Any educator or parent who understands the beauty of reading and the importance of helping a child learn to do it right was appalled to read two recent articles about the subject. Both should make all of us concerned that children are being set up to hate reading. They are being pushed to read earlier […]
It’s What President Obama Didn’t Say about Education in the State of the Union Address….
The president, of course, could not speak about all the following disputes in one State of the Union Address. But the problem is he rarely speaks about these issues with the American people. There is little, if any, discussion or debate. The president might be surprised to find not everyone approves of his education policies. […]
Pete Seeger…if you sing for children, you can’t really say there’s no hope.
Yesterday we lost Pete Seeger, one of the all-time great folk singers and activists. The LA Times calls Seeger “the conscience of America.” A larger than life figure, there is no way one can write enough about Seeger. He dedicated himself to peace, civil rights, labor, and the environment. He sang folk music and songs […]
What Should Parents Do For Students with Autism in Public Schools?
The January 3rd post about autism hit a nerve and I have a little more venting to do on this subject before moving on…. These suggestions can apply to all students and parents who want something more than Common Core State Standards and high-stakes testing in their public schools. It is easy to tell parents […]
Common Core State Standards and Students with Autism—The Shoe Doesn’t Fit
Let me say up front, that I don’t think Common Core State Standards are shoes that fit any child, but the standards are especially insidious for students with disabilities, who were promised something different with the original Public Law 94-142. Recently I read an article in Teaching Exceptional Children from a year ago. It was entitled, “Meeting […]
How to Be a Nice Teacher When You’re Mad and Treated Badly
I wanted to write something that had to do with teachers in relationship to Martin Luther King Day and this is what I came up with. Teachers are genuinely nice people. If you work with children you teach them to be nice and respectful to others. Most people go into teaching because they are happy […]
New Jersey, the Principalship and New Leaders for New Schools
Who are New Leaders for New Schools? Education bloggers wrote fervently this weekend about the suspension of four principals in Newark, New Jersey who spoke out against the “One Newark” plan to reform schools http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/12/18/one-newark-reform-plan-proves-divisive-even-before-official-release/. The plan is similar to what is happening in cities across the country other than the fact that they have […]
Goodbye to More Real Public Schools in Memphis—Will Yours be Next?
There are few things sadder to me than to see small children standing in front of a microphone begging to keep their schools open. But that’s Memphis. It’s also Chicago, Philadelphia and New York and on and on. If you don’t yet have charter schools taking over your public schools don’t blink. They’re coming. They […]
So Long Zero Tolerance—Now is the Time to HELP Troubled Kids—Modern Family Thinks So
With all the bad news in education, it is good to see the Obama administration taking steps to address zero tolerance http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-discipline/index.html. They are finally attempting to put to rest the outrageous arrests and suspensions involving innocent or misguided children—looking at all of them as criminals. This will help improve public schools. This should stop […]
Larger Classes Help Students with Disabilities? Who Does the Illinois Bd. of Ed. Think It’s Fooling?
The Illinois Board of Education believes larger general education classes will help children with disabilities http://action.aft.org/c/468/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7727. Restricting the size or providing self-contained classes would do them a disservice. Really? Shame on them! Who do they think they are fooling? Consider this profound statement: “The elimination of state requirements specific to class size will best ensure […]