Recall: Wisconsin Voters Unseat Two Republican Senators

By Cynthia McCabe In an unprecedented series of Wisconsin recall elections on Tuesday, two Democratic challengers knocked off Republican state senate incumbents — a sign of continued citizen outrage over efforts by Gov. Scott Walker to effectively eliminate collective bargaining for public workers in that state. Democrat Jennifer Shilling defeated Republican Sen. Dan Kapanke. Democrat Jessica [...]

President Obama Addresses Graduates at Memphis High School

By Cynthia McCabe Acknowledging the tremendous obstacles that stood in the way of today’s graduates of Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, President Barack Obama lauded them for their success in his commencement speech there. He also lauded the students’ teachers and administrators “who believed in you, who kept the heat on you, and [...]

Educators and Their Unions Help in Wake of Killer Tornadoes

By Cynthia McCabe As a tornado ripped a path toward Rainsville, Ala., teacher Kelly Jackson huddled in a neighbor’s safe room with her son. The pressure built in her ears, worse than any airplane take-off, as they hunkered down for minutes that felt like hours. They emerged to the sounds of neighbors yelling for help [...]

Wisconsin Republicans Ram Through Anti-Worker Bill

By Cynthia McCabe (Update: By a vote of 52-43, the Wisconsin state Assembly late Thursday afternoon passed Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill that strips collective bargaining rights for state employees. The final legislation will now be sent to Walker for signature. ) The polls showed that a majority of Americans and the residents of [...]

Wisconsin Mobilizes Against Gov. Walker’s Anti-Educator Bill

Education Support Professionals, Teachers Talk Indoor Air Quality

By Lance Fuller Amy Courson-Brock likens herself to a canary. Although she may not sing in mines to help miners detect deadly gases, she advocates for cleaner air quality in public schools. About four years ago, the windows in her classroom at Heritage Elementary in Homer, Ill., were shortened with some sections replaced with regular [...]

Exploitative Charter School Lotteries Not Required by Law

By Cynthia McCabe Balloon arches span the room, loudspeakers pump out high-energy pop music, and grinning hosts cheer into microphones. It’s no party for many of the people in attendance though. Charter school operators eager to showcase interest in their facilities have turned to public events orchestrated as much for the media as for the [...]

Does Bullying Really Get Better?

By Mary Ellen Flannery High-profile and heartbreaking incidents of student bullying have happened so frequently in recent months, especially among gay and lesbian students, that there’s a new word for the phenomenon: bullicide. And it’s left educators and parents alike wondering—just what in the world are we doing wrong? How is it some of our [...]

Education Key to Fulfilling Dr. King’s Dream

By Cynthia McCabe and Rene Carter Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday means honoring his legacy — including work toward education for all — through service. That’s been the message of his family, his fellow civil rights activists, Congress and most recently, President Barack Obama. Monday marks the 25th year that the nation [...]

Educators Find Themselves Vilified by the States They Serve

by Felix Perez Teachers and education support professionals recently started a new semester that brought with it new students and ideas, lesson plans, schedules and all the other pieces that go into making a school year. Added to their plates, however, will be a serious and growing concern: the vilification in state after state of [...]

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