The winner of a $1 million prize honoring excellence in teaching set off shockwaves last year when she said that, given the current climate, she would not encourage people to consider teaching in public schools.

Perhaps that declaration, from veteran teacher Nancie Atwell, shouldn't have come as a...

Late last year, after news was leaked about a well-funded plan to convert half of all public schools in Los Angeles to charters within eight years, the education community balked. The intentions of the plan's architect -- the Broad Foundation -- were put into stark relief.

It wasn't a plan...

The United States has an enormous amount of work to do to recruit, support and retain a teaching force that reflects America's rich diversity. We'll need allies and resolute action to accomplish this, not unfounded accusations such as those in Erika Sanzi's March 23 Huffington Post piece.
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It's one of my proudest moments as a civics teacher -- and I didn't have to say a word: I had helped the students in my American history class prepare to debate whether the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified.

But once the debate...

I remember when E. D. Hirsch published Cultural Literacy and the controversy sparked by his list of things he believed every American should know. His point (I won't reignite the debate) was that we must all be ready to move outside our comfort zones and work together to make progress....

There comes an uneasy moment in the life of a longtime, anti-establishment agitator when one realizes that she's viewed as ... the establishment. While there's no "Question Authority" T-shirt under my blazer, I still question and push back on (and sometimes get arrested by)...

I recently had the thrill of seeing the Broadway musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's brilliant mashup of history and hip-hop. Alexander Hamilton's story, of an impoverished youth immigrating to America and making his mark on his new country, is both remarkable and relatable. And it's a reminder that our...

The month before standardized tests begin each school year, Stephen Lazar, a National Board-certified history and English teacher at Harvest Collegiate High School in New York City, tells his students that he is going to "turn into a bad teacher. ... No more research, no more discussion, no...

When you hear the words "charter school," what comes to mind? High expectations? High student attrition? High achievement? Lack of transparency?

There's no right or wrong answer, because charter schools, like other public and private schools, vary widely. The top-ranked high school in Louisiana is a unionized charter...

It has been said that racism is America's original sin. And today, well into our country's third century, we are far from free of it.

"Separate but equal" is no longer the law of the land, but for too many people, it is still a fact of life. African-Americans...

Republicans have staked out endless signature issues: shutting down the government, vilifying immigrants, denouncing rights like paid sick leave and equal pay because they are "women's issues," privatizing education, and -- wait for it -- obliterating the rights of working...

Teaching is our heart. Our students are our soul. And the union is our spine.

I heard that sentiment over and over again this past week during the American Federation of Teachers' biennial TEACH conference, one of the largest professional development conferences for educators in the nation. That's...

As we fight our way back from the recession, it's clear that our economy isn't working for everyone. Too many are out of work or have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Too many don't have the skills...

There's a promise we make to the next generation: Graduate from college and you can get ahead. Indeed, recent studies show that college graduates earn $1 million more than high school graduates over their lifetimes.

Yet, as we make this promise, public higher education institutions nationwide are facing a

Something stunning happened this week in Congress. The Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 22-0 to overhaul No Child Left Behind. That's right, policymakers from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) listened to the people they're sworn to represent and found...

It's a tale of two states.

They sit side by side, each taking in the views of Lake Superior. Their economies both grew from foundations in manufacturing, farming and mining, and they each boast a strong history of organized labor. And in 2010, still reeling from the recession, they elected...

Before I was a union leader, I was a high school social studies teacher. As my students -- juniors and seniors -- inched closer and closer to voter registration age, I worked hard not only to help them learn the skills and knowledge they needed to succeed, but also to...

A high-quality public education can build much-needed skills and knowledge. It can help children reach their God-given potential. It can stabilize communities and democracies. It can strengthen economies. It can combat the kind of fear and despair that evolves into hatred.

On my recent visit to Israel, the...

Across the country, people are clamoring to be heard. They want a voice.

These are people who work hard but never see their wages keep up. After a lifetime of work, they don't have a pension or savings for a secure retirement. They rack...

I can't imagine my life without books. My father was an electrical engineer, and my mother was a public school teacher. Books were an integral part of my childhood. Throughout my career as a lawyer, teacher and labor leader, books have remained my constant companion -- stuffed into a briefcase,...