Teaching in the Cracks: Openings and Opportunities for Student-Centered, Action-Focused Curriculum

This engaging book shows how teachers and schools are creating emergent, democratic, progressive education amidst the current context of high stakes accountability. In this follow-up to his bestseller, Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way, Schultz explores how today’s rhetoric and restrictive mandates result in curriculum that fails to capture the attention of students. For meaningful learning that develops transferable skills and engages students, teachers and sometimes whole schools need to find spaces to “teach in the cracks” so that students can connect with issues relevant to their lives. Teaching in the Cracks provides both a theoretical and practical foundation for incorporating an action-focused curriculum that meets academic standards and provides students with opportunities for agency and to use their voices in their own learning.

Book Features:

• Specific tools and strategies to help teachers engage students in democratic participation and action.
• Examples from varied teaching contexts, including elementary and secondary classrooms and independent, charter, and public schools.
• Recommended organizations and resources for integrating justice-oriented civic engagement in classrooms.