Leadership and Activism

Educating and being educated.

Posted by Jabreel Chisley ⋅ May 24, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment

We are approaching the horizon of a national crisis that is being ignored, blanketed in dissolution of hopes that it will be one of those “work itself out” issues like we hoped with the 2000’s financial meltdown. Our feelings about this crisis are the same as they were in that crisis because the same lack … Continue reading »

Sustained by Love from Comrades (SLC)

Posted by iteach4change ⋅ May 24, 2012 ⋅ 1 Comment

Now is one of the few times I’m glad I have no time to write. I started writing a post in April and had to do it in pieces. I was almost all set to post something when I just had to change it. My next post was going to be titled “Time for Some … Continue reading »

Let Our Voices be Heard (Guest Post by SWDFS student Raychel Gafford)

Posted by dloitz ⋅ May 1, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

Reposted with permission from Southwest Detroit Freedom School. Originally posted at Let Our Voices Be Heard! Originally recited by Raychel Gafford during a walk out and protest at Western International School in Detroit Wednesday April 25, 2012. See video of the speech below! Her speech starts at 3:46! Hi my name is Raychel Gafford. I’m … Continue reading »

MAY DAY of Action for Education! #OccupyEDU

Posted by coopcatalyst ⋅ May 1, 2012 ⋅ 6 Comments

Today all over the country students, educators, parents and community members are taking part in the May Day of Action. There are many ways to support this day of action. One way is to make your voice heard online. Today we will be collecting blog posts and twitter/facebook status message and pictures and posters in … Continue reading »

L.A. Riots: An Interview 20 Years Later

Posted by John T. Spencer ⋅ April 27, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

My good friend Javier Lucero (@mrlucero82) was a nine year old child during the L.A. Riots twenty years ago. I interviewed him about his experiences as a child and what that means for him as a teacher dedicated to social justice. The interview takes place in a car, so there’s sort-of a third character of … Continue reading »

Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals, Groups and Flying Kites in the Rain

Posted by Thomas Steele-Maley ⋅ April 22, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

I believe that society must be reconstructed to enlarge the contribution of autonomous individuals and primary groups to the total effectiveness of a new system of production designed to satisfy the human needs which it also determines. -Illich (1973) Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals and Groups The time is now to listen to Frog Birds, … Continue reading »

Tear Down That Wall

Posted by Michael Meechin ⋅ April 19, 2012 ⋅ 18 Comments

Walls. We are surrounded by them in our schools. Usually a dull beige or institutional grey; they divide us from our colleagues, administrators, community, and sometimes even our students. They also serve as a phenomenal metaphor for the state of education in this country. How many people actually know what goes on in the educational factories … Continue reading »

Traditions of Struggle: Teaching as a Spiritual Practice

Posted by rad fag ⋅ April 18, 2012 ⋅ 6 Comments

“Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize/that teaching others to stand and fight is the only way my struggle survives.” – Bernice Johnson Reagon, Sweet Honey in the Rock I have been thinking a great deal lately about whether being a classroom teacher is actually what I envision myself doing. There … Continue reading »

What Would Gandhi Do?

Posted by Deven Black ⋅ April 17, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

In its infinite wisdom, the New York State Education Department has increased the length of the state ELA and math tests by 50% this year. Now three days each instead of two. They say that the increase is due to a need to field test questions for future exams based on the Common Core standards. In … Continue reading »

50 Words You Should NOT Say on a Standardized Test

Posted by zoeweil ⋅ April 16, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment

I wanted to share a recent post I wrote for Common Dreams, a progressive news site. Here’s an excerpt from “50 Words You Should NOT Say on a Standardized Test”: “… when I first read about the New York City’s department of education effort to ban 50 words from city-wide tests, I thought that I’d … Continue reading »

For they are not doing what they can’t yet do

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ April 5, 2012 ⋅ 24 Comments

In mulling over the school to prison pipeline and the cosmetic differences between grouping and tracking, I’ve found myself asking the same questions over and over again: Is there a link between early-childhood placement in a reading remediation program or scripted learning environment and eventual incarceration? (Don’t click if you hate Elseiver.) Even if there … Continue reading »

Creating a Generation of Solutionaries

Posted by zoeweil ⋅ April 4, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

For my blog post, I wanted to share a recent article I wrote for Educational Horizons Magazine. Here’s an excerpt from “Creating a Generation of Solutionaries”: “In June, approximately three million students will graduate from public U.S. high schools, and even though they will have all passed their No Child Left Behind tests year after … Continue reading »

A Dictator Unwilling to Step Down

Posted by linedalile ⋅ April 1, 2012 ⋅ 5 Comments

I speak about education from an unflattering point of view, maybe because it is destroying our fascinating, curious minds. I don’t claim to be an expert in education, I am still a student and I speak for myself. I believe that students should have a voice in the education system today, because mainly they are … Continue reading »

The Future of Our Education as Illustrated from the Tucson Book Ban (Guest Post by Youth Leader Kalila Bohsali)

Posted by dloitz ⋅ March 31, 2012 ⋅ 3 Comments

I, as a student with a strong belief that our education shapes our lives, ideals and the way we view our peers and equals, am completely appalled with the recent education feud in Tucson, Arizona. Somehow, our learning process has become embroiled with deeply biased political catastrophes led by greed mongering corporate monsters who are … Continue reading »

Mike Daisey’s Lies Must Not Make Us Apathetic or Cynical

Posted by zoeweil ⋅ March 26, 2012 ⋅ 4 Comments

I wanted to share a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “Mike Daisey’s Lies Must Not Make Us Apathetic or Cynical”: “On January 18, I wrote “An Eighth Grader’s Letter to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.” I had taught a week-long … Continue reading »

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