The Landscape
5 Lessons from the Save Our Schools & AERO Conferences
As you may have noticed from our social media updates, the IDEA team has been traveling all over creation for the past couple of months. Last month Dana Bennis flew to Devon, England, for the 19th annual International Democratic Education Conference, while Scott Nine went to Providence, Rhode Island, for Free Minds, Free People. Earlier this month, Scott and I traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action. A few days later, the entire IDEA staff and much of the rest of our team (board members, interns, and organizers) convened in Portland, Oregon, for the 8th annaul AERO Conference.
Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. I feel exhausted, but energized at the same time.
At...
I am just returning from the AERO and Holistic Education conferences, where I saw COOPsters David Loitz, Casey Caronna, Paul Freedman and Jen Groves. (Oh yeah!) One evening at AERO, a group gathered to talk about what IDEA has been learning over the past year. This prompted a reflection on my work as an educational activist and teacher over the past 15 years, and the paradoxes I hold in my work, as both a radical school critic, and a persistent hope monger in education.
As most of us here at the COOP already feel, we are at a moment of crisis in public education. Only a few pieces of evidence: the outpouring of objection and outcry at...
Those are two questions that the IDEA staff often hears from people in our network. They know that we rack up loads of frequent flyer miles traveling to conferences, school tours, and other gatherings focused on reinventing education. That means we have an ear to the ground in a lot of different places.
Executive Director Scott Nine wins the top traveler trophy so far. Over the past several months, IDEA has taken him to Atlanta; Jackson, Miss.; Boston; New York City; Providence, RI; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico, just to name a few. He's met with government officials, community organizers, major funders, and administrators; he's also talked in depth with parents,...
But I'm not going to DC for the march. I'm going for the messy work of organizing what comes after the march that will take place at the SOS Congress on July 31st at American University from 11am to 3pm EST.
We are right to make demands, to craft policy proposals, and to seek media attention. We need coherent narratives about the school to prison pipeline, the learning and teaching environments that grow curiosity, a connection to place, and meaningfully engage students in learning that matters.
But,...
After receiving our Metrocards (this was an all subway all the time tour), and a quick chance to get to know each other, we were off to do what we came to do: see four innovative, breakthrough schools, each with different histories, instructional models and student populations. (Monday: NYC iSchool, The Green School; Tuesday: Urban Academy, Calhoun School). We were especially interested in the culture and climate of each school"each one was considered "successful” and was popular with its students and parents. But what made each one different? What...
Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of dropouts said a major reason for dropping out was that classes were not interesting -- in other words,...
In two days of meetings, I met with the staff of three Congressmen, two Senators, two folks in the Department of Education, the adviser to the education advisers of the 75 largest cities in the US, the interim director of the national PTA, the leaders of the National Youth Rights Association, and the head of policy and advocacy for the organization that brings together many of the state schools' foundations.
I've been obsessed with understanding the educational landscape. Who has the power to convene the kinds of conversations many of us want to see happen? Who makes and who influences decisions that have the most impact on youth, communities, and...
It was an amazing meeting. Ten committed activists, educators, school founders, and school re-starters gathered for an IDEA Board Retreat in San Francisco last month. Fired up by Pedro Noguera's keynote speech to the Coalition of Essential Schools the day before, we framed up IDEA's commitments and strategy: how we move this baby out so we're actually doing something, making sure we're talking about what matters, and ensuring we're providing tools for change. Because we aim to be the organization in this country connecting people who are transforming and revolutionizing education, we had a lot to talk about.
Want to get in?
...
Imagine a mayor who calls together all department heads to sit in a circle with leading educators, youth, and parents every other week to sort out how to increase each young citizens sense of belonging, their rootedness to the city, and how the city can bring its resources to bear in service of the best learning available.
Sound crazy? Impossible? In March, IDEA had the opportunity to spend time meeting with the Mayors of Tiberius and Bat Yam and education...
