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It’s Time to Soften Schools, Not Harden Them

ED Surge

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas, and 17 more wounded, in the sanctuary of an elementary school. A natural human reaction is to defend, to protect and to guard—which translates into “hardening” schools. On May 24, the unfathomable happened.

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TEACHER VOICE: What was troubling enough as 20th century history is happening in the present time

The Hechinger Report

This work needs to begin in elementary school, where students’ ideas about their place in the world are shaped. Here are some ways to do that in elementary school classrooms: First and foremost, it is vital that young people have a place to process disturbing news and to be reassured that their lives matter and that they are safe.

History 75
educators

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A school created a homeless shelter in the gym and it paid off in the classroom

The Hechinger Report

A few months earlier, she’d heard about a family shelter inside an elementary school gym. Dafne said an elementary school gym isn’t an ideal place to sleep either. We will not fix homelessness until the federal government believes that housing is a human right,” Ronen said. There was one other option.

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Teaching for Black Lives Study Groups

Zinn Education Project

They organized to change the name of an elementary school where three study group members work. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Human Rights Committee of 20 members formed a study group that is embedded into their regular monthly meetings. Check out their overview.

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OPINION: Palestinian American educators deserve support from their peers

The Hechinger Report

As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I often find myself in settings where discussing Palestine, or even mentioning my identity as a Palestinian American, presents more challenges than when I worked in the field of human rights and law. Even using their own experience doesn’t protect teachers from attacks.

K-12 114
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COLUMN: Are book bans stopping a Marxist “revolution” or whitewashing the past?

The Hechinger Report

I even found “Heather” again: In December 2021, a Pennsylvania school district ordered the removal of the book from all of its elementary-school libraries over parental objections, leading its author, Lesléa Newman, to declare : “It’s 1992 all over again.”. “No

Library 110
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Thousands of students cross the U.S.-Mexico border every day to go to college

The Hechinger Report

Some started crossing in elementary school. Related: In Puerto Rico, the odds are against high school grads who want to go to college. She said education should be seen as a fundamental human right for everyone, “regardless of their status, regardless of where they live.”. and its largest trading partner.