The School Superintendents Association (AASA) recently met in San Diego. Superintendents from around the country gathered to discuss what they saw as important to school leadership and public education. The future of education was a prominent theme of the meeting, with the overall focus on one word, transformation. They saluted digital and futuristic learning, reflected […]
‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse
Parents and educators worry about how much time students spend facing digital devices. Here is a useful resource to help children live lives that aren’t dominated by screen use. Contact: Seth Evans, Chair, (seth@commercialfreechildhood.org) Screens in Schools Work Group, Children’s Screen Time Action Network Advocates Release ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push […]
The Unintended Consequences of IDEA
By Aaron Wright It is undeniable that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has aided educational access for autistic children. Prior to the first iteration of the law, children with disabilities did not necessarily have the right to a public education. However, an unforeseen side effect of the IDEA’s deficit-oriented focus upon disability has […]
Redefining Reading Achievement Creates Reading Problems in Children!
A critic who charges that children aren’t reading well and teachers need to learn about the Science of Reading, also says children must read sooner than they did in the past. This new ideological construct promotes standards that many children will not be capable of achieving. It also sets children and their teachers up to […]
Fake Film History Demeans the Education of Young Women
Helping girls grow into strong women must be built on truth, not lies. Tonight, many will watch the Academy Awards. I thought it appropriate to write about the movies and their effect on young women. Public schools should be places that encourage all students to be good at sports, mathematics, engineering, at being the President […]
The Science of Reading Plot to Replace Reading Teachers with Phonics on a Screen
Not only are school districts spending huge sums on laptops with little research to indicate students learn better on computers, they’re also pushing children to face screens to learn the most serious subject, how to read. They’re doing this alongside efforts by corporate reformers to kick teachers out of the classroom, and by promoting the idea […]
Common Core, Camouflaged in Testing and Technology
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) might seem to have diminished, but the standards are still embedded in testing and technology and still hurting students. When the standards were first imposed on students, parents and teachers complained. Sandra Stotsky, now Professor Emeritus, was an outspoken critic of CCSSs. She had previously helped develop the Massachusetts standards, […]
Problems Surrounding Amplify’s Core Knowledge Language Arts to Teach Reading
Many teachers and parents raise concerns that instruction is age-inappropriate. Many school districts have signed on to Amplify to teach subjects including language arts and reading. Teachers must teach virtual, scripted, commercial programs. Even if you don’t live in Oklahoma, I recommend checking online to read Tulsa Kids. Betty Casey is the editor and her […]
Invest in Public Schools for ALL Children. Watch Out for Partners or Stakeholders!
Public schools should be for all children. The country should get behind and invest in public education and be careful about partners or those that call themselves stakeholders. These are business words that usually mean that public education must rely on outside companies to fund education. This means public schools are no longer under the […]
Truth to Power: Facing the Disruptors with Courage and Resolve
We live in troubling times, reflected in the longtime attacks on one of our most sacred democratic institutions, public schools. But Americans have a fierce fighter for those schools in Diane Ravitch. The historian, in her new book Slaying Goliath, reminds us of the dangers facing schools, but also the hope we have in a […]