Resources
America's Public Schools Under Attack

Author challenges critics who want to dismantle, not reform.

EXCERPT
"A war is being waged on America's public schools. They are under siege. Sometimes the war doesn't look like a war because it is a war waged mostly in the polite language of academic debates. Sometimes it is waged in the polite terms of new 'partnerships,' but it is a war nonetheless."

The War Against America's Public Schools--Privatizing Schools, Commercializing Education
By Gerald W. Bracey
213 pp. $24 (Allyn and Bacon) To order call 800/666-9433

There's nothing polite about Gerald Bracey's detailed description of the impact of vouchers, charters, and the profit-making education industry on our K-12 schools. The Stanford-educated research psychologist's book offers an eye-opening account of the motives, the money, and the questionable legal and ethical maneuverings behind the push to privatize and commercialize public education.

From the outset, Bracey admits public schools need reform. "Too many schools still bore too many kids," he says. But, he adds, the real agenda of many "enemies of public schools" is to dismantle, not reform the current system. "Getting the government out of schools is part of the conservative agenda," Bracey says. He chastises political and religious conservatives, big business and some in higher education for using "distorted" testing data to label public schools as "failing." It's one way, he says, to grab educational dollars for charters, vouchers, for-profit alternatives, and even academic research.

Such misinterpretation of data is rampant, says Bracey, citing scores on the SATs, the National Assess-ment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as ripe for misuse. Blasting U.S. 12th graders for a low worldwide ranking in science is absurd, Bracey says, because of the vast international differences in curriculum and student participation. Top-ranked Scandinavian students study three times as much physics as their U.S. counterparts and most countries picked the cream of their student crop for two out of three TIMSS tests. The Unoted States was only one of five countries with a representative sample for all exams. Bracey likens the TIMSS rankings to comparing "apples to aardvarks."

His chapter on charter schools, publicly funded but free of bureaucracy, tells of wasted money, little accountability, and not much innovation. Bracey cites a common scenario: "The visionary opens a charter without the practical management skills to operate it, burns out, and turns the school over to a private, for-profit school-management firm." These firms, he says, are famous for canned curriculum and low teacher salaries.

Faced with weak, short-staffed oversight agencies, school districts have granted charters while paying little attention to evaluation, says Bracey. A UCLA study found schools lost charters for financial irregularities, not for failure to meet academic goals. And, he adds, when successful practices do emerge they rarely spread to public schools, as they should in theory, because there's seldom a mechanism for sharing information.

Although most for-profit education firms have failed to emerge from the red, there's great money-making potential, says Bracey, especially with the ongoing effort to erode confidence in public schools. Since our schools impart a common idea of good citizenship, he's concerned that for-profit schools, lacking public scrutiny of curriculum and finances, might pose "a threat to democracy." And, he has no faith that the private sector will treat education any differently than manufacturing where, he says, "neglect of standards and quality in favor of profits is the order of the day."

Voucher programs have faced voter opposition, court challenges and heated debate at the federal level. Now some are steering clear of the "voucher" nametag, but, no matter what it's called, the program still drains money and students from public schools. Like charters, voucher programs have largely avoided evaluation, adds Bracey. "It is more than a bit ironic that choice advocates, claiming the public schools need to be more accountable, have thus far largely succeeded in avoiding account- ability for their own endeavors."

Dense with facts and figures about all the major players and issues in the privatizing/charter debate, Bracey's newest work is a great handbook for besieged public school educators and advocates. He doesn't pretend to offer solutions for needed reform--just a warning that public schools are in danger and much too precious to let go without a fight.

--Mary Anne Hess

New from the NEA Professional Library

Inspiring Independent Learning: Successful Classroom Strategies
The Inspired Classroom Series
151 pp. $10.95 NEA members
$12.95 nonmembers
#2954-2-00-FN

How can you teach your students to learn without turning your class into a study skills lab? Inspiring Independent Learning shows you how to foster independent learning in your classroom through easy, often subtle techniques that gently place responsibility for learning in the hands of the students. This book provides numerous strategies to use with students in grades K-12, as well as activities and record forms for classroom use.

To order, call 800/229-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.

Books by NEA Members

The Teachers' Night Before Christmas
By Steven L. Layne
This pedagogical twist on the Christmas classic will delight teachers and students everywhere. The traditional school Christmas pageant, students visiting nursing homes, crafts, etc., all end in chaos while the teachers struggle to maintain order, and after school, get their own shopping done. In a whimsical touch, Santa arrives in his flying school bus to save the day and honor the teachers for their selfless devotion to their students. $14.95 from Pelican Publishing Company. Order toll free at 800/843-1724 or 888/5-PELICAN. Or visit www.pelicanpub.com.

