Conservative media is portraying public schools as indoctrination camps. They pejoratively call them “government schools” while continuing their attack on civics teachers and librarians. They make so many factually incorrect statements that no one has enough time to research and contradict them all. Suffice it to say, where the right-wing critics see indoctrination camps, I see public education’s critical role in our society, which involves teaching students to think for them

My Facebook feed is full of proud parents and high school seniors in full graduation regalia, celebrating this important life passage. School is (almost)out for summer! This year is an important one as schools, and their ceremonies, are finally back to normal. However, the political backlight on our schools is anything but normal. The pro-charter, anti-public schools forces are growing—not simply with conservatives, but in progressive circles as well. The Supreme Court is lik

Speech on comprehensive sex education given by Marianne Burke to the Fairfax County Public School Board, May 26, 2022. Text slightly changed to be more widely applied. Original speech is available upon request. After reviewing decades of research on the subject, adolescent psychologists have concluded that co-ed (comprehensive) sex education is beneficial to students. Nevertheless, the decision to separate students by gender in Family Life Education is often made by sch

Our hearts go out to the families who lost family and loved ones in Uvalde and the other gun shootings over the last three decades. We suffer along with them, as we feel powerless to stop school gun violence that has occurred at more than 27 schools this year. With pain and fear in our hearts, parents sent our children back to school. We don’t know when or where gun violence will strike again on school property. We just know it will happen again. What can we do to stop this?