Tuesday, September 27, 2011

For or Against Children The problematic history of stand for children

For or Against Children:






For or Against Children?

The problematic history of stand for children
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CONTENTS
Vol. 26, No.1
COVER STORIES • Still Fighting for All Our Children

Blowin' in the Wind
By the editors ofRethinking Schools
FEATURES
For or Against Children?
The Problematic History of Stand for Children
By Ken Libby and Adam Sanchez
Patterns and Punctuation
Learning to Question Language
By Elizabeth Schlessman
‘Before Today, I Was Afraid of Trees’
Rethinking Nature Deficit Disorder
By Doug Larkin
What Do You Mean When You SayUrban?
Speaking Honestly About Race and Students
By Dyan Watson
It’s OK to Be Neither
Teaching That Supports Gender-Variant Children
By Melissa Bollow Tempel
COLUMNS and DEPARTMENTS
ACTION EDUCATION
SOS March Builds Pushback to Corporate Reform
By Stan Karp
GOOD STUFF
Keywords
By Herb Kohl
Got an idea for an article? Got an idea for a letter? Contact Jody Sokolower, policy and publications editor:
jody@rethinkingschools.org
Fall 2011

Illustration: David McLimans
By Ken Libby and Adam Sanchez
Last October, a friend called with a question: “What do you know about Stand for Children?” The advocacy organization, based in our hometown of Portland, Ore., was expanding into his state of Illinois, and he hoped to glean some insight into the kinds of reforms the group would support. Just two months later, Stand’s Illinois branch had amassed more than $3 million in a political action committee and unveiled an aggressive teacher evaluation bill.
“Have they always been like this?” he asked.
The short answer: no.
Stand for Children was founded in the late 1990s as a way to advocate for the welfare of children. It grew out of a 1996 march by more than 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. The aim of the march was to highlight child poverty at a time when Congress and the Clinton administration were preparing to “end welfare as we know it.” Jonah Edelman, son of children’s and civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman, co-founded the group and continues to serve as CEO.
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