The green concept has tremendous value in schools, especially when it reflects the central purpose and mission of schools: educating young people to participate and civically engage in society. School communities that keep greening the school on the periphery of their awareness will reap advantages, but those that align this idea with the…

The author began her public school English teaching career shortly after Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shot and killed 15 people, including themselves, and wounded 34 others at Columbine High School. Shortly after the shootings, she ran across a "New York Times" article discussing the Columbine shooters and, in particular, their writing for…

The school-to-prison pipeline doesn't just begin with cops in the hallways and zero tolerance discipline policies. It begins when teachers fail to create a curriculum and a pedagogy that connects with students, that takes them seriously as intellectuals, that lets students know teachers care about them, that gives them the chance to channel their…

The school field trip: something fun, different, exciting, exhausting--a break from the school day grind. But the field trip has ramifications beyond just getting out of school for the day. For students, the field trip is to the classroom what the big game is to athletes. For museums and other attractions, the field trip is a way to cultivate…

The author founded Greater Newark Charter School in 2000 at a time when charter schools were little more than a nuisance to the traditional public school establishment. Just two years earlier, when first learning about charter schools, he recalls questioning the necessity for "new" schools when so many operational public schools were in…

A study of court cases dealing with church and state conflicts may explain why some teachers avoid teaching about religion rather than risk legal action or misinterpretation of their lessons. However, if students are to receive a complete education, educators must reach some reconciliation between church and state. Instead of skirting religious…

With school districts struggling to keep their noses above choppy budget waters and voters howling about taxes, should schools be funding Ping-Pong and trading-card clubs? Swim teams, moot court, powder puff football? Latino unions, gay-straight alliances, the Future Business Leaders of America, the French Honors Society, the jazz band, the…

In too many places, community members have abdicated their collective responsibility for education, thinking it only happens in schools. But if their role as citizens is to wrestle with tough problems together, and education is a primary societal function, then it stands to reason that educational accountability focused solely on schools would…

Every year, the urban district the author works in welcomes hundreds of new teachers. Many are somewhat prepared to plan lessons and manage a classroom, but most are stunned by the cultural chasm between themselves and their students. In this article, the author shares some strategies to bridge the chasm between teachers and their diverse…

As Internet-based communications and interactions by and between students and school staff become more prevalent, an appreciation of school rules for student behavior is important. Students carry electronic devices, sending and receiving communications inside and outside school, so two key questions exist regarding search and seizure of such…

Civic engagement has been on the decline for 50 years, and even with the recent increase in voting in the primary presidential elections, youth participation in society remains low. Those students who do not complete high school have virtually no involvement in civic, political and community affairs. Such realities suggest a marked failure--within…

For many parents, a phone call home from a teacher means trouble. The result? When a teacher gets in touch, parents' anxiety levels and defensive barriers may automatically go up, reducing their potential to participate as partners in their children's education. But it does not have to be that way. Teachers can regularly contact students' families…

The application of social-emotional and character development (SECD) in classrooms is about teaching, practicing, and modeling essential personal and civic life habits and skills that are almost universally understood as making people good human beings. Among these habits are respect, responsibility, integrity, caring, fairness, and constructive…

One of the issues that arose over the years that the author worked as a journalism professor emanated from a student expressing a concern that a particular media presentation had the potential to dramatically impact the behavior of those individuals exposed to it. If college students express such anxieties, it should not be surprising that a…

Cellphone-savvy students have created instructional and disciplinary challenges for educators for years. But the recent emergence of "sexting" by adolescents over their mobile phones caught many school administrators off guard, and the practice is prompting efforts around the country to craft policy responses. Students' sharing of nude or…