I believe in collective bargaining, and I believe that at any time you’re talking about wages workers have to be at the table. President Obama July 2007 Campaigning for President Perhaps the first problem with that statement is that collective bargaining is not only about wages. If you are still deceiving yourself about the Democratic […]
The Real Meaning Behind the Duncan/Huffman Tough Special Ed. Compliance Talk
What are they really doing? Everyone who cares about students with disabilities is troubled by Arne Duncan’s latest NPR blathering over the Obama administration’s plans to get even tougher on special ed. and to test these students more and include their scores in the National Assessment for Education Progress known as the Nation’s Report Card. […]
Should We Love Our Principals Like CEOs? Heavens No!
The Atlantic has an interesting article entitled “Should Principals Be Treated Like CEOs?” I think a more appropriate title for the article would have been, “Should Principals Be CEOs?” To me that is what they are really getting at in their report. Since this “school-to-business” ideology was foisted on public schools years ago, we have […]
STEM Preschool and Common Core—Too Much Too Soon and the Wrong Message
A friend of mine told me about STEM preschools the other day. At first I thought she was kidding. But I didn’t have to look hard. They’re everywhere! It seems that if parents are intent about making sure their children understand Science, Technology, Engineering and Math all they have to do is sign up for […]
You Can’t Trust Alternative Teaching Programs
The flim-flam report National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ) just reared its ugly head again. Those who follow education news know the report is bogus. Many bloggers have been justly slamming the report. You only need to look at the NCTQ Advisory Board and Board of Directors to understand what they are up to. Most […]
New Website Entries
Back in August I passed the two year mark since I started this blog! Today I would like to draw your attention to many wonderful blogs, websites and books about education which I have been collecting like rare coins for the last year. I already listed many others when I first started this crusade. Check […]
Higher Ed for Higher Standards and Common Core Yakety Yak
Higher Ed for Higher Standards is a relatively new group funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (of course) to advertise the importance of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). They have another similar group, Complete College America, where they also point to poor student performance of beginning college students. Bill Gates […]
Happy Father’s Day to Dads Who Speak Out: Keep Up the Great Work!
As a teacher, I once arrived at my classroom early in the morning to find a father of one of my students quite upset. I shakily ushered him into the classroom where he proceeded to lecture me about what his son had missed out on in school, up to that point, and what he believed […]
Vergara Wasn’t About Tenure! It was About Making Fast Food Workers and Common Core Cheeseburgers
Vergara Wasn’t About Tenure! Among all the hoopla surrounding Vergara v. California and the loss of so-called teacher tenure, I noticed some strong voices yesterday that rose above the fray. They argued, essentially, that Vergara wasn’t about tenure. California teachers never had tenure to begin with. It was only about due process. This claim is […]
Can You Hate Tenure and Love Your Teachers?
The Los Angeles Superior Court has struck down teacher tenure and protections in Vergara v. California. This, by the looks of venomous comments in newspapers, seems to delight some people. Arne Duncan, who represents the Obama administration’s viewpoint, apparently loves it too. See here. Great isn’t it? That the President of the U.S. thinks so […]