Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on "fixing" and "filling" academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the "student" up--with classrooms, schools and systems…

Students feel strongly about the controversial topics elevated by recent and historic Supreme Court cases. Supreme Court cases provide materials for teaching about contested public issues in relevant and meaningful ways that help students develop critical decision-making skills, gain civic content knowledge, improve communication skills, and…

The United States' social and economic inequities stood in high relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, spotlighting the glaringly disproportionate systemic injustices related to public health and the economic impact on minoritized communities. Realities of structural and institutionalized racism and classism were exposed to greater degrees as we…

The electric bicycle pusher is a legal bicycle trailer on wheels that can push a bicycle at speeds of up to 35 mph. People across the country are buying small electric cars that go no faster than that--and paying five times more than what one pays to make an electric bicycle pusher. In this article, the author provides some information on electric…

The objects that represent our material culture--street signs, mascots, symbols etched into stone or printed on stationery--are silent bearers of history: the past tattooed on the present. The meanings given to those objects may change from one social or culture group to another. One seemingly innocent and overlooked example in this vein is the…

Over the last 20 years, independent filmmakers have produced insightful documentaries of high profile political campaigns with behind-the-scenes footage. These documentaries offer inside looks and unique perspectives on electoral politics. This campaign season, consider "The War Room"; "A Perfect Candidate"; "Journeys With George;" "Chisholm '72";…

Panwapa, created by the Sesame Street Workshop of PBS, is an example of an initiative on the Internet designed to enhance students' learning by exposing them to global communities. Panwapa means "Here on Earth" in Tshiluba, a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the Panwapa website, www.panwapa.org, children aged…

This manual is a comprehensive guide to identifiers of gang activities and memberships. The "People" and "Folks" concepts it uses represent the two main divisions of street gang affiliation. Gangs that belong to the "People" nation use the left side as an identifier, use a five-pointed star as an emblem, and claim…

When people think of a person "working the corners," a G-rated image does not generally come to mind. Yet that is precisely what the author, posing as "June Cleavage," did in New York City one dreary morning: she facilitated a meeting of strangers through the creation of a character and an approachable situation. June, with her…

This technical assistance paper is designed to give trainers guidance on teaching the development and use of substance-abuse lessons found in "Street Law: A Course in Practical Law." The paper provides background on the lessons, a rationale for using the lessons, and sample agendas to use in training. "Street Law" contains…

Designed to help students in grades 9-12 understand economic terms, fundamental economic principles of the free enterprise system, and economic forces that influence activities in everyone's life, this teacher's guide provides over 50 reproducible activity sheets on the following topics: (1) scarcity and planning, (2) cost, (3) demand, (4) supply,…

Reviews works of cultural historians of the French Revolution. Analyzes interpretations of what constituted "the people" in three late eighteenth-century sources: Diderot's "Encyclopedie," contemporary political pamphlets, and Louis-Sebastien Mercier's vignettes of Parisian street life. Contends representation of "the…

This document consists of a collection of 13 curriculum projects created by U.S. teachers after visiting China during 1985. The included projects cover a variety of topics concerning China: "China Takes to the Streets: How Does Street Life Reflect Life in China?" (R. Andrian and H. Greenberg); "Outline for China Box--Exploring China…

This training manual is designed for use by volunteers, tutors, teachers, and education and training program coordinators who wish to adapt basic literacy instructional skills to street youth. It is not intended to be a stand-alone training program for new volunteer tutors. Major goals are the following: (1) to re-engage street youth in the…

This manual explains the role and responsibilities of case managers employed by social service agencies participating in the Takin' It to the Streets program in Portland (Oregon). It is a companion volume to "Basic Skills Training for Street Youth: A Manual for Volunteer Tutors." Takin' It to the Streets is a volunteer project designed…