For years, parents of children with special needs have demanded classroom inclusion. They want a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in general classes, the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). But in Philadelphia, parents want a public school for students with autism and neurodiversity. They recognize that their students are not getting the resources or teachers they […]
Who’s Behind PBS News Hour’s Gloomy Reporting About Student Learning?
Arne Duncan (Obama) and Margaret Spellings (G. W. Bush), noneducators and former education secretaries, recently appeared on PBS News Hour, Study shows parents overestimate their student’s academic progress to dash any hope parents might have that their children are doing well in school. Who’s behind such gloomy reporting? Here’s how PBS begins, and here’s the survey: […]
The Science of Reading and The Rejection of Picture Books
The Science of Reading rejects the importance of picture books to children learning to read. In 2021, I wrote this, and many parents assumed that schools still use picture books and that children get exposure to them at home. The general idea was that picture books were taken for granted. But while there are quibbles […]
What Does ChatGPT Say About The Science of Reading? It May Surprise You
ChatGPT is raising concerns about the future of learning and advancing a new way to obtain information. Since many journalists, cognitive psychologists, educators, and parents claim that the Science of Reading (SoR) is the authentic way all children will learn to read, and there’s a drive for states to adopt expensive SoR programs, I asked […]
How Stressing Preschoolers and Kindergarteners Could Lead to Mental Health Problems
There has been a pushdown of academic expectations for years, and Americans should be asking how much stress this causes all students, especially our youngest learners. If a child struggles in preschool or kindergarten, it might be due to pressure. Why force children to rush through preschool and kindergarten to learn skills that never would […]
Will the Future Include Free Democratic Public Schools and Teachers?
Will today’s babies grow up with free democratic public schools, or will they attend schools stratified by wealth, with parents paying most of the cost, schools that allow for few differences, cyber schools without real teachers but online instruction, which collect unlimited data on children used for commercial and career tracking purposes? Will they be […]
Kindergarten Critical Connection: Picture Books Teach Sounds and Generate Interest!
There is a push for kindergartners to learn to read without focusing on picture books and opportunities to speak and listen naturally, verbalizations critical for this age and development. Instead, vocalizations are now highly scripted with primarily phonics instruction. It’s well understood that speaking and listening are critical skills at this period in a child’s […]
Reading Disabilities: Focus on Public Schools NOT School Choice!
Parents of children with reading disabilities might be led to believe that school choice for a charter or private school is better than an actual public school. Still, there needs to be proof that those schools are better or that children will get accepted into good schools. Students may lose protection under the Individuals with Disabilities […]
Saving Public Schools for ALL Our Children in the New Year
As we approach 2023, let’s make this the year to unite for the common good to reestablish and promote public education for all our children. A public school system relies on a country that values education for all its children no matter family religious beliefs, the color of one’s skin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or […]
Aligning a Child’s Education to Industry: A Long-Time Corporate Goal
Troubling tweets by Education Secretary Cardona focused on aligning education to industry generated concerned replies, including mine. But few should be surprised. Such comments reflect a decades-long corporate drive to reshape public education. It’s the reason for high-stakes standards, test-and-punish schools, data collected on children, and the long-time unproven claim that public education has failed students […]