Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Deborah Meier
Off Track - Dissent Magazine
Off Track If we wish to be a democratic nation, we need to address how a democratic citizenry is created through schooling. and ▪ Summer 2026 First grade students in Worcester, Massachusetts, circa 1955 (Underwood Archives/ Getty Images) Donald Trump has successfully promoted himself as the champion of people who feel unheard and unseen, including many minority and working-class voters.
Growth curves of common factors in psychotherapy: Multilevel growth modelling and outcome analysis
4 DISCUSSION The present study rested on the monitoring of the therapy process in 348 patients attending a standardized 14-week psychotherapy program. Our first goal was to explore the growth of four comprehensive common factors during this program. Logarithmic models fitted Coping, Affective Processing and Cognitive Integration best.
School Choice Trade-Offs
Save to favorites Print Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL Deborah Meier Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and Friends, Ah, Harry, you have a way with words. Stealing “public relations” from the business world (with the addition of “hips”).
The Importance of Community: Connecting Schools and Neighborhoods
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, I’m in too much agreement. As one taught from birth to argue it leaves me speechless. It’s not often that progressives quote “the Catholic idea of subsidiarity, devolving power to the lowest possible unit.” We should.
Can School Choice Return to Its Progressive Roots?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, I need help thinking through the issue of choice in public education. It affects my views about charters, of course, but after all most of the schools I’ve had a large influence on have been schools of choice.
School Choice That Might Work
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, I’m trying to figure out where it is we agree and disagree, Harry. I’ve often made clear, I think, that some parochial schools, some private schools, and some home schooling situations are conducted in the true spirit of democracy, mutual respect, and care.
Is Less Governance Always Better for Students?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, We agree and yet... Yes, Harry, when defining democracy I start with governance, and yet I agree that without greater social equality, a justice system that promotes justice, and greater citizen agency, the definition is empty.
Our Democracy Is Weak Now, Let's Fight for It in Schools (Opinion)
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, It may be less a disagreement then ... hmm. We’re talking about different issues. I’m exploring the basic “mechanics” that allow citizens to govern their government. What other “structural” elements must exist. My definition of structure is pretty broad. For example. democracy requires that its citizens not be afraid to act politically on behalf of their own beliefs.
When Everything Is a 'Race'
Dear Diane, My daughter and I were swimming in my pond one sunny summer day, and I said, "This is the best pond in the world." My daughter responded (sharply): "Why must it be the best? Can't it just be a wonderful pond?" I was actually slightly miffed, but she had a point. We are (or I am?) so accustomed to assuming that praise has to include a comparative term that it rolls out without thinking.
Advisory - Educational Leadership
February 2018 | Volume 75 | Number 5 Measuring What Matters Pages 8-11 Research Alert Student Absenteeism Becoming Key School Metric Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to measure school performance using four academic indicators and a fifth "non-academic" measure.
Schools Are Democracy Sites, Not Chain Stores
55918 « Citizens as Co-Creators | Main | Democracy Schools: Lessons From Escuela Nueva » Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, If democracy is in peril, another course on civics won't help. We agree. I think we also agree that they must be transformed into active democratic sites, immersed in the dilemmas of democracy.
Our Expensive, Manipulated Public High Schools
Teacher unions got on board with the idea that inner-city schools fail not because of the racism of the teachers, the premise of Kozol's first book, but because they have less money to spend than more successful suburban schools. Give us as much money as the best suburban schools, the unions say, and we will produce successful urban schools. Since the 1990s, it has become a mantra of the liberal mindset that if we throw enough money at a social problem, we will solve that problem.
To Strengthen Democracy, Invest in Our Public Schools
Who could have imagined that, more than 150 years into this bold project of preparing successive generations for informed citizenship, our system of universal education would be as imperiled as it is today?
Dormant Spray Planning for Tree Nuts
By Deborah J. Meier, Ph.D., Technical Development, Kocide LLC What are the key considerations in planning dormant sprays for tree nuts? Evaluate the 2017 season. If you experienced high amounts of foliar or insect damage, include dormant sprays in your upcoming crop management plan. Even if insect pressure is moderate to low, a dormant spray often is a cost-effective way to provide an extra level of protection for your valuable trees.
How to maximize the efficacy of your copper fungicides
By Deborah J. Meier, Ph.D., Technical Development, Kocide® LLC Q. What is the best way to mix copper if I’m using it alone or with other products? A. Copper products either are dry or liquid formulations. The majority of products used in tree nut crops are dry formulations. Start first with a quality copper product like Kocide® 3000 which is known for its superior formulation – it quickly disperses when poured into the spray tank and sprays cleanly.
Conflating School Choice with Democracy and Parent Empowerment is a Scam
Conflating School Choice with Democracy and Parent Empowerment is a Scam The following is an excerpt from the new book These Schools Belong to You and Me: Why We Can't Afford to Abandon Our Public Schools by Deborah Meier and Emily Gasoi (Beacon Press, 2017), available for purchase on Amazon: In the past, I pushed strongly for choice, mostly attempting to sway my skeptical progressive allies.
