I was visiting our local newspaper and magazine shop this morning, and was scanning the racks.  It got me thinking that a useful “The Best…” list might be to create a post with several sections — the magazines/newspapers I find important to actually subscribe to for their hard copies; the ones whose websites I check on a daily basis; the sites I check once-a-week; and, finally, the ones I think are worth a monthly visit or so.

I’d love to hear what you read, too.  Please share them in the comments section, and also mention in which of the four categories they’d fall.

I read these sources to keep-up on the general news so I’m a knowledgeable citizen, to find resources that are useful for classroom teaching, to help me in my limited work on educational policy issues, and to provide “grist” for my writing and thinking.

I haven’t included resources I listed in The Best Ways To Keep-Up With Current Education Issues, so you might also want to check-out that post, too.

Here are my picks for The Best Magazine/Newspaper Websites For Useful News & Intellectual Stimulation:

SUBSCRIBE FOR THEIR HARD COPIES:

All these newspapers/magazines have online editions, too, which I use for sharing useful information.  However, they don’t necessarily make all of their print content available online immediately.  Also, I enjoy reading them and like their “feel” while I’m relaxing.

Local daily newspapers — The Sacramento Bee and The San Francisco Chronicle

I’ve subscribed to Newsweek Magazine for years. It’s always been good for some limited analysis. However, just this week they’ve completely redesigned both its look and content, and I really like it. It appears they are going to provide much more in-depth articles.

The New Yorker generally one lengthy article in each weekly issue that I find fascinating. And I love the cartoons — at least the ones I understand.

Rethinking Schools (which is also on The Best Teacher Resource Sites For Social Justice Issues) is, I think,  must-reading for teachers.

I’ve subscribed to The New York Times Sunday Book Review for nearly thirty years. Not only do I hear about books that I might be interested in, I also can learn a lot from the reviews themselves and sound well-read without necessarily having to read 🙂

CHECK THEIR WEBSITES DAILY:

I visit both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal each day. At various times in my life I’ve also subscribed to their hard copies, but now I feel I can get by with a quick online perusal.

CHECK THEIR WEBSITES ONCE-A-WEEK:

TIME Magazine is good, but I don’t think their content is up to Newsweek’s quality.

CHECK THEIR WEBSITES ONCE-A-MONTH:

Fast Company

The American Prospect

The Atlantic Monthly

Harper’s Magazine

I often disagree with Education Next, but it’s still worth a periodic visit.

Utne Reader

Wired

Good

Mother Jones

U.S. News & World Report

As I mentioned earlier, I’d love to hear what you read, too.  Please share them in the comments section, and also mention in which of the four categories they’d fall.

If you found this post useful, you might want to look at previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.