In a democracy that stresses freedom and individuality, education reformers remade public schools focusing on aligning children to narrow high-stakes standards, even before Common Core State Standards appeared in 2010. It isn’t easy to differentiate when the end goal is the same narrow standard. Standards don’t involve differentiating how children learn. Teachers might try individual […]
Science of Reading and EL Education: What is It?
School privatization was born of manufactured crisis, and one of the so-called crises today is reading instruction. Not that reading shouldn’t be debated and improved when it’s called for, especially for children experiencing learning disabilities. Still, the frenzy surrounding reading in this country has become fever-pitched. It has divided teachers who want to do what’s […]
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 […]
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 Science of Reading Corporate Connection: Replacing Teachers with Tech
Many of the same individuals who favor charter schools, private schools, and online instruction, including corporate reformers, use the so-called Science of Reading (SoR) to make public school teachers look like they’ve failed at teaching reading. Politicians and corporations have had a past and current influence on reading instruction to privatize public schools with online […]
The Future of Education? Who Decides How OUR Public Schools Run?
Who determines how America’s democratic public schools are run? Is it the Americans, Democrats, and Republicans, who elect a school board to democratically represent their community? Why do nonprofits working with corporations get to decide the future of our public schools? What gives them the right to determine what teachers should teach and how schools […]
“The Truth About Reading” Is Missing Truths and Backstory
Americans are getting primed with a trailer for a new documentary called The Truth About Reading. It’s said there needs to be a grassroots movement of parents and educators who are angry and say enough is enough. Wouldn’t it be better if teachers and parents met and shared their concerns about reading at their schools? Schools […]
Florida and Beyond Assessment Snookering: CBE, Common Core, and Embedded Online Testing, No Teacher Required!
Florida’s Governor DeSantis just announced the end of the Florida State Assessment (FSA), and many Floridians are thrilled, just thrilled, thinking this will be the end of the horrible testing cloud that has hovered over children since NCLB. And they’re being led to believe that Common Core is done, but they’re still using iReady and […]
How Corporate School Reforms and Ed-Tech Cause Dangerous Distrust about Covid-19
Last year, when Covid-19 drove teachers to switch to remote learning, the antennae of those following corporate school reforms over the years shot up. Many had worried about the push for ed-tech to replace teachers and school buildings. Suddenly a strange disease accelerated that agenda. For some, this has led to a dangerous distrust about […]
Where’s the Biden Administration on School Problems Facing Students, Teachers, and Parents?
The pandemic showed us that public schools are critical. Understandably, Covid-19 has been front and center. But the Biden administration glosses over or is silent on critical school issues. Sometimes these topics are front and center not in a good way in State legislatures or ignored altogether. Frustrated parents will seek alternatives, and there’s a […]