Resources

Educating for Democratic Citizenship Lesson Plans

One of the Institute's new featured programs is Educating for Democratic Citizenship which features "Action Civics" lessons and related materials developed by a group of accomplished, experienced educators. These lessons can be found on a dedicated section of ShareMyLesson.
Constitution Day 2022 Resources and Blog Series

As we recognize Constitution Day this year, so much is stake—our institutions, our rights and our ability to teach. So the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson are launching a series of teach-ins to provide content knowledge on the rights granted in the Constitution, with teachable strategies for the classroom.
Ensuring Adequate Education Funding For All: A New Federal Foundation Aid Formula

A proposal for and simulation of a new "foundation formula" approach to federal K-12 funding, one in which federal funds are allocated based not only on student need (as is currently the case), but also on “effort”—that is, whether states contribute a reasonable minimum "fair share" of their economies to their public schools.
Ensuring Adequate Education Funding For All: A New Federal Foundation Aid Formula DATA VISUALIZATION TOOL
This data visualization tool allows users to customize and simulate a supplemental federal K-12 aid program based on the new "foundation aid" approach presented in this report.
Segregation and School Funding: How Housing Discrimination Reproduces Unequal Opportunity

A descriptive analysis of the historical and contemporary relationship between racial segregation and K-12 school funding.
Voting Rights and Disability Rights Blog Series
This blog series builds on an event ASI co-sponsored with The Century Foundation where U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and a distinguished group of experts discussed the threat to voting rights and why it is critical to protect them, especially for people with disabilities, and what Congress is considering doing to protect voting rights for all Americans.
The Early Years of the New York City Teachers Union

Post by Leo Casey which appeared on the Shanker Blog on April 30, 2020.
Oral History of Lorretta Johnson

Interview with Lorretta Johnson, a longtime Baltimore Teachers
Union and American Federation of Teachers leader.
Oral History of Deborah Meier

Interview with Deborah Meier who has been working in public education as a teacher, principal, writer, advocate since the early 1960s, and ranks among the most acclaimed leaders of the school reform movement in the U.S.
Oral History of George Altomare
Interview with George Altomare, a founder of the United Federation of Teachers. His collection of papers can be found here.

Recent Blog Posts

Publications

Constitution Day 2022 Resources and Blog Series
As we recognize Constitution Day this year, so much is stake—our institutions, our rights and our ability to teach. So the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson are launching a series of teach-ins to provide content knowledge on the rights granted in the Constitution, with teachable strategies for the classroom.
Ensuring Adequate Education Funding For All: A New Federal Foundation Aid Formula
A proposal for and simulation of a new "foundation formula" approach to federal K-12 funding, one in which federal funds are allocated based not only on student need (as is currently the case), but also on “effort”—that is, whether states contribute a reasonable minimum "fair share" of their economies to their public schools.
Segregation and School Funding: How Housing Discrimination Reproduces Unequal Opportunity
A descriptive analysis of the historical and contemporary relationship between racial segregation and K-12 school funding.

Blog Archives

Our Mission

The Albert Shanker Institute, endowed by the American Federation of Teachers and named in honor of its late president, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes - excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. With an independent Board of Directors (composed of educators, business representatives, labor leaders, academics, and public policy analysts), its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these issues.

This blog offers informal commentary on the research, news, and controversies related to the work of the Institute.