Why Now Is the Time to Reform How We Elect the President Why Now Is the Time to Reform How We Elect the President
The power brokers of both parties are already busy trying to shut down debate and shut out alternatives for 2016.
Feb 5, 2014 / The Editors
Obama Called for a ‘Year of Action’ to Fight Inequality. Let’s Make It Happen. Obama Called for a ‘Year of Action’ to Fight Inequality. Let’s Make It Happen.
Only continued pressure from grassroots activists will force Washington to do the right thing.
Jan 29, 2014 / The Editors
Bill de Blasio Is Wrong to Pander to AIPAC Bill de Blasio Is Wrong to Pander to AIPAC
The powerful right-wing lobby doesn’t represent most American Jews, and it’s no longer the only game in town.
Jan 29, 2014 / The Editors
Our Impoverished Poverty Debate Our Impoverished Poverty Debate
Fifty years after LBJ declared a War on Poverty, the United States ranks near the bottom in childhood poverty among all developed nations.
Dec 30, 2013 / The Editors
Reclaim School Reform Reclaim School Reform
One of the greatest challenges facing American education today is a fantasy, spun by billionaire-funded “think tanks” and often repeated uncritically by politicians and pundits, that our schools are failing, that teachers are shirking their responsibilities and that unions are the root of the problem. Unfortunately, the peddlers of these distortions have held the microphone for so long that the word “reform” is now associated with the crudest assaults on the very infrastructure of public education. It’s not that reform isn’t called for. Schools are beset with difficulties, mostly born of the inequalities rampant in the larger society. But, as ought to be obvious, education reform must be in the public interest—on behalf of public schools and the children who attend them—rather than private interests, furthering “the corporate agenda for public schools, which disregards our voices and attempts to impose a system of winners and losers,” to quote the mission statement of a new coalition of teachers and their unions, along with parent, student, religious and community groups. This coalition has set itself the task of nothing less than reclaiming “the promise of public education as our nation’s gateway to democracy and racial and economic justice.” Backed by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, as well as national groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens and local organizations like the Philadelphia Student Union and the Boston Youth Organizing Project, this coalition effort—beginning with a national day of action on December 9—picks up the themes of the Chicago Teachers Union strike of 2012, which saw educators and parents unite against school closings. It highlights concerns about resources and classroom energy being diverted to standardized testing instead of kids, concerns that have become a focus of the New York State United Teachers. And it embraces the message of Diane Ravitch, former assistant secretary of education, who argues that the right response to much of what ails public education is a comprehensive anti-poverty agenda that addresses racial and economic inequality by providing healthcare, food and nutrition, and preschool programs that enable teachers to teach and students to learn. By focusing on a set of “Principles That Unite Us,” organizers are attempting to bridge divisions that too often have been exploited by the privatizers and unionbusters. As Jeff Bryant, an associate fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future who has been active with the Education Opportunity Network, explains it: “Behind nearly every complaint to the education status quo are common grievances about resource deprivation, inequity, public disempowerment, and the widespread perception that governing policies are driven by corruption.” Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50! Of course, shared grievances do not always put those who hold them on precisely the same page. But it is crucial to foster a shared understanding that these very problems are intimately linked to the assault on public education, which is being conducted in the guise of “reform”—and, moreover, that this assault has too frequently placed educators and their allies on the defensive. The teach-ins, demonstrations and rallies, and ongoing initiatives that will extend from the day of action, will not only challenge cutbacks and closings; they will seek to shift the debate toward broad new commitments to invest in students, teachers and the infrastructure that facilitates learning. The organizers are right to recognize that real reform must proceed from the essential premise that, in their words, “access to good public schools is a critical civil and human right.” In September, Pedro Noguera wrote about how the latest trend in “school reform” fails children.
Dec 4, 2013 / The Editors
Farewell, Filibuster Farewell, Filibuster
There’s more work to be done, but this was a big win for democracy.
Nov 26, 2013 / The Editors
Why the Left Should Defend Obamacare Why the Left Should Defend Obamacare
Yes, it was a flawed compromise. But to achieve universal, humane healthcare for all, we first need effective implementation of the ACA.
Nov 20, 2013 / The Editors
The Progressive Electoral Wave of 2013 The Progressive Electoral Wave of 2013
The big story this November is a cross-country rejection of austerity and inequality and support for social justice.
Nov 13, 2013 / The Editors
Child Labor in the USA Child Labor in the USA
The country must find the political will to end this national disgrace.
Nov 13, 2013 / The Editors
The de Blasio Mandate The de Blasio Mandate
Five areas where Mayor de Blasio can make big progressive changes in New York City.
Nov 6, 2013 / The Editors