For several years, Judy (a special education teacher who works with students in math and science goals) sat through staff meetings at which the PowerPoint slides containing the results of our statewide assessment data confirmed what she already knew about her students: they were not meeting state standards in math. Since all of the students in Judy’s class were on
Choices for the High School Graduate: A Survival Guide for the Information Age, Fourth Edition, by Bryna Fireside (Ferguson Publishing Company, $14.95) “College ready” is the mantra of high school reform. And clearly that is a laudable goal. Educators should make it a priority to prepare these students to have the academic skills, self-confidence, and personal motivation to seek a
The Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) is entering its 25th year as an organization and a network of schools dedicated transforming the experience of schools and education for young people, their teachers, and their communities nationwide. The practice of educators to engage in cycles of inquiry and actions that address challenges and improve outcomes evolved directly from the “conversation among
Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in Schools, edited by Mica Pollock (New Press, 416 pages, $24.95), reviewed by Kyle Meador Educators dealing with race in schools encounter a quandary rooted in systemic oppression. If we want schools to be vehicles for achieving racial equality, when and how should we be “colorblind,” and when and how should we be “race
On a mid-week day in mid-December 2008, Boston Day and Evening Academy’s room 209, usually used for board meetings, student assessments, awards dinners, and other occasions requiring an intimate atmosphere, smelled like Chinese food. Thirty-eight students gathered around large conference tables, chatting with teachers and each other and eating lunch. Some drifted between tables, catching up and laughing. These second-trimester
Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools 1720 Broadway, Fourth Floor Oakland, California 94612 telephone: 510-208-0160 www.bayces.org Boston Day and Evening Academy 20 Kearsarge Avenue Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119 telephone: 617-635-6789 www.bacademy.org Clover Park High School 11023 Gravelly Lake Drive SW Lakewood, Washington 98499 telephone: 253-583-5500 www.cloverpark.k12.wa.us/Schools/HighSchools/CPHS/index.htm EdVisions Schools 501 Main Street PO Box 601 Henderson, Minnesota 56044 telephone: 507-248-3738 www.edvisions.com Minnesota
Happy birthday, CES! We turn 25 in 2009, and it’s a year of celebration and looking forward for the CES network. Horace will continue to feature the writing and first-hand experiences of Essential school educators. Yes, this means you! See page 25 for a list of upcoming issue themes, and be in touch soon with your ideas for contributions. Summer
During my first year of teaching, Lily was a confident and verbal first grader in my first and second grade class. She wrote a story about a dragon the first week of school and easily sounded out every word. She held her own with the older children in the class. The trouble began when I administered the first “spelling” assessment
This article describes the “dreamscape” as EdVisions Schools moves forward as an education development organization. “Dreamscape” refers to the goals we have developed for the network of more than 40 Edvisions schools nationwide. Here, we describe the evolution of objectives for EdVisions school sites, the development of assessment tools to measure schools’ status and progress, and EdVisions Schools is an
Teacher Action Research for Equity and Multicultural Education Though brief, this section of the EdChange website is worth noting as a resource that focuses particularly on inquiry and teacher action research in the service of social justice and equity. The presentation of teacher action research though an equity lens provides useful material for initiating or reenergizing a school-based teacher action