When I heard that a new A&E show was following Tony Danza as he spends a year teaching 10th grade English, I rolled my eyes. Tony Danza, of the 1980s sitcom "Who's the Boss?"? I expected a trashy reality show that made a mockery of teaching. At best, I thought it would be like other celebrity reality shows: like a train wreck, so awful that you can't look away.
I couldn't have been more wrong about "Teach: Tony Danza." It's a beautiful, honest portrayal of first-year teaching in a large, urban public school (Northeast High School is the largest high school in Philadelphia, with around 3,700 students who speak over 57 languages.)
...
Posted on Aug 12, 2011 - 08:25 AM by Melia Dicker
It is summer conference season. Oh yes, it is summer conference season.As you may have noticed from our social media updates, the IDEA team has been traveling all over creation for the past couple of months. Last month Dana Bennis flew to Devon, England, for the 19th annual International Democratic Education Conference, while Scott Nine went to Providence, Rhode Island, for Free Minds, Free People. Earlier this month, Scott and I traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action. A few days later, the entire IDEA staff and much of the rest of our team (board members, interns, and organizers) convened in Portland, Oregon, for the 8th annaul AERO Conference.
Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. I feel exhausted, but energized at the same time.
At...
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Paradoxes of Our WorkPosted on Aug 10, 2011 - 03:57 PM by Kirsten Olson
The ability to hold two conflicting truths simultaneously isn't easy. And that's exactly what our work in education calls us to do at this moment.I am just returning from the AERO and Holistic Education conferences, where I saw COOPsters David Loitz, Casey Caronna, Paul Freedman and Jen Groves. (Oh yeah!) One evening at AERO, a group gathered to talk about what IDEA has been learning over the past year. This prompted a reflection on my work as an educational activist and teacher over the past 15 years, and the paradoxes I hold in my work, as both a radical school critic, and a persistent hope monger in education.
As most of us here at the COOP already feel, we are at a moment of crisis in public education. Only a few pieces of evidence: the outpouring of objection and outcry at...
Read More... 8 Comments
Introducing IDEA’s New Podcast: The LandscapePosted on Jul 25, 2011 - 10:12 PM by Melia Dicker
"So what's going on with education in different parts of the country? What should I be paying attention to?"Those are two questions that the IDEA staff often hears from people in our network. They know that we rack up loads of frequent flyer miles traveling to conferences, school tours, and other gatherings focused on reinventing education. That means we have an ear to the ground in a lot of different places.
Executive Director Scott Nine wins the top traveler trophy so far. Over the past several months, IDEA has taken him to Atlanta; Jackson, Miss.; Boston; New York City; Providence, RI; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico, just to name a few. He's met with government officials, community organizers, major funders, and administrators; he's also talked in depth with parents,...
Read More... 1 Comments
Time to get off our knees and do more than just marchPosted on Jul 21, 2011 - 09:47 AM by Scott Nine
Jonathan Kozol was spot on. It is time for educators, parents, and young people to reclaim the “public” in public education and get off our knees. I've been enjoying reading his and teachers diaries about why they'll march to Save Our Schools on July 30th in DC. I'll be there too.But I'm not going to DC for the march. I'm going for the messy work of organizing what comes after the march that will take place at the SOS Congress on July 31st at American University from 11am to 3pm EST.
We are right to make demands, to craft policy proposals, and to seek media attention. We need coherent narratives about the school to prison pipeline, the learning and teaching environments that grow curiosity, a connection to place, and meaningfully engage students in learning that matters.
But,...
Read More... 0 Comments
Tour of Our LivesPosted on Apr 11, 2011 - 09:11 PM by Kirsten Olson
Last week 37 educators from 10 states and 4 countries gathered at the headquarters of Project Reach and Fertile Grounds in Manhattan to begin the Institute for Democratic Education in America's (IDEA's) first ever Innovation School tour.After receiving our Metrocards (this was an all subway all the time tour), and a quick chance to get to know each other, we were off to do what we came to do: see four innovative, breakthrough schools, each with different histories, instructional models and student populations. (Monday: NYC iSchool, The Green School; Tuesday: Urban Academy, Calhoun School). We were especially interested in the culture and climate of each school"each one was considered "successful” and was popular with its students and parents. But what made each one different? What...
