Category Archives: Education

       has once again postponed their decision on “honorably retiring” the controversial Chief Illiniwek mascot, scheduled for their March 11th meeting. Trustee Frances Carroll, the recent Blagojevich appointee who had proposed the mascot’s removal, … Continue reading →

  by the University of Illinois administration are appealing a 2001 federal district court’s decision that prohibits it from interfering with the free speech rights of faculty. The decision resulted from the administration’s attempt to prohibit anti- Chief faculty … Continue reading →

This is in reference to the articles on public schooling by Belden Fields and Margaret Kosal in the October issue of Public I, ostensibly rebutting my essay “Children’s Liberation”(Se[tember issue). I do not mind someone writing a defense of public … Continue reading →

You have to have it to the Bush administration. They have a remarkable ability to seize the agenda from Democrats and progressives and force the rest of us to dance to their tune, at least in the short run. I’m … Continue reading →

The September issue of the Public i included an article by Gina Cassidy entitled “Children’s Liberation” which argued against compulsory public education, advocating instead a system of “no schooling” or “deschooling” in which children are free to pursue their own … Continue reading →

In the last issue of the Public i there were two articles critical of public education. One advocated home schooling, the other no schooling. I will argue that no schooling is always bad for a young person, and that home … Continue reading →

The Teenage Liberation Handbook is one of the most important books I have ever read. For me, like hundreds or possibly thousands of other teenagers, this guide gave me the essential empowerment I needed to decide to leave the compulsory … Continue reading →

Now more than ever teachers and those interested in questioning the current educational reform movement mandated for our public schools may want to turn to the non-profit, independent publication: Rethinking Schools. This publication has offered ideas and inspiration for 17 … Continue reading →

We don’t need no education/We don’t need no thought control/No dark sarcasm in the classroom/Hey, teacher,leave them kids alone.” – Roger Waters, Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 Here’s a thought for you. Suppose every day you were forced … Continue reading →

Dear School Principal: In an attempt to balance the extremely patriotic event that had been planned for 9-11-02 for our students, my class worked on a unit about the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. We looked at library books and … Continue reading →

A personal reflection on the effort to establish a K-8 Charter School in Champaign-Urbana To tell the story of the Champaign-Urbana Charter School Initiative (CUCSI) is in essence to tell my own story. It involves the thoughts and experiences of … Continue reading →

On November 13, a group of students at Central High School in Champaign formed a club for student rights. Less than a month after its creation, the Central Student Coalition (CSC) now has a total of eighty-three members. The coalition’s … Continue reading →