School Debt: The Great Unequalizer
As Schirmer writes: “School districts with the fewest resources pay the most to borrow.” Given the underfunding of schools, debt amplifies existing inequalities.
School Privatization
The Tragedy of New Orleans Is Not Unique
A Review of Public Schools, Private Governance by J. Celeste Lay
From the Race to the Top to the Plunge to the Bottom
Horror movie sequels are notoriously bad. This one may be the worst. In 2009, federal intervention during the last financial crisis gave rise to the Obama administration’s signature education initiative: […]
Who’s Behind the Money?
While names like Rockefeller, Ford, Annenberg, and Carnegie traditionally have dominated foundation-funded education reform, in recent years a new group of foundations has emerged — Gates, Walton, and Broad, to […]
Parents Fight School Closings
During the night and on into the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004, a determined band of Chicago Public School (CPS) parents and community activists camped at the front door […]
Made in Seattle
Made in Seattle
Challenging Corporate Ed Reform
The failures of the corporate education “reform” movement leave it vulnerable to genuine grassroots school transformation.
Who’s Bashing Teachers and Public Schools and What Can We Do About It?
To build an effective movement against the top-down strategies that are ripping public education apart, we need to take a closer look at who wants reform and why.
Prophet Motives
Any discussion of charter schools must ask not only whether charters promote a worthwhile vision of public education
Public Studies Puncture the Privatization Bubble
Two studies refute the claims made by voucher advocates: private schools are better than public ones, and competition makes public schools better.
‘Narrow and Unlovely’
Before the floodwaters receded in New Orleans, conservative education reformers rushed in selling a market-based future.
Lego Fascists’ (that’s us) vs. Fox News
What’s so wrong about questioning modern American values such as consumerism and militarism?
Film: Inspiration From Mexico’s Rank and File
Film: Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand) by director: Jill Friedberg, Corrugated Films, 2005, DVD. 60 min.
Free-Market Education
Graphic evidence that school vouchers do not guarantee school quality in Milwaukee.
Katrina’s Lessons
It wasn’t just the hurricane that devastated the Gulf; it was also a slower, more preventable surge of racism and poverty.
We’re Not Blind. Just Follow the Dollar Sign
Chicago’s renaissance” could mean dark age for city’s public schools.”
The Gates Foundation and Small Schools
The Gates’ $735 million have made them key players in small school reform.
Not in Our Name
Reclaiming the democratic vision of small school reform.
Editorial: The Small School Express
If we ignore race and money inequities, small school reform won’t help anything meaningful take root.
Time to Get Off the Testing Train
While high-profile tests like the SAT are problematic, Karp argues that we need to end the routine standardized tests that plague students and teachers.
Racial Justice Is Not a Choice
High-stakes tests have not only failed to achieve racial equality in schooling, they’ve also made it worse for students of color.
Our House Is on Fire — Time to Teach Climate Justice
In the latest installment of our regular column “Earth, Justice, and Our Classrooms,” Rethinking Schools curriculum editor Bill Bigelow writes about global youth activism around climate justice and the urgency of the crisis, and introduces readers to the Zinn Education Project’s Teach Climate Justice campaign.
The 2020 Presidential Election: Educators Speak Out
We asked a group of radical educators to weigh in on what they hoped would be part of any 2020 presidential candidate’s education platform.
Shock-Doctrine Schooling in Haiti
Immediately after an earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, corporations swooped in to capitalize on the destruction and to privatize public enterprises. Hagopian explores how disaster capitalism hit the education system and what the effects were on students and families.
LeBron’s School Should Be Every School Public, Fully Funded, and with Arms Around the Community
There are few public schools receiving as much attention these days as LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron, Ohio — and it’s because it’s just that: a public school.