Public schools should be for all children. The country should get behind and invest in public education and be careful about partners or those that call themselves stakeholders. These are business words that usually mean that public education must rely on outside companies to fund education. This means public schools are no longer under the […]
Truth to Power: Facing the Disruptors with Courage and Resolve
We live in troubling times, reflected in the longtime attacks on one of our most sacred democratic institutions, public schools. But Americans have a fierce fighter for those schools in Diane Ravitch. The historian, in her new book Slaying Goliath, reminds us of the dangers facing schools, but also the hope we have in a […]
Pressuring Parents to Teach Their Kindergartners to Read: The New Norm?
Ahh. There’s no place like home, especially if you’re a kindergartner whose been sitting and working all day on phonics worksheets, or seated in front of a screen doing reading exercises. Once you get off that school bus it will be time to finally make a break for it. Play awaits! Looking at those pictures […]
Students with Disabilities: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Parents with students who have disabilities are troubled by the problems their children face in public schools. They may turn to charter schools believing they will finally get the services they find lacking in public school. But charter schools are not an acceptable answer in most cases. We’ve known for years that students with disabilities […]
Corporate School Reform and “Disruption” Also Hurts Children in Suburban Schools
The following is written by a teacher who asked that I post her essay but remain anonymous. Isn’t it sad that we live in a time where teachers feel they will get in trouble if they write about their concerns and question the establishment? Corporate school reform breaks schools apart. While children in urban and […]
A Review of Daisy Has Autism: In 2020, a Commitment to Students With Disabilities!
Daisy Has Autism by Aaron J. Wright should be mandatory reading for every school board member, school administrator, and teacher. It’s a book that will help parents of children with disabilities know they’re not alone. It’s an interesting story for anyone. The book details the struggles of Arthur and Annie Russell, whose daughter has autism. […]
Sights and Sounds of the Season and The Importance of the Arts in Public Schools
This is a good time to think about the arts. The visuals and sounds of the holidays, art, music, and drama, surround us. It’s a reminder that children need access to learning about the arts in public schools. The arts help children learn in academic areas. They keep children interested in school. The arts alone […]
The Myth that Charter Schools are Innovation Paradigms
For years charter school advocates have claimed that charter schools have something new and innovative to share with public schooling. It’s a myth. Charter schools bring nothing new to the table. Any innovative charter schools are likely run by real teachers. Jeanne Allen, who founded the Center for Education Reform (CER,) called the nation’s leading […]
7 Concerns About the MSNBC Public Education Forum
It was nice to watch the MSNBC Public School Forum online. Finally, Democratic candidates answered questions about education. But here are seven concerns. Corrections are welcome. Billionaire Takeover Candidates talked about making the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes to help schools, but no one mentioned Bill Gates, the Waltons, Eli Broad, Mark Zuckerberg […]
It’s Wrong to Force Four and Five Year Olds to Read! Focus on Speaking and Listening Instead!
With No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards, some adults have been led to believe that four- and five-year-old children should read by the end of kindergarten. Preschoolers are pushed to be ready for formal reading instruction by the time they enter kindergarten. This is a dangerous idea rooted […]