In a case of a little mistake turning into a major kerfuffle, the Chicago Public Schools system was left apologizing to families for sending an email with a link to an erotic Web site.
According to CBS Chicago, the email was intended to inform parents of changes that are being made to a standardized test administered by the state of Illinois. The email contained a link to the state board of education’s Web site. However, rather than starting the URL with ISBE (an acronym for Illinois State Board of Education), the URL read, “ISBEL…” That link directed parents to ISBEL.com, a site that touts “Sex and Sensuality Illuminated.”
The mistake was discovered, and an apology was issued.

“We want all education systems to teach children to become creative changemakers for themselves and for a better world.” – Emer Beamer
A rapidly changing world has lots of big problems to solve. Kids love coming up with their own ideas for big problems. How can that creativity and passion be channeled...

“We want children to see how the world doesn’t come in bounded natural groups, but that there are spectrums of difference and multiplicities of intersecting identities that overlay this difference.” – Michael Baran
Deepening divides fragment our societies and our economies. How can modern...

“We focus our lessons on trying to understand the impetus for feelings of xenophobia and nationalism in the world.”
– Jamie Steckart
What if you could go to a school where your education was centered around travel, cultural immersion, empathy and developing the skills to...
As a fledgling teacher, I recall my mentor telling me one day “as a teacher, you create the weather in your classroom.” While I didn’t fully comprehended the statement at the time,over the years, with more experience, I came to better appreciate this phrase.
What this phrase essentially means is that teachers create the mood, the feel, the environment.
For example, if the teacher is stressed or in a bad mood, this mood spreads to the students. I know it’s hard to prove this...

When I think back to my school days, I can remember many events that stood out. My Second-grade teacher, Mrs. Wiersig, brought food into the classroom for us to try when we were studying vowel sounds. She did so many great things, and we cooked different recipes with stories we would read during reading groups, and...
Family Forums start the first month of school and run each month until the last day of school. Family Forums were something that I used to build reciprocal relationships with the families that I worked with. They were important in my classroom because it allowed anyone that contributed to the child’s school success to become a part of our classroom community. I was able to really bond with the family members of...
I had previously written an article on running a classroom community of learners, but I wanted to take a minute to dive deeper into each category. I truly believe that building a classroom community of learners is important. As we are at the close of a school year, summer is a time for teachers to reflect and change things for the upcoming year. Here are some things to consider.
Scenario...