole Language Doomed
Six years after whole language was implemented statewide in California, plunging test scores resulted in a new back-to-basics curriculum — so the story goes. But what really happened in California?
Free the Internet!
Knowledge is more than a commodity.
Wisconsin Welcomes the Wild West
New legislation prohibits local governments from enacting gun control ordinances that are stronger than state regulations.
Lessons of Chile’s Voucher Reform
A professor of education and economics takes a good look at Chile’s voucher program. This well-developed, long-standing program makes it clear that voucher plans increase inequality without making schools any better
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Homework seeps into the fabric of daily family life. Here are some homework tales from hell and some refreshing alternatives.
Telling the Truth of the Middle Passage
Tom Feelings discusses his book The Middle Passage” — a book of narrative paintings that portray the nightmarish journey of enslaved Africans from their homes to the Americas.”
Trayvon Martin and My Students
President Obama’s speech about the Zimmerman acquittal in Trayvon Martin’s murder and Cornel West’s response are rich sources for students learning how to analyze, evaluate, and critique.
Looking for Justice at Turkey Creek
High school students embed themselves in a community’s history and people when they study the impact of “development” on historically African American Turkey Creek in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Greed as a Weapon
A high school teacher uses a role-play to explore the economic dimensions of the war in Iraq.
Our Grandparents’ Civil Rights Era
Second graders ask grandparents to write about their experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. The letters bring surprising wisdom – and some thought-provoking issues – to the classroom.
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Stealing Home
The historic destruction of the Chávez Ravine neighborhood in Los Angeles – to build Dodger Stadium – paves the way for students to understand changes in their own neighborhood. Second in a two-part series.
Ban the Box!
Should the box about criminal history be eliminated from job applications? A role play helps students explore the lifelong impact of a felony conviction.
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Lessons from History
Proposals for merit pay are not new. History suggests that this business-oriented reform will meet resistance and fail to achieve its stated goals.
The Charter Conundrum
The charter school movement provides both opportunities and dangers — which is precisely why progressives should not relinquish the movement to conservatives and venture capitalists.
A Policeman’s Duty?
Why do schools increasingly call the police when students get into fights, even verbal confrontations? As a parent and teacher, I am enraged.
Bilingual and Spanish-Language Websites
As an educator, I am often concerned about whether students are gaining the technology skills they need. Because I have always taught in predominantly working-class schools, and because many of my students’ primary home language is Spanish, I have added concerns.
Money Matters
For years, the Wisconsin tourism industry has pushed for a state law demanding that schools not begin until September. Backed by powerful lobbyists and a big bank account, it finally has its way.
Behind the Testing Juggernaut
An Interview with Peter Sacks, Author of “Standardized Minds”
High-Stakes Testing Slights Multiculturalism
A vivid example of how high-stakes testing is narrowing the curricula in many schools.
CASE Revealed, Case Closed
Teacher George Schmidt is being sued for $1.4 million by the Chicago Public Schools, which is mad that he published questions from the city’s high-stakes CASE exams.
Neighborhood Schools
A policy of returning to local schools threatens to increase racial inequality.
Teaching About the WTO
A Seattle teacher reflects on his unit on global issues and the lessons his students learned first-hand during ‘The Battle in Seattle”
Small Classes Versus Vouchers
Editorial Wisconsin’s experiment with small classes can document academic success, especially for African Americans. Too bad the same can’t be said for vouchers.
Girls, Worms, And Body Image
A teacher deals with gender stereotypes among her second- and third-graders