Hidden Heroes: the Mendez Family

Pioneers in School Desegregation Gonzalo Mendez came to America from Mexico and later became a naturalized US citizen. In 1936, he married Felicitas Mendez, a native of Puerto Rico. They...

LGBTQ+ Experiences of Prom Over 7 Decades

Session 3 of a Film & Conversation Series on LGBTQ+ Generations On November 18th, we watched Take Me to Prom, a short film about LGBTQ+ experiences of the adolescent milestone...

Making Creative Connections

Dr. Jeffrey Swank was fed up with his class. He taught a Problems in Social Science class in which students were asked to explore current issues confronting society. The in-class...

First generation college students

Introduction First generation college students-- or those students whose parents did not complete a four-year degree-- face unique challenges. First-generation students include traditional-aged students, active-duty members of the military and veterans studying with G.I....

It’s Not About Fixing Education or More Tax Cuts, It’s About Power & Economic Policy Choices

For well over 30 years now, we've been told that the solution to all that ails us is yet another tax cut--primarily for business and the top earners, which will...

IF’s Online Discussion and the Classroom

The Interactivity Foundation has just completed the test phase of its student-facilitated online discussion guidebook. The results from 4 online summer courses suggest that the IF online discussion approach and...

In the Future, “Digital Natives” Won’t Read News

Last Thursday's business section of the NYTimes included a brief article that spoke volumes about the changing landscape for the news media.  The headline in the print edition was innocuous...

How We Remember–or not–the News

"Recent psychological research shows that our memory for news is not as straightforward as we might think — and the reasons offer insight into how the mind works. ...  And...

Recent Education Articles add to the discussion

The September issue of The Atlantic magazine featured two stories (one of them the cover story) that dealt with K-12 Education in America. As usual for The Atlantic, both articles...

When Class Became More Important to a Child’s Education Than Race

This recent article on The Atlantic website (August 28, 2013), by Sarah Garland points to the difficulties in closing the--now widening--achievement gaps in an era when our income disparities are...

IF and ABC partner for democratic discussions in education

Allison Brown Consulting (ABC) and the Interactivity Foundation (IF) have officially partnered to offer facilitation services utilizing the IF democratic discussion method to schools and communities.  The partnership will allow...

Education In America

On September 12, 2012, the DC Supper Club reconvened and discussed “The Future of Education.”  Education is always a timely topic and never seems to leave the headlines; especially in...

NO MORE TEACHERS, NO MORE BOOKS, NO MORE TEACHER’S DIRTY LOOKS….

This policy discussion was centered around The Future of K-12 Education. The conversation started off with a general discussion of educational reform.  From that prompt, the participants seemed to touch...

Hablamos, Aprendemos, Escuchamos

"Educativo." "Interesante." "Necesario."  Estos fueron palabras que los participantes usaron para describir su experiencia con el primer discusión de IF en español en los Estados Unidos.  Doce participantes se reunieron...

IF’s East Asia Chronicles – April 2012 Podcast

IF’s East Asia Chronicles. A bestselling book recently argued that Chinese mothers are superior, inflaming insecurities about the U.S. education system. IF fellow Sue Goodney Lea and Boston University doctoral...

Embracing the Random with Howard University Alumni

The magic in some discussions come from the unexpected--the stuff you just can't script. That was the lesson in a recent education discussion in Washington, D.C. For several months, the...

Future of K-12 Education report now available in Spanish

Are U.S. Schools Really Factories? – February 2012 IF Podcast

Are U.S. Schools Really Factories? February 2012. Dr. Julie Sweetland, Director of the Urban Teacher Academy of the National Center for Urban Education, alternative high school guidance counselor Derek Andrews,...

Student-Centered Discussion in the Far East

In December I traveled to Japan, Singapore, and China, exploring possibilities for IF-styled discussions on Asian settings.  In Japan, I spoke with one faculty member who teaches at a very...

Discussion Impossible

A few weeks back I participated in a public discussion on education policy. It didn't go very well. In fact, the experience served more as a cautionary tale or a...