December 2017/January 2018 Archives

When the president is a liar

Nov 27, 2017 | Editor's Note

I have to confess that I have long rolled my eyes at suggestions that schools should promote...

Using controversy as a teaching tool: An interview with Diana Hess

Nov 27, 2017 | Feature Article, Interview, Racial Justice Resources

Teaching students how to engage in civil discussions about important issues is even more essential...

The controversy over controversial issues

Nov 27, 2017 | Feature Article

Ensuring more classroom discussion about contentious topics requires more prestige and protection...

From partisanship to pluralism: Teaching students how to listen to each other

Nov 22, 2017 | Feature Article

A teacher-designed discussion protocol helps high school students have productive conversations...

School districts control teachers’ classroom speech

Nov 22, 2017 | Under The Law

School boards set the curriculum for schools, and they have the legal right to decide what...

There’s a consultant for that: When school districts are doing too much but can’t help themselves

Nov 22, 2017 | Feature Article

I have had the privilege of working with a range of schools and school districts where the sense...

A lesson in civility: The negativity immigrant students hear

Nov 22, 2017 | Backtalk

A survey of immigrant children in the U.S. revealed just how often they hear prejudiced and...

Can schools meet the promise of continuous improvement?

Nov 22, 2017 | Feature Article

New research offers insights on how leaders can actually make continuous improvement work....

Top 10 reasons students plagiarize & what teachers can do about it (with apologies to David Letterman)

Nov 22, 2017 | Feature Article

Students may plagiarize for many reasons, ranging from laziness to sloppiness to a lack of understanding about the reason for citations, but teachers can employ a series of strategies to prevent problems while also teaching students good scholarly practices.