Well-meaning parents and schoolboards have been working remotely to determine how to safely reopen schools, but these plans are filled with uncertainty. Many of the changes make schools unrecognizable. The Coronavirus has involved conflicting information. Now we’re seeing an uptick in cases. It’s not what anyone wants, but fall doesn’t seem like a good time […]
Beware of Education Frenemies!
Frenemies are everywhere when it comes to public education, while many of us fear disaster capitalism as the future of public schools. Dictionary.com defines frenemy as a person or group that is friendly toward another because the relationship brings benefits, but harbors feelings of resentment or rivalry. What makes an education frenemy and not an […]
There’s No “Science of Reading” Without School Libraries and Librarians, A Predictor of Student Success
The loss of libraries and qualified librarians in the poorest schools has reached a critical mass. Yet those who promote a Science of Reading (SoR), often supporting online reading programs, never mention the loss of school libraries or qualified librarians. Ignoring the importance of school libraries and certified librarians delegitimizes any SoR. Children need books, […]
Redefining Reading Achievement Creates Reading Problems in Children!
A critic who charges that children aren’t reading well and teachers need to learn about the Science of Reading, also says children must read sooner than they did in the past. This new ideological construct promotes standards that many children will not be capable of achieving. It also sets children and their teachers up to […]
The Science of Reading Plot to Replace Reading Teachers with Phonics on a Screen
Not only are school districts spending huge sums on laptops with little research to indicate students learn better on computers, they’re also pushing children to face screens to learn the most serious subject, how to read. They’re doing this alongside efforts by corporate reformers to kick teachers out of the classroom, and by promoting the idea […]
Parents and Teachers United: A Force for Students, Public Education, and America!
On this Thanksgiving, I am remembering parents and teachers, Republicans and Democrats, who work together to create public schools that serve all children. This relationship is sacred and critical for children to learn. Without this bond there’s little hope for public education and America’s future. The corporate reform, dystopian goal is to destroy public education […]
Force and Flunk, Tougher Kindergarten Lead to Parental Dissatisfaction with Public Schools
When children aren’t reading according to the corporate time frame set by Jeb Bush and his ilk (non-educators who want to privatize public education), parents become dissatisfied, even angry with public school officials and teachers when their children fail. The goal of many corporations is to end public education. They want privatization. To do this, […]
After the Confession: How Will They Fix the Damage Done to Public Schools?
Nick Hanauer is described as “founder of the public-policy incubator Civic Ventures.” His piece in The Atlantic called “Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America,” is an admission that the corporate message we’ve heard for years that schools will fix the problems of the economy and society is false. Most of us knew this. Here is […]
The PBS NewsHour/Education Week Report About Dyslexia: Biased & Short on Facts
Schools must provide adequate reading programs and reading remediation for students who need more assistance. But the recent report on dyslexia recommending intensive phonics for all children by the PBS News Hour, through Education Week, is irresponsible, short on facts, and presents biased reporting. Education Week receives grants from philanthropic groups that favor school privatization. Here are […]
How is School Choice “Freedom” When Students Lose School Libraries and Librarians?
Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open. ~Laura Bush What choice and charter advocates don’t advertise is that most charter schools don’t invest in school libraries with qualified […]