Tuesday, January 21th, 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. and the Common Core A critical reading of “close reading”

Proponents of the Common Core have likened the struggle to implement it to the Civil Rights Movement.1 As we reflect on the 50th anniversary of the height of that movement, we must consider how these standards and the related testing are threatening students' rights to education, not upholding them. As one critical example, the Common Core's strict interpretation of “close reading… [Read Full Article]

Wednesday, January 15th, 2014

What Rwanda Did Right

Nineteen years after the genocide, Rwanda is one of the least corrupt countries in Africa. How did it happen?I almost didn’t see the roadblock in time to stop. It was early afternoon, but it was dark as dusk in the rainforest, with low inky clouds hovering over the treetops, releasing a wild downpour. The windshield wipers couldn’t keep up. It… [Read Full Article]

Thursday, January 09th, 2014

The right to the truth: how is Rwanda dealing with the legacies of its past?

November 14 2013: What role can memory and truth play in rebuilding communities in the aftermath of a genocide? In the second post of the series, Katherine Conway writes on the importance of the individual's right to the truth and on what the Gacaca courts have achieved in Rwanda.Truth plays a crucial role in bringing justice to war-torn communities and in… [Read Full Article]

Tuesday, January 07th, 2014

Muoy You, who escaped Cambodia's killing fields, now teaches self-respect and integrity

Peace Works Travel is pleased to introduce Mira Costa School student travelers to some of Cambodia’s most notable Killing Fields survivors, spring break 2014. See how experiential education makes a world of difference for US students and abroad.For Muoy You, "the power of education" isn't an abstract concept. She's seen it transform the life of her family.Her father was a… [Read Full Article]

Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

Partner Spotlight: Cambodian Living Arts

In order to fully understand and appreciate the empowerment Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) provides for Cambodian artists, we must learn about Cambodia’s history. Between the years of 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge, a revolutionary anti-Western group that gained power, conducted genocide of Cambodians. It is estimated that during those years, 2 million Cambodians died from execution, torture, starvation, and… [Read Full Article]