Speaking Worlds 4 is the latest installment of an ambitious collaborative literacy project between three schools within New York City's GED Plus program and Teachers College Columbia University's Student Press Initiative (SPI). Exploring this book, you will find compelling stories from students writing informed personal essays ranging from critical pieces on media, to personal essays centered on the conflicts of change and immigration. These students worked for more than two months in collaboration with SPI educators and GED Plus teachers to explore their stories in context with the world, to...

Our Mosaics: Stories of Community, Culture, and Self - Personal Narratives from the 4th and 5th grade students at New York City's PS 175, PS 154, PS 115, PS 161 - A collaboration between the Office of School and Community Partnerships and the Student Press Initiative at Teachers College Columbia University. - This mosaic of stories offers the creative and real life experiences of fourth and fifth graders from four schools in the Harlem area of New York City. The writers of these stories are young and vibrant and with their words they transport us to a place inside ourselves-a place where we...

Speaking Worlds 5 is born from the continued collaboration between the Student Press Initiative (SPI) at Teachers College, Columbia University and the District 79's GED Plus ESL programs in the New York City Department of Education. Most of the authors who share their stories in this collection are new immigrants to the USA. They are emerging English speakers and range in ages 17-21. This year the countries represented here are from the South Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa. The spectacular work you'll find in this collection stems from not only the students' determination to challenge...