Mary Cowhey

"This powerful book is about real children coming to consciousness about the world around them and taking steps, to paraphrase Paulo Freire, to learn to read both the word and their world."

Low-income families of color organize their own community-based solutions to the "achievement gap" using a popular education organizing model.

Sewing vests for teddy bears inspires students to learn how clothing is made. Learning the Look For the Union Label song leads them to investigate where their clothing is made. They learn which countries belong to which continents, gather and graph data, learn about unions and fair trade.

First graders learn about compassion, action and change in response to hunger and homelessness int heir community.

I teach child-oriented inquiry-based science based on the standards not specifically to raise test scores but to raise creative problem solvers, empathetic doctors and ethical researchers.

Second graders talk about same-sex marriage and family diversity.