TLN blogger Renee Moore is one of 50 essayists chosen from among
more than 700 submissions who will appear in a 2011 book edited by Sam
Chaltain, national director of the Forum for Education and Democracy.
It’s part of the Forum’s multi-year Rethink Education Now
campaign, which has collected hundreds of stories about
teaching and learning at its Rethink
Learning Now community website. While there are many
contributions from teachers, the community is wide open and you’ll find
powerful commentaries from every kind of American.

It’s a collection that speaks to the
power of Web 2.0 to create a national mosaic. In addition to stories by
national figures like Gloria Ladson Billings, Deborah Meier, Arne
Duncan, and Al Franken, there are also heartwrenching posts from young people who have obviously been failed by the system. As Chaltain has said: “There are stories from politicians,
celebrities, teachers, students, and people from every walk of life.
There are stories about 3rd grade classrooms, church missions, prison
terms, and unforgettable teachers.”

Visitors can contribute their own stories to this
remarkable and positive affirmation of learning (which may remind you of
NPR’s StoryCorps project). Other TLN-related
contributors include Elena Aguilar, Ken Bernstein, Anthony Cody and Barnett Berry.

(Sam Chaltain is also the author of American Schools: The Art of
Creating a Democratic Learning Community, which TLN'er Ken Bernstein reviewed for Teacher Magazine last
December.)