Volume 14, No. 4 - Summer 2000

AH HA! YOU DON'T FIT THE STANDARDS! THAT PROVES THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS A FAILURE!

Is there Value in Value-Added Testing?
By Bob Peterson
Milwaukee plans an unprecedented expansion of testing. Here's why it's a mistake.

Teaching in Dangerous Times
By Gloria Ladson-Billings
The importance of developing culturally relevant ways to assess teachers.

MPS Parents Protest Budget Cuts
By Barbara Miner
Parents call upon School Board to find money to offset $32 million deficit.

Walk on the Child's Side
Statewide walk calls for end to school spending caps.

The Case for Smaller Classes
An Interview with Alex Molnar
A look at the research that supports this common-sense reform.

Voucher Backers Illegally Funnel Money
By Barbara Miner
Wisconsin Supreme Court race tainted by corruption scandal.

Voucher School CEO Sentenced To Jail
By Barbara Miner
The head of one Milwaukee voucher school draws a six-month sentence for tax fraud connected to another venture, as the sentencing judge calls the voucher program "easy pickings for people who are not inclined to be honest."

Raising Children's Cultural Voices
By Berta Rosa Berriz
A third-grade teacher describes her two-way bilingual classroom.

Learning in Four Languages
"In this class you can learn Spanglish, African-American English, Standard English, and Standard Spanish."

Kids Protest Tax on Books
Fifth-graders in Springfield, MA, traveled to the state legislature in Boston on Apr. 26 to address a legislative taxation committee and demand that children's books be exempted from the state's 5% sales tax.

The Educational Costs Of Standardization
By Linda McNeil
How high-stakes tests have distorted teaching in Texas.

Dangers of Early Childhood Testing
By Bob Peterson
Why experts on assessment oppose standardized tests for very young children.

Students Protest Tests
Why hundreds of high school students from across Massachusetts boycotted the state's high-stakes test last April.

Operation Bearlift
By Kate Lyman
An elementary teacher uses social action to build community.

The Tea Party
By Linda Christensen
A high school English teacher explores ways to entice reluctant readers.

When Schools Compete
By Edward B. Fiske and Helen F. Ladd
A cautionary tale from New Zealand on the effects of decentralization and market-based reforms.

A Journey To Openness
By Daniel P. Ryan
An elementary principal tells of his journey to openly gay administrator.

Fed Up With Gay-Bashing
An 11-year-old student takes a stand against homophobic slurs.

Defending Freedom Of The Press
By Alex Diamond
A middle school student stands up for his rights.

Students' Rights
A handy rundown of the free-speech rights students have under current law.

Please - No More Magic Bullets!
A Rethinking Schools Editorial
A handy rundown of the free-speech rights students have under current law.

A Vision Of Reform
By Rethinking Schools
A working draft outlining eight principles to guide school reform.

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