|
California Referendum Mandates
"English Only."
The lead story in a Rethinking Schools report on the so-called
"English for the Children" initiative slated to go before
California voters on June 2, 1998, which would ban bilingual instruction
and impose an English-only mandate on all classrooms. Includes a breakdown
of the initiative's key components and analysis of what its passage
would mean for bilingual education and local control.
Number of Language-Minority
Students Skyrockets
An analysis by the National Association of Bilingual Education details
the tremendous growth of this population.
History of Bilingual Education
Bilingual education has been a fixture in U.S. schools for almost 150
years. Background on this history, important court cases,and why the
"English for the Children" initiative could end up costing
California billions in federal school aid.
Resources on the Unz Initiative
Where to call, write or Web-surf for more information on the "English
for the Children" referendum.
Reading, Writing and Censorship:
When Good Books Can Get Schools in Trouble
By Barbara Miner
Censorship is alive and well in U.S. schools, often as part of
a larger effort by conservatives or religious fundamentalists to impose
their ideology on public institutions. Rethinking Schools takes
an in-depth look at the ongoing struggle over what children can and
can't read in school.
Frequently Challenged Books
A list of some of the books most often targeted by book banners.
Is Teaching "La Causa"
Grounds for Firing?
How two teachers in Vaughn, NM lost their jobs for refusing to stop
teaching Chicano history.
Resources on Censorship
A list of some of the major organizations involved in censorship issues.
Know the Law
Some of the key court decisions that outline the legal parameters of
school censorship.
MPS: Is This the Darkness
Before the Dawn?
A Rethinking Schools Editorial
These are both challenging and exciting times for the Milwaukee
Public Schools. With the threat of a state takeover looming, educators
and community activists are focusing on MPS and searching forways to
bring meaningful reform to the district. Rethinking Schools offers
some essential guidelines for making sure that reform efforts have a
solid foundation.
Motivating Students to Do
Quality Work
By Bob Peterson
A visit to a student exhibition at La Escuela Fratney, a two-way
bilingual elementary school in Milwaukee, illustrates important principles
for encouraging students to do their best.
Ten Chairs of Inequality:
A Simulation on the Distribution of Wealth
By Polly Kellogg
A simple classroom exercise can help students of all ages grasp
the skewed distribution of wealth in U.S. society.
The Discipline of Hope: Lessons from a Lifetime
of Teaching andLearning
By Herbert Kohl
After almost four decades of involvement in classroom teaching
and school reform, the noted educator and writer reflects on the importance
of "the refusal to accept limits on what your students can learn
or what you, as a teacher, can do to help them."
Misery is Fun: Using Langston Hughes' "Black
Misery."
By Ilise Benun
How a teacher uses Hughes' last published book, which spotlights27
humiliating childhood moments, to raise consciouness among students
of all ages.
Mississippi Freedom Schools: A Project from the
Past Suggestsa Lesson for the Future
By David Levine
The 1964 civil rights program -- which brought Northern whitesto
Southern cities as teachers -- and what it means to us today.
Neighborhood Schools, Busing,
and the Struggle for Equality
By Bob Peterson
Analysis of the Milwaukee School Board's push to return to neighborhood
schools, and issues that policymakers must address to ensure thatAfrican
Americans don't get shortchanged by reductioins in school busing.
Wisconsin Experiments with Smaller Classes
By Leon Lynn
A look at a pilot project that cuts student-teacher ratios in some
classrooms to 15-1, and early data that suggest that the smaller classes
boost student achievement.
Milwaukee: Will Top-Down or Community-Based Reform
Prevail?
By Barbara Miner
Tides of change are sweeping through MPS -- including a threatened
state takeover -- but will state politicians or the local community
direct future reform efforts?
Black Ministers' Reform Plan
A list of reforms advocated by the Milwaukee Minority MinisterialAlliance.
Who's Who in MPS Reform
Compiled by Barbara Miner
Profiles of some of the organizations involved in the city's schoolreform
efforts.
States Get Failing Grade in Assessment
By Leon Lynn
A study by FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing,finds
that most states need to make major improvements in their state assessment
systems. The article includes a list of resouces on testing offered
by FairTest.
Tests and Standards: Will the Carrot or Stick Win
Out?
An interview with Monty Neill, acting executive director of FairTest,the
National Center for Fair & Open Testing, on the results of the organization's
study of state assessment programs and the ever-more-popular cries for
"tough national education standards."
ZOOBS: A Challenge for the Hand and Mind
By Herbert Kohl
This terrific new toy, which has all the makings of an instantclassic,
challenges kids to push their creative and intellectual limits.
DEPARTMENTS
No Comment! - News that needs no explanation
Shorts
Resource
Good Stuf
Ed-Web
Student Page
|
