Matthew Lynch – Teachers and school administrators have to realize that in order for reform to pay dividends, it must be fully embraced by the local district and community.
John Jensen, Ph.D. – Subtle assumptions can influence how we tackle a tangible purpose like educational change.
Matthew Lynch – There is a tendency for American teachers to be treated like factory workers. They receive little recognition, a meager salary, and their training after hire consists of professional development that rarely fosters much growth.
Matthew Amaral – I recently had a baby boy, and during the expected lack of sleep and increased irritability on my own part, I noticed something very important. When I am in a bad mood, easily annoyed and snappy, so are the students.
John Jensen, Ph.D. – About the assertion in the title above, one might ask “In relation to what?” And here’s the first problem, having the wrong purpose. Do we want comprehension and competence with a body of knowledge, or enough familiarity to know where to look up something we know superficially?
Matthew Amaral – If Romeo Montague had a Facebook profile, who would the last four posts be from? Well, all of them might be from Juliet, saying things like, “It’s been five minutes since my last post and I still miss u <3!”
Will Fitzhugh – I remember once, in the early 1980s, when I was teaching at the high school in Concord, Massachusetts, I visited a class in European History taught by my most senior colleague, a man with a rich background in history and many years of teaching.
Unfunded activists have: #1 Successfully appealed a high school math text adoption with victory on 2-4-2010. (Appeals court hearing was heard on 3-8-2011, now comes more waiting.) #2 Driven out [...]
Sandy Kress – What a sad journey for Arne Duncan. He started out a bold reformer, with a lot of cash in stimulus money to lubricate the way for major change.
John Jensen, Ph.D. – Your manner of communicating apart from your role or party leanings cuts deeply.
Peter Stern – The signs are all over… I have to say that I am very concerned about the world. I don’t think humans have a chance. In fact, I believe that “Humans are a doomed species.” The only question I have is when will it finally happen?
Gadi Adelman – According to the website U.S. Charter Schools there are 4691 charter schools currently operating in the U.S. with a total of 1,419,996 students enrolled. Since charter schools started in 1991, 40 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signed into law charter school legislation.
Dave Mundy – I have a solution (at least a partial one) to Texas’ educational funding problem. It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s rational. Charge tuition for foreign nationals attending Texas public schools.
Alexandra Usher – I spent a year teaching English in Germany, a country with one of the most stratified school systems in the west. In Germany, after completing the 4th grade, teachers, school administrators and parents come together to decide which “track” a student will follow for the rest of their educational career.
The clock is ticking for true patriots — the backbone of our society — to bring the nation to its feet. In precisely eight months from this writing, on November 8, 2011, the noise from contenders for Executive, Legislative and gubernatorial offices will be ratcheted up, amplified and embellished by throngs of professional “handlers” (a.k.a. political consultants).
Matthew Amaral – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When you increase class sizes, you are reducing the number of teachers who can do the job right. There are a lot of teachers out there who can effectively teach a class of 20 urban youth. There are a hell of a lot fewer who can do that with a class of 35.
Joe Nathan Column – Would busy Minnesota teachers classify veteran educational journalist John Merrow’s new book, The Influence of Teachers, as liberal or conservative, pro or anti-teacher? Probably not.
Ron Isaac – The United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, last week picked a few education bloggers, mostly on the basis of affinity and compatibility with his views, and [...]
Ron Isaac – Sometimes it takes a prank to get the truth to slip off a forked tongue. That's especially so when a politician wants to wrap his actual intent in a plush garment of righteous-sounding rhetoric. The greater the deceit the more diligently he may rehearse a tone of sincerity as a prepared answer, made to come off as spontaneous, to an anticipated direct question at a press conference or otherwise when on camera or in front of a microphone.
Jerry Heverly, a high school English teacher in the San Francisco Bay area, posted a comment last week that resonated with me and other readers. He suggested that the money his school and others pour getting more kids ready for college is a waste, and maybe also a money-making stunt.
Joe Nathan – Minnesota Gov.Mark Dayton and Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius are proposing a wise, and historic change in Minnesota public education. They are recognizing reality: Minnesota has outstanding district and charter public schools. We need to honor and learn from them. So they have made a proposal to do that.
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