What Am I to Say to Aspiring Teachers?

At my university, I serve as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Masters in Education program. Part of this job entails serving as an advisor/recruiter to people who already have a Bachelor's degree in some other field, but who wish...

A conference that will matter after it is over

Justo Méndez Arámburu has had a very clear message about IDEC 2012 over the last two months.   “The most important day of IDEC 2012 is April 1st.”   That date is remarkable because it is the day after the...

National Day of Civic Action March 15: Dear Mr. President

The paradox of democracy is this: those who don’t have it fight tooth and nail to get it while those who have it watch football. I realize this statement is hyperbolic, but I wanted to make a point. On President’s...

Pathways to Healing After a School Shooting

I’m a self-proclaimed news junkie. Every morning, I begin by scanning through major news sites online, by poring over Facebook and Twitter posts, updating myself with what’s going on in the world. This continues throughout the day, just as it...

Caine’s Arcade

Caine’s Arcade is a short film about a 9 year old boy’s cardboard arcade, located in his dad’s used auto parts store in East LA. Caine dreamed of the day he would have lots of customers visit his arcade, and...

We Are the Present: Why Youth Voices Are Necessary

When we pretend that children are just adults in hatching, waiting to become real participants in the world, we don’t merely take away their agency and lose out on their wisdom; we deny that they are already full participants in...

Evaluating Our Values

Articles are written every year bemoaning the fact that young Americans are woefully ignorant about civics. Here’s a radical theory to consider: Young people don’t know civics because we don’t teach them civics! We made a decision in that moment...

What will happen to education in 2012?

What can we expect in the world of public education in 2012? (For a good review of what happened in 2011, check out this link.) I’ll start by considering three nagging questions. 1. Will this be the year that some...