Dear friends and colleagues,
Catching up on two months since I last wrote!
My book with Emily Gasoi, These Schools Belong To You and Me, from Beacon Press, is shortly going to appear in your local bookstore or however you buy books! Maybe libraries soon. And at some point in audible form.
The book traces, in alternating chapters, our experiences in public schools and the challenge it poses for educating a democracy. As we confront a massively well-funded campaign to privatize our nation’s schools, using the monies now directed at public schools, we hope the book will provide useful stories and arguments for public education. It rests on an account of work we have both done.
Read it, talk about it–make it controversial by even disagreeing with us– and review it, use it in a course you’re teaching!
I will be doing some talks here and there during the coming months. Check my site for dates and places. If you have ideas, email me.
ALSO
In June Teachers College Press published Beyond Testing which was written by Matthew Knoester and me. Matthew did most of the work; thanks Matt. We were colleagues at Mission Hill. Matthew is now a professor at Ripon College. The book describes seven better ways to assess students and schools.
Other news: My grandson Ezra got married. It was a great wedding!
I had a stent put into an artery and I got Lyme disease–leaving my co-authors high and dry once again.
The Democratic Socialists of America, which was started in my living room ages ago–more than quadrupled or more in size. Thanks Bernie.
Rediscovered the use of laughter when your enemies give you a chance. But I am also scared about what the years ahead will bring–including possibly ending public education. Like democracy. We have not so gradually made leaps away from our already flawed democracy but we’re probably best described as an oligarchy with democratic features.
But…we are resisting, rethinking and I hope we will see tangible results in fall 2018
Deb
P.S. I’ll append comments about other people’s book that I like in a week or so.
Filed under: 2017 posts, Book Reviews |
Deborah Meier on Education 
Thank you for the effort
I would like to review and comment on your effort. For 17 years I have used “the Road to Trust” as my guide. But over the last two years I have gotten no response to any of my emails to you — and I do not understand.
Neighborhood schools are the greatest opportunity we have to save our children. We should have a school board in every school.
If we own our schools why won’t we run them as if we cared about our community’s kids?
Please look at what just happened in Portland — again and again. Please look over the Kaiser study — and remember what James Conant said.
Thanks Conrad Stroebe 406-245-6102
Alternatives to testing … beautiful there are so many better ways of interacting with youth that are about growth for both the student and the teacher… “To teach is to learn twice” Joseph Joubert
Two books published is a level of productivity few accomplish!!!
I too worry at the inroads made by those who work to end Public Schools So called compromise in Illinois allowing 75 million for vouchers see Fred Klonsky https://preaprez.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/sb1-compromise-would-expand-vouchers/
Love Bob