Girls Against Dress Codes
“Ugh, Dress Codes!” The title of one of 15-year-old Izzy Labbe’s SPARK Movement blog posts encapsulates what I’ve heard so many girls say they feel about their middle and high […]
Policy Articles
“Stupid Book of Wrongness”
A teacher shows his 3rd- and 4th-grade students the Heartland Institute’s climate change denial book that was sent to every science teacher in the nation.
How the edTPA Disrupts Relationships
The edTPA has become a credentialing requirement in many states. Its implementation has distorted relationships throughout teacher education.
I Can’t Answer These Test Questions About My Own Poems
Sara Holbrook’s poems appear on the Texas STARR tests. Her efforts to answer the questions about her own poetry expose the narrowness of standardized testing.
The Seattle Educators’ Strike
On Sept. 20, 2015, thousands of Seattle Education Association (SEA) members voted to approve a new contract with the Seattle Public Schools. The vote officially ended the strike, which delayed […]
Anti-Privatization Movement Goes International // Arabic Language Pathway Attacked in San Francisco
Anti-Privatization Movement Goes International By Bob Peterson Teacher union leaders from around the world pledged to build an international movement against school privatization and commercialization at the 7th World Congress […]
English-Only to the Core
Is the Common Core better than current approaches to English language learners—or the next salvo in more than a decade of attacks on bilingual programs?
Activism Is Good Teaching
Two elementary school teachers in Albuquerque resist the proliferation of harmful standardized tests. They see it as a professional responsibility.
We Begin to Know Each Other
An administrator describes the journey of her K-8 school as it welcomes a transgender 8th grader and the gender transition of another student.
Black Students’ Lives Matter
We’re at a tipping point. The killings of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Renisha McBride—and far too many other African Americans—have put to rest the myth of […]
Short Stuff 29.3
Long Island Teacher Boycotts Common Core Tests Beth Dimino is an 8th-grade science teacher and president of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association in New York. She announced in February […]
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?
School Closures Rock Philadelphia
This spring, the School District of Philadelphia voted to close down 24 schools, about one in 10 public schools, affecting nearly 10,000 students across the district. The vote followed months […]
The Role of Performance Assessment in Developing Teaching as a Profession
The edTPA will lead to better teachers and more professional respect.
Wrong Answer to the Wrong Question
The edTPA distorts the teacher education process and opens the door to Pearson Inc. reaping more profits and power.
What’s a Nice Test Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
The dangers to the teaching profession are real, but is edTPA the solution?
Rethinking Ethnic Studies
As part of a growing nationwide movement to bring Ethnic Studies into K-12 classrooms, Rethinking Ethnic Studies brings together many of the leading teachers, activists, and scholars in this movement […]
Rethinking Popular Culture and Media – 2nd Edition
Rethinking Popular Culture and Media begins from the premise that the “popular” is political. Whether it’s Disney and Barbie, or Snapchat and Vine, youth navigate, shape, and repurpose popular culture. […]
Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality
Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality is a collection of inspiring stories about how to integrate feminist and LGBTQ content into curriculum, make it part of a vision for social justice, […]
Pencils Down
This powerful collection from the groundbreaking Rethinking Schools magazine takes high-stakes standardized tests to task. Despite overwhelming evidence that the tests are invalid ways to measure teaching and learning — […]
Rethinking School Reform
Rethinking School Reform puts classrooms and teaching at the center of the debate over how to improve public schools. Drawing on some of the best writing from the quarterly journal […]