elcome. "Voices from the Field" was an online periodical produced from the Fall of 1999 through the Spring of 2002 by the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University (a program of The Education Alliance). The purpose of this free publication was to present issues from the perspectives of teachers experiencing change, challenges, and growth as education reform took shape. The publication was fully written and edited by public school teachers in the region.

Please note that when this periodical was 'active', we invited feedback from our readers. Though we no longer accept feedback, we do provide the feedback we did receive on the respective stories.

Spring 2002

The Things We Leave Behind
Mentoring is about more than the needs of new teachers
"I watched as my school began replacing "baby boom" retirees with young staff, many of whom remained outsiders for uncomfortable stretches of time. I could see that if new teachers did not put down roots in our system, much of what we'd all worked for would be lost."

Winter 2002

Creating a Culture of High Expectations
"We are misguided if we think we should handle our urban students with kid gloves or pile on the sympathy. The best thing we can do is to hold them accountable."

Summer 2001

High School Literacy
"More and more, I couldn't count on my 9th and 10th grade students to finish a short story for homework. Even those who insisted that they had 'done the reading' often could not explain what they had read. Was it my job to teach this, too?"

Spring 2001

Mixed Company
"The native speakers in my class had one question after another for the bilingual students, acknowledging their differences for the first time. But how many opportunities do we get to ask honest questions of those who aren't just like us, or to answer in ways that are our own?"

Fall 2000

Relationships in the Classroom
Children come to school with social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs that are inseparable from one another. As their teacher, I must respond to them in their entirety.

Summer 2000

Teaching in an Era of School Violence
Within hours the open, welcoming atmosphere of this small suburban school had become closed and suspicious. But we quickly "got used to" the new restrictions, and after a week it was like nothing had happened.

Spring 2000

Becoming a Teacher
Student of Teaching
A Year of Firsts
Continuing to Become a Teacher

Winter 1999

Teaching City Living with Simulated Software
One of the most important lessons children can learn is that though their roots are in one place, as citizens they belong to a larger community...

Fall 1999

Action Research: Classroom Study
A middle school teacher tries her hand at action research, a tool thats helps teachers develop and investigate the questions that matter most to them.

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