Rethinkin’ Lincoln
If you’re thinking about going to see the movie “Lincoln” over the holiday break, first read the latest “If We Knew Our History” column by Rethinking Schools curriculum editor Bill […]
Curriculum
The Struggle for Mexican American Studies Continues
Many of you are familiar with the work of Tucson teacher Curtis Acosta. Acosta is the warm and eloquent—and photogenic!—language arts teacher featured in the film, Precious Knowledge, about Tucson’s […]
Resources for American Indian Month
Over the years, Debbie Reese’s work has been an important resource for educators. Her website, American Indians in Children’s Literature, is an authoritative source of analysis, and was one of […]
It’s Columbus Day…Time to Break the Silence
by Bill Bigelow This past January, almost exactly 20 years after its publication, Tucson schools banned the book I co-edited with Bob Peterson, Rethinking Columbus. It was one of a […]
Howard Zinn at 90: Lessons from the People’s Historian
Howard Zinn was a great friend of Rethinking Schools. He generously allowed us to reprint articles of his in the magazine and our books. He agreed to be interviewed by […]
Fists of Freedom: An Olympic Story Not Taught in Schools
The latest “If We Knew Our History” column from the Zinn Education Project is by Dave Zirin. In the article, Zirin tells the story behind the famous photo of Tommie […]
Hot Enough for You? Time to Teach Against Fossil Fuels
by Bill Bigelow Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been spared most of the brutal weather experienced in the rest of the country. Throughout the United States, in the month […]
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 […]
What is Childhood For?
What is childhood for? That’s the question that Rethinking Early Childhood Education editor Ann Pelo raises in this blog post, a previously unpublished piece that Ann wrote for the book […]
Lesson Ideas for Screen-Free Week
As the Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) points out, preschool children spend “an astonishing average of 32 hours a week” in front of screens—and it’s more for older children. […]
The Real Irish American Story
Saint Patrick’s Day is approaching, so it’s time for the all-too-brief attention that media and schools pay to Irish American history. Rethinking Schools editor Bill Bigelow has a new article […]
Rethinking ‘The Lorax’
By Bill Bigelow On March 2nd, Universal Pictures is releasing the 3-D animated film, The Lorax, based on Dr. Seuss’s classic “environmental” book of the same name. The Campaign for […]
Unintended Lessons
by Terry Burant Recently, a friend told me that a former high school student of mine named his car “Terry” after me. When she asked him why, he explained, “She’s […]
Outlawing Solidarity in Tucson
by the editors of Rethinking Schools “Banned in Tucson.” As many Rethinking Schools readers know, in January Tucson school officials ordered our book Rethinking Columbus removed from Mexican American Studies […]
Interrupting the Cycle of Violence
by Jennifer Morales This week, PBS stations across the country will be airing “The Interrupters,” a powerful documentary about a daring and intimate approach to stopping the cycle of neighborhood […]
“No History Is Illegal” Campaign: Pledge to Support Tucson
Dear Rethinking Schools friends, As we wrote earlier, on Jan. 13, we learned that our book Rethinking Columbus had been banned in Tucson schools as part of Arizona’s broader suppression […]
Behind the Curtain in Tucson: A letter from Curtis Acosta
[On Jan. 10, the governing board of Tucson schools voted to terminate the popular and enormously successful Mexican American Studies program, under pressure from the Arizona state superintendent of education. […]
Banning Critical Teaching in Arizona: A Letter From Curtis Acosta
Perhaps you’ve seen the wonderful film, Precious Knowledge, about the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson. One of the teachers featured is Curtis Acosta, along with his remarkable students. In […]
Rethinking Columbus Banned in Tucson
By Bill Bigelow Imagine our surprise. Rethinking Schools learned today that for the first time in its more-than-20-year history, our book Rethinking Columbus was banned by a school district: Tucson, […]
The Silence of Struggle in the Curriculum
by Bill Bigelow One of the great silences in the mainstream school curriculum is the role that social movements have played in making this a fairer, more peaceful, more democratic […]