While Common Core’s focus on math and English language arts does nothing to address the needs of students with disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) re-authorizations weren’t great either. Much of IDEA (the changing of PL-94-142) was to make students with disabilities over into normalized regular ed. students. Individual Educational Plans were to […]
If You Feel Like Grandma Who Got Run Over By a Reindeer—Don’t Despair!
If your child is doing well and you are happy about public school you probably don’t need to read any further. If your house is decorated well enough to win a Martha Stewart contest, and your Christmas dinner was cooked and frozen in neat Zip Lock bags and Rubbermaid containers weeks ago, then you can […]
It’s Not A Wonderful Life for Millions of School Children
“…I know right now, and the answer’s no. No Doggone it! You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money! Well, it doesn’t, Mr. Potter! In the, in the whole vast configuration of things, I’d say you were nothing but a scurvy […]
The Destruction of Special Education
The firing of a special education supervisor and the subsequent elimination of the position, in Wilson County, Tennessee prompted me to address concerns about a concerted effort underway to dismantle special education. There are signs all over. Most likely you have noticed them too. In the case of Wilson County, Director of Schools Tim Setterlund […]
To the Pretenders Atop the Ed. Ladder–This is How You Spell D-I-S-C-O-N-N-E-C-T
One wonders what sort of alternative universe the so-called education leaders live in these days—most whom only taught a year—if they taught at all, and who most likely never bothered to lower themselves to take one of those silly courses about child and adolescent development. Across the country parents and teachers are rallying in their […]
Great Public Schools Focus on Student Interests
I wonder how many parents out there remember when anyone at their child’s school asked these questions: What are your child’s interests? Does your student have any hobbies? How do they like to spend their free time? I am reading an interesting book called Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, […]
What Part of Individual Educational Plan Don’t They Understand?
A recent Ed. Week article, “Common Core’s Promise Collides with IEP Realities,” claims, “Special Education teachers struggle to make sure individual education programs align with standards.” Wow! You could have fooled me! I thought IEPs were tailored to student needs, not to the Common Core State Standards. But really, aligning IEPs to the standards—has been […]
“Coaching” Applied to Teaching–Why I Don’t Like It
“Teaching Coaches” have become commonplace as public school curriculum is converted to Common Core. The plan is to enlist teachers, lots of them, to coach other teachers how to instruct using Common Core. In most places these teaching coaches get a stipend of $5-6,000 to help transform a school district into a Common Core wonderland. […]
What Really Scares Parents IS Arne Duncan!
Yesterday we learned what Arne Duncan said—in support of Common Core State Standards. At first I didn’t think I could write about it because it made me sick. But then I decided I had to write about it. From The Washington Post: Duncan said, “It’s fascinating to me that some of the pushback is coming […]
Examining Common Core’s Answer for Student Differences–UDL
All this said, here is the link to UDL so you can follow. If it makes better sense to you, by all means let me know http://www.udlcenter.org/. One issue, I would question, is found on the first link that students will “Know how to set challenging learning goals for themselves.” Do students really set learning […]