Freshmen are told on one hand not to worry about college, then given an early version of a college entrance exam three weeks into their first year of high school. ~Chicago Tribune Nov.13, 2017 Like kindergartners pushed to be first graders, high school is the new college. Teens are more anxious than ever. Depression and […]
The New “Collaboration”—Students Teaching Themselves Without Schools
While the teacher’s role is currently mentioned in corporate reform involving technology, it is diminishing. Teachers are being replaced by outside partnerships who control how and what students learn. Simultaneously, the student-to-student role is increasing. Students are being relied on to instruct each other. This is exemplified in the term “collaboration.” What collaboration used to […]
Learning and Happiness: The Problem with Social-Emotional Learning
Happiness is a real factor when it comes to learning. It’s important to a child’s identity formation and how they relate to their environment (see study below). But can you teach happiness? There’s a push for social-emotional learning (SEL) which leads some to think that happiness can be taught. But SEL is not what it […]
Betsy DeVos Goes Trick or Treating for Dyslexia
US Senator Bill Cassidy MD (R-LA) and his wife Dr. Laura Cassidy recently met with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and dyslexia and learning disability organizations to discuss serving children with dyslexia. It’s important to remember five things. Public schools used to do more for students with learning disabilities. Resource classes, general education support, and certified […]
The Lost Joy of of Putting On a Play: What Children Miss in a “No Excuses” World
How many elementary school plays do children get to perform in? Do schools have time for plays anymore? Do children ever get to act out dramatically? Drama can’t be tested. So plays might become a burden for teachers forced to worry about school accountability. Since NCLB, and no excuses for poor test scores, became popular, […]
Destroying Special Ed: Sliding Backwards in Time
Serious changes are occurring when it comes to special education. This post is an attempt to tie recent events together. Under the Trump administration, the Education Department said Friday, it’s rescinding 72 guidance documents to “alleviate unnecessary burdens” and get rid of “unnecessary regulation” having to do with special education and rehabilitation. They seem to […]
Teachers or Technology? 12 Tech Takeover Concerns
Teachers in Boston are all aglow over personalized learning—teaching students how to learn on digital devices. But there’s something strange about learning how to help computers do a teacher’s job—like maybe tomorrow teachers will show up for work and their key will no longer open the classroom door. LearnLaunch Institute’s MassNet program is one of […]
How Gates, DeVos, and Local Business Leaders Destroy Democratic Public Schools
Last month, CREEED held a Choose to Excel summit with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with the goal of discussing the state of education in El Paso and to find ways to “move the education needle forward” by, among other things, recruiting charter schools to the area. ~Sara Sanschez, El Paso Times, October 9, 2017. Charter […]
FORCE & FLUNK: Destroying a Child’s Love of Reading—and Their Life
We are now in the dangerous era of FORCE & FLUNK when it comes to children and reading. Here’s how it works. FORCE A frenzy surrounding reading is caused by school reformers and the media, claiming children are not learning to read fast enough. Kindergarten is the new first grade, automatically making preschool the new […]
Alternative Ed., or Personalized Learning? And Susan Sarandon’s Ad
During this serious time when public schools are under siege and threatened by a tech, anti-teacher, anti-brick-and-mortar schools, and an anything goes takeover, it’s important to define public schools. It goes without saying that public schools should be creative places for learning. Some children, especially those who are at-risk, require different learning environments. The alternative […]