These Schools Belong to You and Me: Why We Can't Afford to Abandon Our Public Schools
These Schools Belong to You and Me: Why We Can't Afford to Abandon Our Public Schools by Deborah Meier, Emily Gasoi A challenge to narrow, profit-driven conceptions of school success and an argument for protecting public education to ensure that all students become competent citizens in a vibrant democracy In These Schools Belong to You and Me, MacArthur award–winning educator, reformer, and author Deborah Meier draws on her fifty-plus years of experience to argue that the purpose of...
Only democratic schools will save us
These days it is hard to be as optimistic about the future of public education generally, let alone the possibility of significantly scaling up democratic schooling, as I had at one time thought we might be ready to do.
Is Less Governance Always Better for Students? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. We agree and yet... Yes, Harry, when defining democracy I start with governance, and yet I agree that without greater social equality, a justice system that promotes justice, and greater citizen agency, the definition is empty.
Our Democracy Is Weak Now, Let's Fight for It in Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. It may be less a disagreement then ... hmm. We're talking about different issues. I'm exploring the basic "mechanics" that allow citizens to govern their government. What other "structural" elements must exist. My definition of structure is pretty broad. For example. democracy requires that its citizens not be afraid to act politically on behalf of their own beliefs.
School Choice That Might Work - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I'm trying to figure out where it is we agree and disagree, Harry. I've often made clear, I think, that some parochial schools, some private schools, and some home schooling situations are conducted in the true spirit of democracy, mutual respect, and care.
The Importance of Community - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Dear Harry and friends, I'm in too much agreement. As one taught from birth to argue it leaves me speechless. It's not often that progressives quote "the Catholic idea of subsidiarity, devolving power to the lowest possible unit." We should.
Charter Trade-Offs - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Ah, Harry, you have a way with words. Stealing "public relations" from the business world (with the addition of "hips"). Having had our language so often stolen to sell the latest products in education, it's fun to see it reversed.
Can School Choice Return to Its Progressive Roots? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I need help thinking through the issue of choice in public education. It affects my views about charters, of course, but after all most of the schools I've had a large influence on have been schools of choice.
Keeping Democracy Alive Requires Practice - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte and David Randall, director of communications for the National Association of Scholars. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Actually, I never thought Saul Alinsky considered himself a socialist, nor did "we" (I have thought of myself as a socialist since about the age of 18). I suspect that your claim that Alinsky was for a "strategy of conscious deception to advance a socialist agenda for America" is seriously disputable.
The Risk of Teaching Democracy in Schools Is Worth It - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. It's an interesting argument! And like many good arguments about democracy, it's tricky. In the interest of one set of concerns one risks another set of concerns. "Of, for and by the people" can rarely literally prevail, nor the preconditions inherent in democratic life as well as our Constitution. The question before us is: where and how should we teach democracy.
Educating citizens - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I've been "on the road" now for 12 days! But it hasn't been wearying because the last seven days have been with my son and daughter-in-law and good friends in Santa Cruz County. It's great to be able to "hang out" with those I love. Today I'm off to the Bay Area visiting with friends and family.
The First Reform - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I have argued in speech and writing for years that democracy is not "natural." Although it is well within our human capacities it is not our "default" position. To demonstrate this would take longer than this blog/web allows. But I think there are good solid reasons why as a species we retreat to authoritarian solutions so often.
The Constructive Work of Teaching and Learning - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Yes, democracy is not just voting—deciding who has the power to do what. Yes, it's not just protest. The "this is what democracy looks like" chant at many protests is far from true. Yes, both may stem from a sense of self-agency: "I make difference" and "I make choices." Even if I'm just one vote, just one protester, one member of my class. .
Schools as Foundations of Democracy - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. We get back—in your last letter—to an underlying theme that runs through our discourse! Election vs. citizen action. Actually, Harry, I suspect we'd really both agree that we don't have to choose between them. You can't win in elections if you don't have deep roots and connections with potential voters—especially if your goals are to empower "the people".
The Tough Road Ahead - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. It's hard at the moment to continue the thread of our discussion. But maybe the following is, in its way, in keeping, even if not a response to your last blog. Note also that I'm writing as though none of our readers are happy with the election results (that itself is part of the problem I face--I don't want to get into their heads)! I sit here thinking of what to say.
The Politics of Democracy, After Election Day - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Maybe memory requires having experience—even briefly, real life experience—or something akin to it. Just maybe. Maybe the stories told by real life people are sometimes absorbed as if they were one's own experience. Good story-telling can do that.
The Truth of the Common School Movement - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Harry Boyte continues his conversation with Deborah Meier. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Is there a "common school movement" of any sort today? No. We're split between basically school reform groups with a focus on teachers who have a shared set of ideas, several national parent groups to protect parental rights, and an assortment of national groups with a somewhat overlapping agenda such as Diane Ravitch's PE, SOS, and more. This could be a strength, and it could be a weakness.
