Every day I check the education news and am appalled to see more stories about children being denied special education services. Where is the federal government? Where’s the state? And how does the local school district get away with this without being sued? It is as if students with differences of any kind are being […]
What’s Scary to Kids: Having Dyslexia and Being Held Back in Third Grade!
You thought I forgot Halloween because I posted earlier today? No. Here is an old post that is unfortunately still relevant today. There is no point in rewriting what is already said. Happy Halloween! Have fun and stay safe out there! ___________________________________________________________________ With certain states jumping on the retention bandwagon, even though we know retention […]
Luck vs. Grit: Lessons from a Cubs Fan
As Luck Would Have it. William Shakespeare No one understands luck like a Cubs fan. And there is a lesson there for students in this era of grit. Grit involves the thinking that through perseverance and resilience you can reach your goals. To some extent the ability to overcome difficulties and hang in there when […]
Missing Socialization in Today’s Public Schools
How do democratic public schools address the socialization of students? How are children brought together to make a kinder world? Does anyone even ask that question today? This past weekend I read “My Pedagogic Creed” by John Dewey (a little light reading on a Sunday afternoon), and I was struck by how far our public […]
Pushing the Privatized “Maker Movement” Into Public Schools
The 3D printing market is projected to be worth $8 billion by 2020. —Paul Hill, “Ten statistics that reveal the size and scope of the Maker Movement.” November 3, 2015 Why be skeptical of the Maker Movement and its effect on public schools? The speed to which the Maker Movement is being pushed into schools […]
Parents Working With School Districts To Make Public Schools Work
For our team and the members of our group, gifted education is not about speeding through school or having Ivy League kids. It is about our children receiving an education that causes them to work hard, overcome obstacles, and fail and recover. It is about finding friends who understand them and are OK with their […]
Killing Teacher Prep During a Teacher Shortage: A Mystery? (Maybe Not)
Are you in the mood for a mystery? Education Secretary John King recently came out with the intent to kill university teacher prep programs. His predecessor Arne Duncan, who never taught a day in his life, cheered him on. They will do this by denying future teachers TEACH grants to go into teacher preparation programs. […]
12 Reasons Why Digital Personalized Learning is Not Special Education
A recent article in Business Insider describes how Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg got their idea for digital personalized learning from special education. A light bulb lit, and they realized that students placed according to their academic level online is needed for every child—not just students with disabilities. They liked the way special education teachers […]
Michigan to Retain Children with Lead Poisoning
Michigan has a lead problem with its children in Flint, and a governor who failed badly his own accountability test. Many wonder why he is still governor. Some wonder why he isn’t in jail. But yesterday he signed off on a bill to fail third graders. How many children in Flint will wind up failing […]
Glamorous Superintendents Who Stand On School Wreckage
The school superintendent, called CEO after the school/business takeover, is considered the superman or woman of the school district. Sometimes they are elected, but more often they are appointed by school boards. There are still some great school superintendents. But there are many others who seem to be less a public servant (superintendent) and more […]