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Spark’s Answer to the Dropout CrisisPosted on Mar 09, 2011 - 09:28 PM by Chris Balme
Meet Tania*, 14 years old. Her story is typical of many students in urban public schools across the United States. No one in her family had completed high school. In seventh grade, she was struggling academically, and assumed that she would follow in her mother's footsteps and become a cashier at Wal-Mart. At school, Tania had not been asked much about her aspirations -- as it turns out, she dreamed of becoming an attorney -- and as a result she was not clear on how school could ever get her to that goal.Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of dropouts said a major reason for dropping out was that classes were not interesting -- in other words,...
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As much to myself as to youPosted on Feb 04, 2011 - 06:26 PM by Scott Nine
I've spent much of the last five days making sense of the two days I spent in DC last week and the last six months of my work with IDEA.In two days of meetings, I met with the staff of three Congressmen, two Senators, two folks in the Department of Education, the adviser to the education advisers of the 75 largest cities in the US, the interim director of the national PTA, the leaders of the National Youth Rights Association, and the head of policy and advocacy for the organization that brings together many of the state schools' foundations.
I've been obsessed with understanding the educational landscape. Who has the power to convene the kinds of conversations many of us want to see happen? Who makes and who influences decisions that have the most impact on youth, communities, and...
Read More... 7 Comments
50 Ways to Make Your School More DemocraticPosted on Dec 11, 2010 - 07:12 PM by Kirsten Olson
Editor's Note: Kirsten Olson is the co-chair of the IDEA Board of Directors and a guest blogger for IDEA. She also writes at the group blog Cooperative Catalyst.It was an amazing meeting. Ten committed activists, educators, school founders, and school re-starters gathered for an IDEA Board Retreat in San Francisco last month. Fired up by Pedro Noguera's keynote speech to the Coalition of Essential Schools the day before, we framed up IDEA's commitments and strategy: how we move this baby out so we're actually doing something, making sure we're talking about what matters, and ensuring we're providing tools for change. Because we aim to be the organization in this country connecting people who are transforming and revolutionizing education, we had a lot to talk about.
Want to get in?
...
Read More... 19 Comments
The kind of mayoral engagement we can celebratePosted on Nov 30, 2010 - 02:39 PM by Scott Nine
Imagine a small city of 200,000 people whose mayor has earned the trust, partnership, and respect of its educators (both public and private), business leaders, youth, and parents. A mayor whose calendar reflects a real commitment to an honest conversation about ways the entire city can become a school - in the best use of the word.Imagine a mayor who calls together all department heads to sit in a circle with leading educators, youth, and parents every other week to sort out how to increase each young citizens sense of belonging, their rootedness to the city, and how the city can bring its resources to bear in service of the best learning available.
Sound crazy? Impossible? In March, IDEA had the opportunity to spend time meeting with the Mayors of Tiberius and Bat Yam and education...
Read More... 0 Comments
10 Things to Learn About Good Teaching from “Teach: Tony Danza”Posted on Nov 26, 2010 - 05:23 PM by Melia Dicker
“Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task.” - Haim GinottWhen I heard that a new A&E show was following Tony Danza as he spends a year teaching 10th grade English, I rolled my eyes. Tony Danza, of the 1980s sitcom "Who's the Boss?"? I expected a trashy reality show that made a mockery of teaching. At best, I thought it would be like other celebrity reality shows: like a train wreck, so awful that you can't look away.
I couldn't have been more wrong about "Teach: Tony Danza." It's a beautiful, honest portrayal of first-year teaching in a large, urban public school (Northeast High School is the largest high school in Philadelphia, with around 3,700 students who speak over 57 languages.)
...
Read More... 5 Comments