If you thought Common Core State Standards were bad, look out! Here come the new social-emotional standards to complement Common Core—because nothing says children have feelings more than benchmarks! Today’s Common Core State Standards are aligned to high-stakes testing that closes schools and pushes good teachers out. Of course, many parents have not been happy […]
Student Socialization in Public Schools
Socialization you could say is how a child interacts with their peers. There are many definitions, but in school, socialization mostly involves how children play and get along with each other. We think of recess when considering socialization. We wonder how much socialization children miss when they don’t get recess. Public schools can go a […]
States Lacking Mental Health Services for Kids–And Some Glimmers of Hope
Marcie Lipsitt is a special education activist for children in Michigan, and she sent out a report about the serious loss of services there for children with mental health problems. It’s entitled, “In crisis, mentally ill children forced to wait days or weeks for hospital beds,” and includes the plight of a parent who has […]
Who Owns Your Schools? In Lee County, Florida They Belong to Parents and Children
For years now, I’ve wondered who owns school boards. Venture philanthropists come into cash-strapped districts and suddenly parents and citizens find their voices no longer matter. Anyone with the right amount of money, well-meaning or not, can take over how schools in that district will be run and what students will learn. Is that about […]
Robin Williams and Lessons to Be Learned About Kids with Mental Illness in Public Schools
I have been reminded that Robin Williams died of a particularly severe neurological disease called Lewy Body Dementia. This is not a psychiatric disorder, so it is incorrect to associate Williams to mental illness. Unfortunately, this is an older post and the title is stuck. Still, the information about schools and mental illness I hope […]
Breaking a Child’s Spirit—Twenty Harshly Negative Effects of Today’s School Reforms
Part I 1-10 These are not easy to read. But I’m sure you will find that many, if not all, have been used to negatively change public elementary schools in recent years. And you will recognize why they break a child’s spirit. Here are the first ten. I will post the others later. 1. Children […]