bell hooks on Education

"Educators who have dared to study, and learn, [and practice] new ways of thinking and teaching so that the work we do does not reinforce systems of domination, of imperialism, racism, sexism or class elitism have created a pedagogy of hope."

weekly links (april 24th edition)

Why A Michigan High School is Ground Zero for US Politics (MSNBC & BAMN)

Call to Save Our Schools (Dissident Voice)

Good Education is a Right, Not a Crime (The Root)

California Schools Move Towards LGBTQ History Lessons (RaceWire)

Three Hip Hop Scholars Talk About Combatting Homophobia (RaceWire)

The Class Dynamics of Asian America (Monthly Review)

US Racial and Economic Inequality Visualized (RaceWire)

Noam Chomsky: Is the World Too Big To Fail? (Common Dreams)

Robert Scheer: The New Corporate World Order (TruthDig)

Why The West Wants the Fall of Gaddafi (Dissident Voice)

Revenge of the Nerds: (Not So) New Representations of Asian Male Sexuality (Racialicious)

Mumia Abu-Jamal: On Reading Franz Fanon (I Am Not A Rapper)

Blaxpoitation's Baadassss History (The Root)

".. And Roses Too," or The Case for Public Arts Funding (Rebel Frequencies)

Slideshow: Crazy Stuff That Has Happened on 4/20 (GOOD)

George Takei Protests Akira Whitewashing (Racialicious)

Bruce Lee Art Made From MetroCards (Angry Asian Man)

The KO Hip Hop Cello-Beatbox Experience (YouTube)

J Dilla: A Documentary of Greatness (tonefresh)

Coachella Roundup: Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Kanye, Cee-Lo & more (OkayPlayer)

Mos Def "Umi Says" Live with The Robert Glasper Experiment, Lupe Fiasco & Kanye West (The Smoking Section)

Why Catherine Ferguson Academy Matters To Everyone

In effort to save the school from closing, students and faculty at Catherine Ferguson Academy organized a sit-in and occupied the school for several hours. Police assaulted and arrested a number of the protestors.

Catherine Ferguson Academy is the only public school in Detroit that serves pregnant teens and teen moms. The specialized school boasts a 90% graduation rate and 100% graduate college acceptance rate - the school requires college acceptance as a requirement for graduation. The benchmark of a "good school" should be its ability to prepare its students for college and careers.

Young mothers in low-income communities of color are among the most marginalized, most overlooked, most abandoned by the system. Catherine Ferguson Academy is one of a few schools in the country designed to meet the needs of young mothers - offering support programs, childcare and parenting classes. The fact that it is the only school in Detroit with these necessary programs and supports is sobering. And that it is slated to close is more than unjust - it's social exclusion.

The bigger picture is that school functions as a socializing and learning space for young people to learn skills and tools that will prepare them for the world. In addition to creating a supportive academic and social space, Catherine Ferguson Academy also runs a successful urban farm, which was featured in the documentary "Grown in Detroit." The urban farming movement has created viable alternative economies in Detroit, New Orleans, the Bronx and other areas hit by abandonment and urban decay.

It's obvious but needs to be said: the school is academically excelling, providing necessary services, building sustainable economy in Detroit.. and it's being closed.

Organizers at Catherine Ferguson Academy posted the following demands:

• No school closings
• Keep all Detroit schools public - no more charters or privatization
• Reinstate all programs and services that have been eliminated, including art & music as well as counselors & social workers
• Student control of curriculum and school character to assure that every Detroit school provides equal, quality education for all
• No discipline or retaliation against any of the participants in the occupation

"I'm fighting because I believe in our school." - Ashley Matthews, 17

Rachel Maddow feature on the struggle of students at Catherine Ferguson Academy:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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No Child Left Behind has systematically dehumanized the education system - reducing students to faceless statistics, restricting teachers to standardized curriculum, and assessing schools on test scores and graduation rates. Thus anesthetizing students, stifling teaching and learning, and suppressing future generations. Core curriculum is prioritized at the expense the arts, music programs, and resources for student health and wellness programs. It has paved way for mass school closings, the spread of charters and the wholesale privatization of education.

It's time we elevate education to a human rights issue. The state of public education effects us all - it's no overstatement that our future depends on our ability to educate our children. The stakes are too damn high. The students at Catherine Ferguson Academy seem to understand that better than anybody.

