The Atlantic: “In recent years, democracy has been given short shrift in American public schooling in two important respects: the curriculum that is explicitly taught to students does not place democratic values at the center, and the ‘hidden’ curriculum of what students observe on a daily basis no longer reinforces the importance of democracy.”
The Atlantic: “When teachers were questioned about their parent communications in three key areas—homework completion, disruptive behavior in class, and student accomplishments—a youngster’s race, ethnicity, and immigrant status appeared to be the deciding factors.”
Disability Scoop: “Their battle, according to dozens of disability rights attorneys and parents of children with intellectual disabilities, is emblematic of the difficulties faced by many families with children who have Down syndrome, who envision a culture of higher standards and greater public understanding of the condition.”
EdSource: “Educators from California and across the nation visit Lindsay [Unified] to see what performance-based learning looks like. They find that most classrooms are quiet—the students absorbed in their work. … Even in kindergarten, students edit each other’s work before turning it in to a teacher.”
Education Week: “Young African-Americans embrace computers as integral to their futures, but they may be missing out on key opportunities to learn to code, develop apps and software, and innovate with technology, concludes a new national survey.”
Edutopia: “I am learning that with students [who have experienced trauma], we must create an emotionally safe environment that provides them the opportunity to feel connected and understood; where ‘that was then, and this is now’ becomes a primary understanding and motto in the classroom.”
The Hechinger Report: “Terry High is the lively home of fall football games, student volunteers and an award-winning choir. But according to a group of parents, it has a more sinister side: school-based police officers are arresting a rising number of teenagers, most of whom are black. Student advocates and civil rights activists say the students deserve much lighter punishments.”
The Huffington Post: “‘Arthur’ has always been a bipartisan story for kids all over and across America―teaching morals of love, friendship and acceptance any parent could get behind.”
NEA Today: “While the idea of supporting the rights of transgender students may be challenging for some, the nation is dotted with a growing number of educators who are making changes to their school policy and opening their classroom doors to respect all students. ‘It’s really not that hard to make all students feel safe, comfortable, and accepted,’ says [an] educator out of Virginia.”
The New York Times: “No one disputes that every child in this country should learn English. But the no-Spanish dictate amounted to a form of cultural erasure. It was a cruel, shortsighted act, born of ignorance and intolerance. Being literate in the language of your immigrant ancestors (whether that language is Spanish, Korean, Mandarin or Armenian) makes you wiser and more powerful. I know this from experience.”
National Public Radio: “The FBI's Hate Crimes Statistics, 2015 report tallied more than 5,850 hate crime incidents in 2015. Most of the crimes were intimidation, vandalism or assault. Most of those—56.9 percent—were racially motivated, with more than half of race-based attacks targeting African-Americans.”
The Washington Post: “‘Prince William County is the 12th wealthiest county in the entire country and yet you have 11 schools within that school division that have that powerfully negative combination of high poverty and high minority students.’”
If you come across a current article or blog you think other educators should read, please send it to lfjeditor@splcenter.org, and put “What We’re Reading This Week” in the subject line.
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