It’s often the eclectic activities teachers do, how they determine the best teaching practices for individuals and groups of students, that help students learn. One of the problems with the Science of Reading is that those who support a narrow often biased focus on instruction, may ignore or cast aside meaningful resources that have helped […]
Connecting Big Business with The Science of Reading: Replacing Teachers and Public Schools with Tech
A troubling feature of the Science of Reading (SoR) is the connection between those who believe in the power of phonemes (and more) and those who want to privatize public schools. The old NCLB crowd has been rejuvenated and seems onboard with digital instruction replacing public schools and teachers. Understanding this connection is critical for […]
One Educator’s Grateful Remembrance: A Teacher
Most of us remember teachers we liked and those we did not, but sometimes even the teachers who seemed difficult later become the teachers we learned much from. Other times that’s not the case and a difficult teacher is remembered negatively. But fortunately, most teachers make democratic public schools work, and many children move on […]
Anxiety and Depression in the Age of the Super Student
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, a group of doctors, recently recommended screening children as young as eight for major depressive disorder (MDD). How do eight-year-olds wind up depressed? Depression they say could show up with functional impairments in school performance. Could it be in part because this is the age of the super student? […]
What I Believe Emily Hanford Misses About Reading
Emily Hanford has brought attention to reading, including several new podcasts, Sold a Story, claiming children have been harmed for years by reading instruction. She singles out programs she says failed. The stories about children are compelling. But she leaves out some history, and I don’t think she’s ever critical of any of the many […]
The Covid-19 “Leave No Crisis Wasted” School Plan that Failed…for Now
Learning loss complaints and teacher blame for school closures could be because the Covid-19 disaster plan to reimagine schools failed. Technology replacing public schools and teachers appeared to be the “leave no crisis wasted” plan, but it backfired. After Hurricane Katrina, the late privatization guru Milton Friedman coordinated replacing public schools in New Orleans with […]
9 Concerns About the Science of Reading: Why It’s Not Settled Science!
In public schools, good reading instruction for all children is imperative. Understandably, parents and teachers want to do the right thing to help children excel at reading and learning. On that point, we all agree. States are passing Science of Reading (SoR) legislation claiming it’s evidence-based instruction, settled science, to address what appear to be […]
Hurricane Ian: How Are the Children and Public Schools?
Hearts go out to those suffering from Hurricane Ian. It’s hard to fathom what Florida residents and those from hurricane-affected areas are experiencing. How are the children? How are they handling the disruption? Will public schools change? As of Tuesday morning, October 4, 2022, according to the Florida Department of Education, the following K-12 school […]
Dear Dr. Cardona: Punitive Student Assessment is Meant to Privatize Public Schools!
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona recently wrote to tell state education departments not to use test data punitively after the pandemic. He doesn’t seem to understand the history of high-stakes testing and its use to privatize public schools. From Cardona: The purpose of this letter is to remind all who report and interpret student outcomes this […]
14 MORE Ways Teachers are Disrespected!
Add these to the previous list. 1. Data Teachers are tired of relentless data collection and don’t like being conduits for companies to collect and track information on students, families, and themselves. Improving privacy laws for children has been slow going. Here’s a video covering concerns about data collection in schools. Here’s a description of […]