Magazine Tables of Contents Archive

Reproductive Justice and Our Classrooms

the editors of Rethinking Schools

There is no end-point in the fight for justice and equality, no moment when the argument is finally settled. As Angela Davis has said, “Freedom is a constant struggle.” Although that proposition seems exhausting, it is also hopeful. If our wins are never wholly secure, then neither must our losses be permanent. The struggle for reproductive justice continues, and our curriculum must nurture our students’ capacity to envision and participate in its next stages.

Pre-Order Planning to Change the World 2022-2023

A plan book for social justice educators

Edited by Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price, Margaret Kavanagh, Carla Shalaby, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

Note: Plan books ship the end of July. Every plan book pre-sale includes a complimentary PDF download of the August pages. This is a plan book for school-based, home-based, and community-based educators who believe that […]

Our picks for books, videos, websites, and other social justice resources: Spring 2022, Volume 36.3

The best picks from Rethinking Schools for resources for your classroom and for your mind.

Educators Speak Out: Spring 2022

Julia Putnam, Lynn Fedele, Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay, Debra Hunter, Shalonda McGhee, Mona M. Abo-Zena, Tiffany Mitchell Patterson, Sally Stanhope, and Kawal Varpaul

To say this year has been tough on schools and educators would be a wild understatement. We asked a group of educators if there was one moment, event, or issue that really stuck out for them — something that encapsulated their experiences during these tough times. We also asked if there was anything that gave them hope, strength, or helped them through this year. Here’s how they responded . . .

Expanding Intersectional Queer History in the Elementary Grades

Laura Shelton

A 5th- and 6th-grade teacher asks her students to wrestle with what “identity” and “intersectionality” mean.

ZINN AT 100: Empire or Humanity?

What the Classroom Didn’t Teach Me About the American Empire

Howard Zinn

Have we reached a point in history where we are ready to embrace a new way of living in the world, expanding not our military power, but our humanity?

As She Rises

A Podcast Helps Students Reach Beyond Climate Disaster Statistics

Tim Swinehart

I recently stumbled across a podcast that made a wonderful addition to my students’ study of the climate crisis — As She Rises.

Action Research for Environmental Justice in the Kindergarten Classroom

Kimi Waite

A kindergarten teacher helps students investigate issues of environmental justice — like access to green space — in their communities.

Choreographing for Justice

Emily Todras

An elementary teacher helps her students express themselves about social justice issues like the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter through movement and dance, and helps them see how dance can celebrate diversity.

Poetic Pauses During the Pandemic

Linda Christensen

Christensen describes how poetry can be used in this moment to be something concrete — that can be felt, touched, or smelled — but also something to stir our students’ imaginations, allowing them to dream.