The Sad Night
The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss
By Sally Schofer Mathews
In this striking picture book, the author traces the Aztec presence in Mexico from the mythic origins of the Aztec Empire to the recent discovery of gold lost by the Spaniards on that fateful night--The Sad Night--the last battle the Aztecs won against the Spaniards. This unforgettable tale is accompanied by eloquent, detailed illustrations rendered in the style of Aztec codex art. $6.95 from Clarion Books. To order go to www.houghtonmifflin books.com/cgi-bin/SaCGI.cgi/
catalog.class?FNC=ResultDetails_ASearchResults_html_111065.

Surviving Hitler
A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps
By Andrea Warren
Award-winning author Andrea Warren powerfully evokes the experiences of a boy growing up in the Holocaust. Told from the rarely published male point of view, this is a fascinating and deeply moving true story. Surviving Hitler will change the way you see tolerance, forgiveness, and the Holocaust. Readers will learn one boy's secret to surviving both death and heartbreak. For ages 10 up. $16.95 from HarperCollins Children's Books. Order online at www.harperchildrens.com.

Teaching on the Inside
A Survival Handbook for the New Correctional Educator
By Pauline Geraci
Teaching on the Inside provides an overview of what it can be like to teach in a correctional setting. It introduces new teachers to inmate culture and its significance to correctional education. The author, a recipient of the Marvin Sull Award in both 1999 and 2001 for creative teaching that impacts inmates in the classroom and the community, depicts her true life experiences as a correctional educator. $12.95 plus $3 s&h. Write to: Greystone Educational Materials, P.O. Box 86, Scandia, MN 55073; phone 800/733-0671.

The Dolls on the Old Stairway
By Brenda Crissman Musick
The book, appropriate for children age 3 to 9 years old, teaches the importance of love, friendship, and caring for belongings. It is a tale about two dolls with life-like qualities who come to live with "Grandma Ro." The entire household is filled with love, fun, and laughter until one doll is taken away. $9.95 plus $1 s&h. To order send check payable to Brenda Musick, P.O. Box 344, Honaker, VA 24260; phone 540/873-4322.

TV Tips

Othello
PBS, January 28, 9:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
Based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare, this ExxonMobile Masterpiece Theatre production translates the classic tale of corruption and betrayal into a modern-day setting--New Scotland Yard in the era of race riots, neo-Nazis, and political spin. This Othello dramatizing the 1993 killing of a black teenager and a botched police investigation, stars Eammon Walker as John Othello, an officer with the London Metropolitan Police, and Keeley Hawes as Dessie(Desdemona). A companion Web site can be found at www.pbs.org/masterpiece.

The Planets
A&E, December 31-January 7, 7:00 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Using data and images from the Hubble Space Telescope, computer graphics, and special effects, this eight-part series offers a comprehensive presentation of the solar system. Drawing on consultations with over a thousand astronomers, engineers, scientists, and astronauts, and featuring rare NASA archival footage, this series explores the solar system and the technology that enables us to understand it. A companion Web site can be found at www.AandE.com/class.

Senior Year
PBS, January 11, 10:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
The lives of 15 diverse high school seniors at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles are profiled in this observational documentary. Filmmakers spent an entire year with students, documenting the year that marks the end of their lives as "kids" and their entry into the adult world. Video diaries supplement the story of the students and their interactions with parents, teachers, and friends.

American Classics
The History Channel, January 14-17, 6:00 a.m., ET, check local listings.
This four-part series from the History Channel Classroom explores American history through examination of the classic icons that define Americans as a nation and the symbols that are important today. The icons examined include the Corvette, the Good Humor Man, Uncle Sam, GI Joe, drive-in movie theaters, Woolworth's Five-and-Dime, Main Street America, Route 66, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Mohammed Ali. A companion Web site can be found at www.historychannel.com/classroom.

Dragonfly TV
PBS, January 17, ET, check local listings.
This new series features 9- to 12- year-olds investigating science and using the process of science to learn about the world around them. Each episode introduces children to new scientific factoids and features adult scientists displaying their research on similar topics. Viewers are encouraged to join in their investigations via interactive Web activities. A companion Web site can be found at www.dragonflytv.org. In addition, Dragonfly TV experiments and other material can be found in the Scientific American Explorations magazine. Study guides are available in the journals of the National Science Teachers Association.