The Politics of Citizen Teachers - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. We've allowed politics to have such a bad name that we forget that practicing smart politics is one of the arts and crafts of a working democracy. None of us can play full roles as citizens, or citizen-teachers, if we insist on being ignorant about these skills.
Communities of Co-Creators - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Well, the one good thing about being out of service for so long—with my peculiar eye condition—is that I think a lot about what to say. Democracy is one of those topics that can be talked about substantively and operationally for ever, and has been.
How Do We Rebuild Democratic Communities for Education? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
I'm fascinated by how differently we come at this topic which, I think, we are at heart in agreement. But, I'm trying to figure out our differences. As you know I love Public Achievement. It serves a very different purpose than the kind of Community Service projects we did at CPESS and Mission Hill, which were more "just" getting kids out into the world, seeing the world in a different role—as co-workers versus as students.
The Power of Citizens Over Public Education - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Why do I have ambivalent feelings about the word citizen? I think probably because it has so often been used as a synonym for dutiful rather than powerful. Like you, I know voting is but a small part of democracy. But it's also a critical part because it relates to the power to throw the rascals out without the blood and drama, or revolution.
Sticking to Democracy Is Hard
Editor's Note: Bridging Differences will be on a hiatus after this post. It will return in September. Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Yes, the culture that enables us to maintain democracy is hard to create and sustain. Without it, the society seems always to be "returning" to one or another top-down structure.
Do Democracy Schools Depend on Homogeneity?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I love your examples of community-built institutions. That's what good school should be. But we can't just wait for communities to do so—so we have a government, top-down (by state) system of public schooling. I'm not for getting rid of that. But it poses problems. Alabama in the 19th century? I'd need to know more.
Preparing Students for the Political Fray
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Isn't it absurd and telling that the two of us, with much in common in our political history, should have trouble finding the language to describe how we would define democracy and where our differences lie! We're coming closer.
4 Lessons Small School Communities Can Teach Us
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I've been playing around in my head with all the ways in which we define democracy. It makes some sense to say that you and I have a semantic disagreement. But there's something else in play. We've focused on two different but related aspects of a democratic culture and society.
What Is Education For?
In 2006, the highest court in New York affirmed that students in the state have a right to civic education. It was a decision thirteen years in the making, and it spoke to a fundamental question: What is an education for? Lawyers representing the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE), which brought suit, argued that the purpose of education is to develop not only vocational capacities, but also civic agency.
The Roles of Direct Versus Indirect Power in School Communities
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Sorry about the pause in corresponding! I've gotten a bad eye infection which is slowing me down, to say the least. My problem with your three examples of work on behalf of democracy is that I can't see why they might not exist in a dictatorship or even a totalitarian society.
What Does It Mean to Teach 'Civic Virtues'?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I'm fascinated. I don't think our definitions of democracy are in contradiction to each other, but they have interesting differences; I tend to draw the lines more narrowly. Maybe it's semantic. There's a tension, I'd argue, between the freedom to decide and to act based upon our own judgment and the community's right to do the same. What happens when they come into conflict?
Educating Students on Their Rights
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Yes, we do at times differ. I keep wanting to know the institutional rules of governance that could make it more or less likely that democratic norms will flourish. What gives us the best shot at being treated fairly, having a voice in our own lives, having a shot at getting my way when it seems important, being able to organize my fellow citizens, and other such daily whims and woes?
The Difficulties of Practicing Democracy
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. It is interesting trying to define democracy. You and I have each taken a different route into it but it's still not complete even if you put ours both together. Self-governance suggests our individual capacity to act upon the world, and self-governance also suggests our collective, communal capacity to do so. These are connected, but not identical for example.
Democracy Schools Require Compromise
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. The trouble is: We're not naturally born Democrats. It may (I hope) not be unnatural, but it's clear as we look round the world, starting here at home, that it's not an easy proposition. Especially once one includes folks who aren't one's natural colleagues and friends in the body politic (a rather new idea), and once the scale gets beyond being able to fit into one room.
How Useful Is 'Academia'?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I gave up, sort of, on universities when the young lefties of the 1960s went into them and started vying for who could be most obtuse and "academic"—rather than using their positions to speak to the public in our shared language. A lost opportunity! But, of course, one never gives up. But I've a real peeve over what the word "academic" has come to mean (or did it always?).
What Defines a Public School?
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. I can't locate your Tuesday letter! So for a moment let me revert to an earlier issue: What does it mean to be a "public" school? Since most authority for schooling rests with states, this obviously will vary by state. But what would you propose for either the state or the federal government with regard to defining a tax-funded public school versus "other" kinds of schooling?
How Habits Support Democratic Schooling
Deborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here. Thinking about "habits of mind"—as you take it up in your final paragraph—is a good reminder that schools serve purposes beyond those of the school itself. Public schools serve ends that being raised just at home, church, or other personally chosen private institutions may not serve.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Deborah
Contact Deborah, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack