71: Post-Standardization: Schools for a Free and Democratic Society w/ Dr. William Ayers

Today I am joined by Dr. William Ayers, a retired education professor at the University of Chicago whose work is rooted in progressive ideology. Ayers was heavily involved in the free school movement in the 1960s, and his work reflects a focus on democratic schooling and building a more free society. Ayers is a prolific author, including writing On the Side of the Child: Summerhill Revisited, Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom, To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher, and the recently released "You Can't Fire the Bad Ones!": And 18 Other Myths about Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Education.

In this podcast, Ayers and I talk about the opportunity that COVID-19 provides teachers to throw out standardized testing and build a better system. We discuss the College Board, the connection between testing and the financial industry, how testing impacts the culture of a school, and what a classroom without these tests could mean.

GUESTS

Dr. William Ayers, professor of education at the University of Chicago, elementary education expert, education reform activist, author, and researcher.

RESOURCES

• “You Can’t Fire the Bad Ones!”: And 18 Other Myths about Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Education by William Ayers, Crystal Laura, and Rick Ayers
• Bill Ayers’ Website

FURTHER LISTENING

• Bill Ayers | Teaching And Organizing for Social Justice | University of Oregon Lecture
• Headline: Author Bill Ayers on the Eighteen Myths of Public Education