Why Geoffrey Canada is wrong: Defending schools as democratic spaces

Why Geoffrey Canada is wrong: Defending schools as democratic spaces

Author: Ethical Schools April 1, 2022 Duration: 55:01

We speak with Dr. Brian Jones, director of the New York Public Library’s Center for Educators and Schools, which provides all sorts of free resources to teachers and school administrators. Public schools, for all their flaws, are centers of power and potential for teachers and parents. As a historian, Dr. Jones draws parallels between Booker T.  Washington and Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children’s Zone. In the aftermath of civil rights struggles, both accommodated the powerful and opposed collective efforts for systemic change. 

Overview 

00:00-00:47 Intros

00:47-03:55 Corporate school reforms vs. unions

03:55-09:04 Corporate reforms: who wins, who loses; public schools as a place where everyone is entitled to services 

09:04-11:57 School choice and neighborhoods; collective vs. individual change

11:57-19:38 Democratic and Republican support for charters and choice

19:38-23:07 Complicated history of schools and neighborhoods

23:07-24:41 Historical Black leadership in fight for public schools

24:41-30:21 Efforts to separate racial justice from economic justice

30:21-41:47 Booker T. Washington and Geoffrey Canada

41:47-45:46 Implementation of progressive steps: keeping the redistributive potential

45:46-50:51 Jean Anyon

50:51- Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 


Conversations about education often focus on test scores and curriculum, but there’s a deeper layer that truly shapes a student’s experience. Ethical Schools digs into that layer, exploring what it means to build a learning community grounded in integrity and care. Each week, hosts Amy and Jon sit down with educators and innovators who are actively reimagining schools. You’ll hear specific, grounded discussions about the practical work of creating environments where every student feels safe and respected. The dialogue frequently addresses how to support young people dealing with trauma, moving beyond theory to share actionable strategies that teachers are using right now. More than just problem-solving, this podcast highlights how to empower students themselves to become advocates and changemakers in their own communities. It’s a series that connects philosophy with daily practice, looking at the social and cultural structures within schools through a lens of ethics. For anyone invested in the future of education-whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or simply a concerned community member-this podcast offers a thoughtful and necessary perspective on the foundational values that make education meaningful.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 240

Ethical Schools
Podcast Episodes
Technology and ethics: AI and the classroom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:26
Robbie Torney, director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, analyzes teachers' use of AI. We focus on AI teaching assistants, their uses and abuses, and how teachers' judgment and skills remain central. We discuss the…
Climate justice: A transformational education and engagement project [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:46
We speak with Tom Roderick, founding executive director of the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility; Jan Zuckerman, Co-founder of Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, Oregon; and Graham Klag, an a…
Teachers as Interpreters: Listening to Every Student [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:31
We speak with Dr. Cynthia Ballenger about her recent book, “Teaching is Inquiry: Observation and Reflection as the Heart of Practice,” in which she explores the role of ethnography in inquiry-based teaching and learning,…
Hip Hop in the classroom: Reaching students where they are [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:26
We speak with Dr. Dawn Hicks Tafari, Professor of Education and Coordinator of Elementary Education at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. Dawn is author of "The Journey of Kamau Miller: Hip Hop Composite C…
Challenging credentialism: An alternative vision of education (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:43
We speak with Arlene Goldbard, writer, visual artist, speaker, social activist and consultant, whose most recent book is “In the Camp of Angels of Freedom: What does it mean to be educated?” An autodidact from a working-…
Mobile Creativity Labs: Scaling STEAM Across India [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:31
We speak with Dr. David Penberg and Adhirath Sethi about Agastya, a unique educational ecosystem serving students and teachers in 22 Indian states. Agastya has a hub-and-spokes design, with an elaborate 172-acre campus o…
Resilience: Preparing Children to Weather Traumatic Events [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:41
We speak with Dr. Tovah P. Klein, professor of psychology at Barnard College and the director of the Center for Toddler Development, about her book, “Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncert…
Marygrove School: Place- and project-based teaching and learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:06
We speak with Dr. Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean and professor at the Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan. Dr. Moje discusses Detroit’s School at Marygrove, a university-school partnership serving childr…
Honesty: What it means and how to teach it [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
We talk with Sarah Stitzlein, author of "Teaching honesty in a populist era: Emphasizing truth in the education of citizens." Dr. Stitzlein, a professor of education and affiliate professor of philosophy at the Universit…
Creating democratic learning environments: Educators in conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:48
We speak with Dr. Linda F. Nathan and Jonathan Mendonca, two co-editors of the recently published book, "Building Democratic Schools and Learning Environments: A Global Perspective," an anthology of accounts of creating…