Students learn from each other when given opportunities to interact in small classroom settings under the direction of well-informed, qualified teachers. Teacherless online programs where children face screens to work on rote exercises miss valuable keys to learning. Yet students are bombarded with more technology; however, reports indicate how risky too much technology can be! […]
The Harm Caused By the Third Grade Reading Ultimatum
Tremendous pressure is placed on children to learn to read by third grade. They must pass state reading tests created by those expecting them to read at this time. If they don’t do well, they could fail third grade. Yet there’s no clear research on the age a child should be able to read. Not […]
The Future of Education? Who Decides How OUR Public Schools Run?
Who determines how America’s democratic public schools are run? Is it the Americans, Democrats, and Republicans, who elect a school board to democratically represent their community? Why do nonprofits working with corporations get to decide the future of our public schools? What gives them the right to determine what teachers should teach and how schools […]
The End of Public Schools? 5 Community School Concerns
Are community schools privatizing public education from within through partnerships? If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, isn’t it a duck? It’s hard to distinguish the Biden administration’s Full-Service Community Schools and Charter School difference (see below). Americans fail to invest in schools and children have unmet […]
Kindergarten Reading is NOT a Crisis! The Real Reasons Behind These Claims
Words like alarm, crisis, and loss should never be used to reference kindergarten reading or any learning. What must children think? It destroys the trust parents have in teachers and public schools. This is school privatization on steroids flamed by the pandemic! Dana Goldstein’s recent fear-mongering report by The New York Times: Children Are Severely Behind […]
Ukrainian Schools During War: Gratefulness for America’s Public Schools
Witnessing the Ukrainian invasion brings feelings of sadness and helplessness. Children have no hope of school, running from danger after losing their homes. We’re reminded of how lucky Americans are to have freedom, not to be facing a war here, and that democratic public schools are open to all children. It shocks the world to […]
Teacher Age Discrimination Still, During A Pandemic Teacher Shortage?
Recruiting older teachers should be one solution to address the current teacher shortage crisis. Some states claim to be calling retired teachers back to the classroom to help during the pandemic. Does this include senior teachers? Will they be permanent positions? School districts should be searching for incentives and ways to attract all teachers, including […]
Grow-Your-Own Apprenticeships Don’t Raise Pay or Prestige for Professional Teachers
America’s children and teens need well-qualified professional teachers who study and specialize in the best universities, are paid fairly, and treated with respect, not Grow-Your-Own Apprenticeship programs to make fast-track learn-as-you-go classroom monitors. It’s hard to believe parents want apprentices not fully prepared teachers working with their children. Grow-Your-Own Apprenticeship is not just a program […]
The Dangerous End of School Libraries and Public Education
School libraries are critical to maintaining great democratic public schools. The loss of school libraries threatens their existence and a student’s right to receive information. See the American Library Association and The Universal Right to Free Expression: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. Many public schools no longer have functioning school libraries or qualified […]
Universal Preschool and The Expectation Divide: It’s Time to Talk!
. . .the best way to improve test scores was to do for all children even more of what we already did for wealthy children–and [recognize] that play was the vehicle for strong intellectual development in the young, regardless of class or race. What was good for the rich was best for the poor too–only […]