School districts continue to purchase high-cost commercialized tests that depersonalize teaching, stigmatize children and schools as failing, and build public distrust. Assessment should inform educators and parents about where children are academically and behaviorally, but it doesn’t appear to improve learning. Current tests appear to primarily be used to collect data, invading a child’s and […]
Education: The Democratic Party’s Working-Class Issue
If the Statue of Liberty opened the gateway to this country, public education opened the door to attainment here. Schools like my sister’s Buffalo State Teachers College and CCNY have served as the Harvards and Princetons of the poor. And they served us well. I am, consequently, a champion of public secondary and higher education. […]
Closing the U.S. Department of Education: A LOSS for Children with Disabilities
Donald Trump just proclaimed the Project 2025 agenda in 10 points about education. As expected, this includes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), responsible for many federal laws protecting students. This post will focus on the loss of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. Many believe that states and local school districts […]
Ending School Vouchers: Finding Hope for Public Schools
Searching for hope after this election, it seems many people see through the deceptive promise of school choice. There’s danger that the new administration may ignore this, but let’s hope not. Public schools were hardly discussed this election, and that’s a shame, because saving them is essential for our democracy. America needs a strong public […]
Children and the Presidency: X-Rated or Fine for Prime Time?
As the election approaches, the stakes of how and what children learn, what they see and hear from both Presidential candidates, couldn’t be more different and critical for the future of America’s children. Breaking it down for kids, one candidate is X-rated, and the other is fine for prime time! For years, former President Trump’s […]
Questioning the Classroom Impact of Neuroscience and the Science of Reading
Suppose one tries to debate the Science of Reading (SoR) and what it is precisely. They will likely be met by cognitive psychologists, parents, and educators who are insistent about the importance of neuroscience. Trying to understand how the brain works and why some children have learning disabilities has existed for decades. I’m staring at […]
Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Need Help!
Public schools stand out for their inclusive approach toward students with disabilities, in stark contrast to many charter, private, and parochial schools. This unwavering commitment ensures that every student, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), receives the necessary support to thrive socially and academically. The CDC reports that 1 in 5 children have […]
The Madness of EdTech: All or Nothing Options
By Emily Cherkin, MEd. Recently, my daughter, grade 6, had to turn in an illustrated graph for Science. She was proud of the beautiful colored pencil work she did and I loved the fact that she actually had a paper-based assignment. As is typical of my creatively-brained child, however, she realized the morning it was […]
Breaking Down the Harris/Walz Education Plan
Voting for Trump/Vance and Project 2025 would devastate public education. Most Republican Governors are working hard to end our public schools. For example, Cheryl Binkley describes how Virginia, a state whose public schools have been some of the best in the nation, is being privatized under Rep. Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Similar scenarios are happening in […]
Crystal Ball: A President, VP, and the Future of Public Schools
Clairvoyance is the name of the game when it comes to public schools, the Democratic party, and Presidential elections. In contrast, we know Republicans want to end them. Vice President Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, have yet to devise an education agenda. Walz’s past as a teacher, coach, and governor and his […]