The new Bank Street Occasional Papers #35, titled Progressive Practices in Public Schools, launched today to provide educators with a closer look at progressive programs and pedagogy that are too often hidden from view.
The series contains nine papers examining how teachers and administrators are modeling rich and compelling alternatives to what many reformers offer within the constraints of the contemporary moment and takes a deep dive into several progressive practices currently at play in k-12 settings.
Co-editors Jonathan Silin, GSE ’70, and Meredith Moore, GSE ‘06, share their thoughts on how the latest issue came together and the ways in which the papers can help inspire a dialogue among educators about how to better meet the needs of children in public education settings:
Q: How did you decide the time was right for a series dedicated to progressive practices in public schools?
Silin: We live in a time when intense pressure has been brought to bear on educators at all levels to “fix” a broken system. We wanted to shed a light on teachers and programs that have survived and thrived in difficult times for progressive educators. And we wanted to counter the myth that progressive education only works in middle-class, independent schools. Given the growing resistance by parents and teachers towards the increasingly narrow curriculums offered in public schools, we had little doubt that “now is the time” for progressive educators.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from Occasional Papers #35 Progressive Practices in Public Schools?
Moore: Some of the practices described in the essays look very different from the typical practices the term “progressive” brings to mind. Through the series, we see that the racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students who fill many schools today need more than a child-centered classroom—they need a curriculum designed to understand where children come from and to affirm students’ and families’ place in the world. While this may require us to critically examine our practices in ways that may be uncomfortable, it is a necessary step in reimagining progressive education in today’s world. The collection also highlights the key role that parents have played in advocating for progressive schools and in fighting against district and state policies that threaten schools’ progressive missions. We hope that readers will recognize the potential of parents as allies in the struggle to reimagine public schools.
Q: You received more submissions than ever before. What factors did you consider when deciding what to publish?
Silin: We were thrilled to receive so many submissions and we think it is a testament to the strength of progressive practice in public school settings as well as the need—and desire—to share what’s working well. The Occasional Paper Series is a blind peer-reviewed journal and, in the end, the essays represent a range of perspectives from teachers, administrators, students, and families in k-12 classrooms across diverse school environments.
Q: What were some of the most surprising findings highlighted in the series?
Moore: A revealing theme running through these essays is the pushback that progressive educators experience in the current climate of accountability. In these essays, educators speak to the pressure from school districts that impose mandates narrowing the curriculum and from parents who worry that their children are not learning necessary skills. The pressures are compounded by teachers’ anxieties that others will judge them negatively on the basis of their students’ performance. Clarity and commitment to progressive principals empower educators to succeed in the face of these pressures.
The Occasional Papers Series is a forum for work that extends, deepens, and challenges the progressive legacy on which Bank Street College was built. The bi-annual series seeks to promote discussion about what it means to educate in a democracy and to meet the interrelated demands of equity and excellence.
Silin and Moore’s professional relationship goes back a decade to when Silin acted as an advisor to Moore during her studies at Bank Street Graduate School for Education. They collaborated on this project to help inspire educators everywhere to continue advocating for more just, engaging, and child-friendly classrooms for all.
Click here to read Occasional Papers #35 Progressive Practices in Public Schools.
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