As we've often indicated on this website, including in the schools section, the US educational system is dragged down by major structural flaws. The extensive use of standardized testing may be the most obvious, but it is only one of several serious problems. Thanks to prominent educator Alfie Kohn, we have a comprehensive look at what needs to be done to develop sound … [Read more...] about Rethinking education & schools
politics
The Capitol Assault is Symptomatic of Our Dysfunctional Politics
TED MORGAN Americans were shocked to witness the assault on the capitol building on January 6, the day Congress was scheduled to ratify the presidential election. Washington DC and the nation’s state capitals remained on high alert through the inauguration as rightwing groups promised more violent attacks. It’s easy to trace the proximate cause of this assault, a … [Read more...] about The Capitol Assault is Symptomatic of Our Dysfunctional Politics
Notes from the Editor – Left Turn #8
Let us Burn All Illusions in 2021 Left Turn welcomes the year 2021 without any illusions about the nature of the system that produced the severe political, economic, and public health crises of 2020 and the new horrors surely on their way if we as a society fail to counteract the ingrained tendencies and deliberate policies that have produced the present unsustainable … [Read more...] about Notes from the Editor – Left Turn #8
Si Se Puede: Make the Road’s Organizing Efforts in the Lehigh Valley
Ashley Velazquez interviews Ricardo Almodovar Si se puede translates to “Yes, we can” or “Yes, it is possible.” The slogan was created by Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America and has been used by countless worker and civil rights groups. Make the Road PA is an organization that builds power for justice in Latinx* and working class communities. … [Read more...] about Si Se Puede: Make the Road’s Organizing Efforts in the Lehigh Valley
Far Right Pulls the Wool Over Voters Eyes
Greta Browne and Guy Gray "If the poor of this country knew what is being planned for them, there wouldn't be enough streets to fit all the people protesting against it." Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff From our viewpoint on a small farm in the interior of Brazil, with limited access to the internet and other media, we watch the unfolding of a frightening phenomenon. … [Read more...] about Far Right Pulls the Wool Over Voters Eyes
Elizabeth Warren and the Trap for Black Voters
Margaret Kimberley Whether Democrats are openly obstructionist corporatists like Pelosi, or liberal sounding like Warren, they will not consider any meaningful systemic reforms. The next presidential election in the United States is now just one year away. In January 2020 the process begins with the Iowa caucuses followed quickly by the New Hampshire primary and contests … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Warren and the Trap for Black Voters