Illustration:Rob Dunlavey

School Leadership for Tough Times

It takes more than a brilliant teacher or two to ensure that our youth leave school with the skills, confidence, and critical consciousness to be productive and thoughtful participants in the world. It takes vibrant school communities with strong, visionary leadership. The fall issue of Rethinking Schools shines a light on the possibilities when principals and superintendents buck the trend toward testing and standardization:

“Another Path Is Possible: Two Chicago Principals Keep an Eye on What Matters,”
 by Gregory Michie.

Two neighborhood schools find their way, thriving on collaboration and commitment to a shared vision. By the author of Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students.

“Big City Superintendents: Dictatorship or Democracy? Lessons from Paulo Freire,”
by Bob Peterson.

Did you know Paulo Freire was once superintendent of schools in São Paulo, Brazil? Rethinking Schools editor and 5th grade teacher Bob Peterson describes how the world-famous author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed put his theories into practice in a poverty-stricken urban school district.

Also in this issue of Rethinking Schools:

Editorial: “Where Is Our Community Organizer-in-Chief?”
by the editors of Rethinking Schools.

There is a disturbing overlap between Obama’s educational policies and those of George W. Bush. The nation’s schools don’t need an entrepreneur-in-chief; we need national leadership that supports critical thinking, educating the whole child, and democratic participation from the ground up.

“The Debate over Differentiated Pay: The Devil Is in the Details,”
 by Barbara Miner.

These days everyone has an opinion about how teachers should get paid. Investigative reporter Barbara Miner goes beyond the rhetoric to explore trends and conflicting perspectives on alternative pay structures.

“Rethinking Thanksgiving: Myths and Misgivings,”
by Vera L. Stenhouse.

Elementary school celebrations play an enormous role in perpetuating the myth of the “first Thanksgiving.” Just in time for this year’s holiday, a teacher preparation instructor describes how and why she guides new teachers toward a more historically accurate approach.

There's a lot more inside this issue.

Join the RS e-mail list

Receive e-mail notifications of major updates to the Rethinking Schools website, special publication offers, and breaking news on important education issues. Rethinking Schools will never trade or sell this e-mail list to anyone else.

Special Article Collections
Rethinking Schools special collections on critical education issues, including:

• War, Terrorism and Our Classrooms
• School Vouchers
• Bilingual Education
• Bush's No Child Left Behind Act
• The Return to Separate and Unequal -- How Minority Students are Being Shortchanged
• Teacher Unions
• Creationism in Public Schools
• Let's Talk About Sex