Related: support organizing efforts at Catherine Ferguson Academy here

weekly links (april 17th edition)

artwork by: Banksy

Grace Lee Boggs on Detroit and "The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century" (Democracy Now)

Chris Hedges: Why The US Is Destroying Its Education System (TruthDig)

Maryland Passes Its DREAM Act (RaceWire)

Twenty-Two Senators Ask Obama to Stop Deporting DREAMers (RaceWire)

Feeding the World: It's Not About Quantity (Common Dreams)

If Congress Looked Like Us (Sociological Images)

DC Mayor Vince Gray Arrested in Budget Battle Protest (RaceWire)

Dissecting Laissez-Faire Theory (Dissident Voice)

Egypt Dissolves Former Ruling Party (Al Jazeera English)

On DJ Mister Cee, Malcolm X and Online Homophobia (RaceWire)

Pushing Back Against Homophobia in Sports (Sociological Images)

Hear This: Les Nubians, Ambrose Akinmusire, Pharoahe Monch (The Root)

De La Soul's 3 Feet High And Rising Inducted in the Library of Congress (The Smoking Section)

Radiohead: The King of Limbs Bonus Tracks (Pigeons & Planes)

Pedro Noguera (on the importance of education)

"Despite all the ways recent educational reforms have taken the soul out of education--overemphasizing testing, underemphasizing learning, treating teachers like technicians rather than creative professionals, humiliating schools rather than providing them with support--the fact remains that through education, we have the power to inspire the innate ability in all human beings to dream and create."

On Rebellion and Revolution

The Egyptian people are back in the streets, chanting "Tantawi is Mubarak and Mubarak is Tantawi", and resuming their struggle for democracy and just society. Egypt continues to be a shining example of the people making government and civil society work for them. The intentional movement-building during their uprising - between students, labor, religious institutions, even. elements of the police and military. They inspired people all over the world by coming together and forcing Hosni Mubarak out. Much love and respect to the people of Tunisia too.

Mow Egyptian protestors face a military dictatorship that promises open elections but flexes their muscles to repress and silence. The Egyptian military forcefully removed protestors from Tahrir Square a couple days ago, killing at least one and injuring 70 more. Heads high in the face of state violence, the people are still there. Regime change is a gigantic first step. but the path is long and regime change is no revolution - revolution takes time and intention. economic, political, civil and social structures need to be reimagined and rebuilt. But although installing a new model for society will be a learning process, the Egyptian people appear to be ready to get their hands dirty in the rebuilding of their nation.

The people in Egypt are conscious that their struggle is not limited to them. But that they are connected to liberation struggles throughout history and all over the world. below, an Egyptian protestor gives a nod of solidarity to Wisconsin workers.

Similarly, chancellor of education Cathie Black resigned/was fired thursday, after embarrassingly low approval ratings in her 3rd month on the job. Despite her blatant lack of qualifications, this was not about Cathie Black. After 9 years of mayoral control over public education, New Yorkers are fed up. Public schools in low-income communities of color are chronically underfunded and over-policed - standardized tests, teachers restricted by curriculum, overcrowded classrooms, outdated and too few books, and metal detectors haven't left with Ms Black.

Many tough questions remain for us who are committed to education reform: what lessons did the higher ups at the department of education learn? How can we most effectively position ourselves? What kind of education do we hope for our children and what systems do we need to put in place to realize those hopes? And how much are we willing to struggle to build these new systems?

If community control was restored to public education, we would be have space to create the curricula and programs we need. If students, teachers and schools were free from standardized tests, we would be well on the way to inspiring and nurturing teaching and learning. If funding was equitable, we would be equipped to address the causes of low attendance and high drop-out rates. We need to realize that education reform isn't happening on by school, school district or even by borough basis. We need to organize across neighborhoods and across issues to challenge power at its source. And we need to have a shared vision for our schools and our education system.

I close by saying this:

James Baldwin (on being educated)

"The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated."

reimagining the education paradigm

for a long time, i'd casually dismiss schools as "more concerned with indoctrination than education." but after spending a little time with bronx high school students, i quickly realized that we are at a critical point in education right now. and the stakes are very high.

i've been grappling with what a "good education" could be. i have some thoughts on cultures, values and skills important to pass along to our next generation. and i'm exploring programs, resources and curricula to meet those needs. so solutions and alternatives are at the front of my mind whenever a critiques of standardized tests, No Child Left Behind, the school-to-prison pipeline, teachers unions or charter schools pop up. over time, i hope to sharpen those arguments and visions through this blog.

in the meantime, this RSA Animate video is one of the more provocative and original critiques of education i've seen.