By John Thompson. The theme of my previous post on the 2018 Network for Public Education conference was: How Was I Wrong? Let Me Count Some Ways. As I explained, the 2014 NPE conference in Austin hit a nice balance in terms of messaging and research that allowed us Davids to defeat the corporate reform Goliath. I …
By John Thompson. An important result of the teacher walkouts in Oklahoma and elsewhere was unexpected, at least by this former inner city teacher. Even though the majority of Oklahoma students are low-income (eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch), only a small percentage of educators teach in high-poverty schools …
By John Thompson. Diary of Some Webster Kids: Advocacy in Action is a powerful anthology written and edited by middle school English Language Learners. The first thing that jumps out of the essays is the students’ moral character and their heroism. The second thing their writing communicates is that they are …
By John Thompson. Diary of Some Webster Kids: Advocacy in Action was written and edited by the students. This is the third year that middle school students have published a book. Some chose to remain completely anonymous, while others have adopted a low profile. Their book opening, at Commonplace Books, was …
By Anthony Cody. Last July, I joined several hundred people for a Restorative Justice Circle in downtown Seattle, sponsored by the Badass Teachers Association. The event was a somber one, featuring heartfelt discussions of the impact of racism, and the commitments each of us were willing to make to take on racism …
By Anthony Cody. Last weekend the Network for Public Education held its fourth annual conference in Oakland, attended by about 450 activists from around the country. The last panel on Saturday afternoon was a conversation I led with Massachusetts Teachers Association president Barbara Madeloni and California …
By Craig Gordon. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., April 4, 1967 In 2017, we find the danger to be even greater [than at any time …
By Anthony Cody. Short, punchy films with a message have become one of the most powerful ways the movement to resist high stakes tests has spread the word. You might have seen parents from New York speaking from the heart about their experience, about what has driven them to resist and opt out of these tests. Some …
By Anthony Cody. This week a Trump surrogate, Carl Higbie, cited the unconstitutional internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two as “precedent” for how potentially disloyal Muslims might be dealt with. Last summer, Newt Gingrich, now in Trump’s inner circle of advisors, and a possible choice for …
By Nora Cody. Donald Trump didn’t just win, he won Bigly. Everyone I know is shocked, stunned, and deeply saddened, but in many ways we should have seen this coming. Conditions in this country have produced a potent list of ingredients that led to this disaster of a recipe. First, and most importantly, we have …
