So what’s wrong with Teach for America advertising their get-together—uh—recruiting Happy Hour party? Why did parent, Jennifer Proseus, PTA mom extraordinaire, even bother calling it into question on Facebook? I like to socialize and as a teacher I found it helpful to meet after school to talk about issues or just kick back. Almost always, […]
To Watch NBC’s Education Nation or to Not Watch NBC’s Education Nation…That is the Question
It is almost time for…drumroll…NBC’s Education Nation! If you are like me, I like many of the NBC hosts. They are personable. I even think Brian Williams should be a regular on Saturday Night Live. If I have a chance to watch TV in the morning I am torn between the Today Show and Morning […]
Check Out the Philadelphia Declaration of Play and Cheer!
Here is a breath of fresh air for Philadelphia which has seen its share of public school closures. The following is from the Philadelphia Declaration of Play which I am adding to my website under early childhood. Check them out and cheer! The Philadelphia Declaration of Play is an ongoing collaborative project created by local […]
Revisiting “A Strange Ignorance…” LEAD Poisoning and Student Achievement
Today I add a new link to what I believe is an important organization for early childhood education. CLEAR Corps: Protecting the Potential of Children (CC) addresses the serious issue, which I write about in Misguided Education Reform: Debating the Impact on Students, addressing the harmful effects of high blood levels of lead in children […]
Sixty-Three Superintendents Who’ve Had Enough
I guess it’s a good thing 63 Tennessee superintendents are “pulling the reins in” on Tennessee education commissioner Kevin Huffman. I’m not exactly sure what that will mean in the end, or what direction they’re going to steer Huffman once they obtain those reins. They will have to giddy yap past Tennessee’s Gov. Haslam, who […]
Sucking the Joy Out of Reading—Fluency/Timed Reading for Homework
A parent I recently met, who is positively involved in her child’s education, noted her distain of having to document the amount of time her child and the family spend reading. There is nothing that sucks the joy out of reading more than the homework assignment of timing how many minutes a child and the […]
We All Know What Real Recess Looks Like
Lately there is a lot of talk about students getting fit after two decades or more of eliminating recess. With obesity, diabetes and ADHD on the rise, adults thought, hmm, maybe there could be a connection with inactivity. The conundrum is how to squeeze physical fitness in because no one wants to let go of […]
“Never Trust Tests!”—Yesterday, Today and Forever!
I was cleaning out a filing cabinet the other day and ran across some old reports I did for a class I took in college. The course taught us how to administer various tests to students with learning disabilities. We also learned how to interpret test results presented to us by the school psychologist. Teachers […]
What I Wish Corporate Money Would Pay For When it Comes to Public Schools
Do you ever think about what the so-called philanthropists could fund instead of all the privatizy, reformy, ideas that are damaging and pricey? Instead of CCSS/PARCC, DIBELS, teacher meddling, TNTP, TFA, NLNS,NCLB, and RTTT etc. etc. What ideas do you have for Mr. and Mrs. Corporation to really help America fund a great public school […]
The Public School System—Happy Labor Day!
This Labor Day, I pay tribute to everyone who works in the Public School System. A lot of critical jobs are lost when public schools close and changes are made to a school district. I am thinking Philadelphia here, although there are many other school districts which have changed drastically. A lot of these positions […]