Urgency and Opportunity: Preparing a Generation of Solutionaries 

(A Call to Action by Steve Cochrane, Executive Director of the Institute for Humane Education) Over the past two years, life as we know it has changed. We have seen the entire world impacted by disease. We are watching the atrocities of war through our daily news feeds. We are facing a climate crisis, a crisis…

Read more »

Schools are becoming an epicenter of culture wars, but there is a solution to the conflicts

School board members are receiving death threats. School board meetings have become shouting matches. The national news is regularly reporting about the most local of politics—school board elections in tiny districts. The two primary topics causing all this conflict are COVID-based mandates for masking and/or vaccination and teaching about racism in social studies classes. This post is about…

Read more »
What Should We Teach?

What Should We Teach?

What should we teach students in school? Given the realities of globalization, constantly evolving technologies, rapidly shifting job opportunities, and a planet in peril from climate change, it’s important to re-evaluate the body of knowledge and skillsets that we require children to obtain. It helps to come to this task with a beginner’s eyes, unfettered…

Read more »
humane education

Transforming Education and the World: An Interview with Steve Cochrane, IHE’s New Executive Director

Passionate about preparing young people to lead lives of joy and purpose, Steve Cochrane has had a remarkable journey through the field of education. It is a journey that has taken him from the campus of Princeton University where he served as an admissions officer and an assistant dean of students to the classroom of…

Read more »
What’s Wrong With Education and How to Make It Right

What’s Wrong With Education and How to Make It Right

Most people in industrialized countries have experienced 13 years of formal schooling, so it is not surprising that many consider themselves to be legitimate critics of education. Our feelings about schooling run the gamut. Some believe that if the curriculum and pedagogy were good enough for them, they should be good enough for children today. Others…

Read more »
Reimagining Education: Why Changes are Needed and What We Can Do

Reimagining Education: Why Changes are Needed and What We Can Do

In the United States, the current purpose of schooling is expressed in the mission statement at the U.S. Department of Education website: to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Is this mission sufficient and appropriate for students whose future is threatened by global problems they will be required…

Read more »
The School of Humanity

The School of Humanity – Accelerating Human Progress: An Interview with Raya Bidshahri

Introduction: Raya Bidshahri is the Founder and CEO of the School of Humanity, a revolutionary online school with a progressive model and skill-based curriculum and a mission to reinvent education to better serve our species. In addition to founding School of Humanity, Raya also founded Awecademy and co-founded various national and international initiatives including The…

Read more »

How to Teach about Structural Racism: An Interview with Ayo Magwood

Introduction: Ayo Magwood (Uprooting Inequity LLC) is an educational consultant specializing in in-depth, evidence-based education on historical and structural racism. These seminars include primary and secondary historical evidence, data, quantitative maps, research studies and original diagrams/images, and each session represents 300-400 hours of research, synthesis, and graphic design work. Ayo is also writing a book…

Read more »
steve banner

Inspiring Citizens: An Interview with Steve Sostak

Following 15 years teaching elementary and middle school on three continents, Steve Sostak founded Inspire Citizens, an independent educational organization working with diverse partners to reimagine schools as thriving community centers of transformative learning. Steve wears many hats in his work with Inspire Citizens. He guides administrative teams on future-focused strategic planning around transformative learning…

Read more »