Speaking of the wisdom — or lack thereof — of relying on young participants in national service programs like Teach for America as stopgaps in struggling schools, Negar Azimi‘s New York Times Magazine story probes deeply into the practice and ideology of TFA. So, exactly how effective are TFA teachers? It depends on who you […]
Dana Goldstein
Dana Goldstein, a former associate editor and writer at the Prospect, comes from a family of public-school educators. She received the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism, a Schwarz Fellowship at the New America Foundation, and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellowship at the Nation Institute. Her journalism is regularly featured in Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications, and she is a staff writer at the Marshall Project.
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Jenna Bush Reconsidered
Forget the stories about drinking and partying. With her new book on the problems of poverty, AIDS, and sex abuse in Latin America, Jenna Bush seems to be growing up — and outgrowing her family’s politics.
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THIS WEEK’S NEW YORKER COVER MAKES ME PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.
It’s called “Narrow Stance.” The artist is It’s called “Narrow Stance.” The artist is Barry Blitt. —Dana Goldstein
Posted inEducation in America
CONSIDERING NATIONAL SERVICE.
Over at Politico, TAPPED’s dearly departed Ben Adler reports on the growing, bipartisan movement in favor of increasing opportunities for national service. Chris Dodd‘s proposal to increase AmeriCorps funding to accommodate 1 million young volunteers annually is wonderful. I’m consistently amazed by the number of high-achieving college graduates I know who are rejected from AmeriCorps […]
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FEDERAL AGENTS BUMBLE THROUGH IMMIGRANT ROUND-UP.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement told police in Nassau County, New York (on Long Island) that they needed support for a raid of immigrant gang members. The local authorities agreed to participate. But as Newsday reports, the New York cops were shocked by what they say they saw last week: Federal agents wearing cowoby hats and […]
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WHAT HAVE WE REALLY LEARNED FROM ANITA HILL?
I missed this yesterday, but Anita Hill took to the page of the New York Times to answer Clarence Thomas‘ sexist allegations against her. Again. Hill reminds us of one of the primary ironies of the scandal: Thomas’ reputed harassment of Hill, his employee, took place while he was chairman of the EEOC, the federal […]
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RETREAT FROM THE COASTS.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it was blasphemy — downright unpatriotic — to suggest it was economically irrational or patently unsafe for Americans to live below-sea level in a time of global warming, rising tides, erosion, and increased numbers of ever-stronger storms. The mantra was “rebuild, rebuild, rebuild.” But quietly, the Army Corps of […]
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OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES.
Congressional Democrats, unions, and other organizations lobbying for the passage of S-CHIP are bringing kids to Capitol Hill to hold President Bush‘s feet to the fire, the Baltimore Sun‘s David Nitkin reports: Congressional Democrats last week tapped Graeme Frost, 12, of Baltimore, to record a radio address urging the president to accept a more expensive […]
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IS SHAMING AN EFFECTIVE POLICY?
The Journal is the monthly newspaper of New York City’s public housing system, and as the New York Times reports, in each issue it publishes dozens of names on a “Not Wanted List.” These are folks “formerly affiliated” with various floors in various buildings, but who are now legally barred from entering public housing grounds. […]
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TRUST ME, IM A DOCTOR.
Dr. Jay Parkinson is riding a wave of mini-celebrity on New York blogs. He’s a young physician specializing in care for 18 to 40 year olds in Manhattan and Brooklyn without health insurance. He doesn’t have an office, makes only house calls, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the cheapest places to get MRIs and pick […]