Cyberchase
PBS, January 21, ET, check local listings.
Starring the voices of Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried, this new animated series from PBS takes children into the world of cyberspace where classic good-versus-evil battles rage and where children use their minds, not muscle to confront obstacles and solve problems. Each episode takes viewers on an adventure driven by a different math concept--from tackling time in ancient Egyptian tombs, to cracking codes in creepy caves, or making sense of numbers in a fractured world.

The Secret Life Of the Brain
PBS, January 22, 9:00 p.m., ET, check local listings.
This five-part series explores the new map of the brain that has emerged from the past decade of neuroscience research. The presentation takes a chronological approach beginning with birth and ending with old age. Each individual program explores a specific stage of human development, from fundamental neural development and innovative medical treatments to behavioral therapies, new brain-based educational techniques, and the characteristics of the older brain that may form the basis of wisdom. Thirteen/WNET New York is making available teachers' guides free of charge. Contact guiderequest@thirteen.org.

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life
Discovery Channel, January 27, 9-11 p.m. and January 28, 9-11 p.m. ET, check local listings.
Sir David Atten-borough wrote and narrates this landmark 8-hour series about the Earth's marine environment. We know less about the oceans than we do about the surface of the moon, yet the seas cover two-thirds of our world. The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is a definitive exploration of our planet's oceans and reveals the sea and its inhabitants at their most fearsome and alluring. The other four parts of this eight-part series will air next spring.

__________________
KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D.C., provides these listings. For additional listings, check the web at www.kidsnet.org.

Web Winners

Slavery Fighter
At this site, the Library of Congress presents an interactive timeline and autobiographical works of Frederick Douglass, the towering nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery champion. Go to: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/.

See the World
Looking for news from all over the world? The WorldNews Network is an online portal to international news. Arranged in user-friendly categories that range from geographic areas and business to entertainment and science. Another option: try the drop-down menus at the bottom of the page. Go to: www.wnnetwork.com.

All in a Name
You may be surprised to find out just how many people around the nation share your surname--and where they live. You can search dates back as far as 1850, and the results appear in a color-coded map. Go to: www.progenealogists.com/surnamestudy.htm.

Some Good News
In these troubled times, when it's easy to get tired of all the bad "news that's fit to print," it may be time to visit a site that specializes in good news it calls HeroicStories. This site, whose aim is to restore faith in humanity "one story at a time," offers an alternative. Go to: http://www.heroicstories.com.

LA Museum Art
Browse through some 10,000 images from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Just click the Start button to enter a virtual exhibit with items ranging from Japanese art and photography to textiles and costumes. http://mweb.lacma.org.

Just the Right Words
Amaze your friends with your encyclopedic knowledge of notable quotables for just about any occasion. BrainyQuote lets you scan more than 30,000 quotes by 8,000 authors from Aristotle to Zappa. Search by topic and author name, or have a daily e-quote delivered to your inbox. Go to: www.brainyquote.com/.

If you love online puzzles then Puzzle Choice is your kind of Web site. Amuse yourself with 20 different types of printable and interactive crosswords, along with word search, trivia tests, and number challenges. Go to: www.puzzlechoice.com.

Afghan Site
Our attention is on the Afghan battlefield. Go to the CIA's World Factbook 2001 for a user-friendly backgrounder on that strife-ridden Southern Asian nation. Info on everything from geography to demographics. www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/.

Off to a Good Start
StartSquad boasts that it is the very best place to start for children, parents, librarians, and teachers seeking age-appropriate Web sites selected and organized by professionally trained librarians. Go to: www.startsquad.org.

Desirable Destination
Get ready for the holidays by getting fit, with the help of the online version of Health magazine. Includes tips on how to deal with food, weight, and beauty concerns. Go to www.health.com/cgi-bin/current/home/index.cgi.

Before you take advantage of today's low-cost travel fares, visit the world's top destinations online with the help of this multi-faceted Cities Guide. Use an interactive map or a drop-down menu. Go to: www.economist.com/cities/.

Librarians' Choice
Put your own library on your desktop: The Best Free Reference Web Sites 2001 listings--online resources that are recognized as outstanding by the nation's librarians. At www.ala.org/rusa/mars/best2001.html.

