Brian Jones

  • Testing keeps the privatization beast alive

    Corporate school deform forces all schools to act competitively--and test scores are increasingly the coin of that competition. February 26, 2013

  • A dream of education equality

    The occasion of a day to honor Dr. King is an annual opportunity to remind ourselves that equity in education--and elsewhere--is possible. January 16, 2012

  • Unraveling the myths about teachers

    One year after NBC's "Education Nation" summit on public schools, the "reformers" have had a bad year--but they're still pushing their agenda. October 10, 2011

  • A stand to save our schools

    The Save Our Schools march drew thousands of educators and activists to Washington, D.C., to talk about real education reform. August 2, 2011

  • Beyond the legend of Malcolm X

    A controversial biography by the late Manning Marable provides a fascinating account of Malcolm X's life story and political development. May 24, 2011

  • Obama's real constituency

    Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, but he needs some new slogans--because "hope" and "change" have been emptied of any content. April 26, 2011

  • "Egypt moment" for education

    Make no mistake about it--for those of us who are determined to defend public education, this is our Egypt moment. February 24, 2011

  • The other name for school "reform"

    Education "reform" has been referred to by various terms: privatization, deregulation, neoliberalism. Karl Marx had another name for it: capitalism. February 2, 2011

  • The unclosed achievement gap

    More than 40 years after the civil rights movement shined a spotlight on it, the racial achievement gap is alive and well. January 13, 2011

  • Privatizing war and education

    Once you get past the hype, the war on public education is motivated by the same imperatives--power and profit--driving U.S. wars abroad. November 10, 2010

  • A Harlem charter takeover

    Thousands of people in Harlem are about to lose their green space--to the construction of yet another charter school. October 22, 2010

  • Civil rights struggle or sham?

    Supporters of charter schools claim they are fighting a "civil rights" struggle, but would Martin Luther King sign up for such a "movement"? October 19, 2010

  • What I learned at the education summit

    The sacrificial teacher on a televised panel discussion packed with advocates of anti-union school "reform" has a few more points to make. October 8, 2010

  • Answer No. 1: Stop scapegoating teachers

    A SocialistWorker.org columnist explains what he wants to say--if he gets the chance--at a televised panel discussion on the future of teaching. September 27, 2010

  • A Washington scandal in perspective

    Two leading Black members of Congress are accused of violating ethical standards--but the biggest scandals in national politics are perfectly legal. August 18, 2010

  • Anti-racist victim of a racist smear job

    What happened to Shirley Sherrod highlights the explosive nature of the politics of race and racism in the U.S. today. July 26, 2010

  • A rebel for a better world

    Anyone who spent any time with Howard Zinn knows of his tremendous generosity of spirit, and of course, his legendary humor. February 5, 2010

  • Who's afraid of the big, bad Zinn?

    A conservative Web site accused the "people's historian" of perpetrating a distorted "version" of history, but it's the truth that they're scared of. December 16, 2009

  • The charter school charade

    At a fancy gala thrown by the Harlem Success Academy, I heard charter school supporters use the legacy of civil rights struggles to sell privatization. November 13, 2009

  • Why the free market can't cure health care

    If there's any idea worth rethinking, it's Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's claim that our needs are best met through the unfettered free market. September 3, 2009

  • Who does Obama answer to?

    There may be differences within the limits of "mainstream" ruling-class thinking, but figures like Obama would never challenge those limits themselves. July 29, 2009

  • The voice of Harlem radicalism

    Hubert Harrison, the Black socialist from the turn of the 20th century, was many things: author, editor, public speaker, educator and activist. July 6, 2009

  • Using "civil rights" to sell charter schools

    Wealthy proponents of charter schools claim they want to advance racial justice--even as public schools become more segregated. April 30, 2009

  • Marx's vision of socialism

    They're often called utopians, but Marx and Engels were the first to bring socialism down from the clouds and explain how it could be established in the real world. March 4, 2009

  • Marx becomes a Marxist

    Marx's Marxism is the theoretical product of his practical efforts to build a movement for change, and his observations of struggles taking place around him. February 25, 2009

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