Phobias Defined
Do you suffer from sesquipedalophobia? Or maybe myrmecophobia? At last, you can now get a definition for those and other multi-syllabic fears at the aptly named Phobia List. (Admittedly not much of a help for cyberphobes.) Go to: http://phobialist.com.

Top Notch Physics
Are your students baffled by physics? This destination explains the basic laws and theories of physics in easy-to-understand language and multimedia clips. Topics covered include speed and accelerations, collisions, roller coasters, seesaws, planet rotation, friction, sound, Doppler effect, zero gravity, atoms, and more. Plus, the site's creators recently added an online quiz generator to assess students' knowledge. Go to: www.fearofphysics.com.

Money, Money
Our currency--money--tells a story about our country's history. This fascinating online exhibit starts with colonial currency from 1776 and continues through today's green backs and tomorrow's smart cards. Each bill is accompanied by a short historical note to place it into context, notes on the artists who created it, plus the meanings of the interwoven literary devices and artistic accents. www.frbsf.org/currency.

Health Talk
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Kaisernetwork.org serves up special coverage of the issues and debates now shaping health policy. Includes links to online resources, Webcasts and reports. Go to: www.kaisernetwork.org/specialcoverage/9_11.cfm.

National Pasttime
Baseball lovers' labor of love: An online portfolio of hundreds of digital photos of baseball stadiums and ballparks from major to minor to independent leagues, including defunct and rare baseball stadiums and ballparks from all across North America. Go to: www.digitalballparks.com.

Black Hole Explained
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory catches a glimpse of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, about 2.6 million times the mass of our Sun. Just one of the many images at this out-of-this-world photo gallery. Log on to: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/chronological.html.

Feel the Power
The One World Journeys team offers a 10-day multimedia expedition across the coastal waters and rivers of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, Salmon: Spirit of the Land and Sea, a photo-documentary focusing on the mind-blowing journey of the Pacific wild salmon. Go to www.owj.com/salmon/.

Space Photos
NASA's Galileo spacecraft adds Jupiter's moon Callisto to its gallery of breathtaking images. Described as a spiky landscape of bright ice and dark dust. Go to: www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/callisto/.

Snail Mail
Travel back to the days before e-mail with a visit to the Bath Postal Museum, which presents backgrounders and artifacts dating back to Egypt's earliest days of snail mail. A virtual hoot. Go to: http://www.bathpostalmuseum.org.

All History
The History Channel invites you to send an historical e-card, listen to a famous speech, or check out what happened "this day in history" in various fields. Go to: www.historychannel.com.

Toy Story
Take an amusing tour through the Museum of Advertising Icons' collection. Hundreds of pop culture giants are represented. Go to: www.toymuseum.com.

Foreign Language
Need a quick translation of a foreign word or passage? Babel Fisch is one place to start for translation from Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Japanese into English or vice versa. Don't look for complete technical accuracy, but the translations are readable and this free site can handle several paragraphs at once or even entire Web pages. Go to: babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn.

Reference Desk
Students looking for a good all-purpose reference site may want to try what many say is the best all-round site, www.refdesk.com. Here you can start your research by using the Facts Subject Index for information about grammar, plus thousands of links to other refernce sites including the Library of Congress's guide to online legal information.

Finding Your Way Around
For students in need of a good site for geographic references, try this site. It offers political and geographic maps of the world or a partiuclar country. With each map you'll find demographic, economic, and historical information. Go to: www.atlapedia.com.

Hearing and Seeing
Here's a site that offers a quick way to find information from audio and video recordings--everything from radio and TV to the Internet--and the site is searchable. There is also a fast-forward feature. Go to: www.speechbot.com.

Beware the Net
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. This site will reinforce healthy skepticism in your students about using Internet information. Go to: www.media-awareness.ca. Plus, there's a handy list of trustworthy resources to use.

Modern-Day Merck
The Merck Manual has been around a long time, but this is the new Merck Manual for the new century. Still, this site is a lot like the print version, full of artices on various diseases, lots of animantion, illustrations, photos, and a powerful search engine to find specific information more easily. Go to: www.merckhomeedition.com.

Prescription Help
Also on the health front, a site that will explain what is in the drugs your doctor prescribes for you? There is an online index, with information on thousands of drugs and herbal suplements. Go to: www.rxlist.com.

Hearing and Seeing
Here's a site that offers a quick way to find informatin from audio and video recordings--everything from radio and TV to the Internet--and the site is searchable. There is also a fast forward feature. Go to: www.speechbot.com.