To call yourself a librarian, you need to have that training and to be certified. If you replace a certified librarian with someone who’s just an expert in technology, you’re losing half of the role that school libraries are supposed to be serving. You still need someone who is a champion of reading. ~Leslie Preddy, […]
School Transformation Double Talk Threatens Students and Teachers
It’s easy to be confused by what is said about schools today. We are told one thing, when quite the opposite is taking place. We are told that with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), education will involve local decision making. Simultaneously, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation is giving $44 million to affect state […]
Put Out to Pasture: Past Education Secretaries and Their Anti-Public School Connections Today
It’s interesting how previous education secretaries go on to jobs that are anti-public schooling, mostly promoting digital learning. Arne Duncan, who was President Obama’s education secretary, just resurfaced to write an Op Ed in the Chicago Tribune. He argues that education reform after his oversight is doing well. Of course many disagree. We know that […]
IEPs for All Students? Hold On!
A discussion about IEPs for all students seems to be trending. In an interview with The Nation during the presidential campaign, Jane Sanders talked about IEPs and public schools. It was likely the most we heard about public education at that time. Here are her words. It’s interesting, because we’ve made progress with IEPs [Individualized […]
Teachers or Technology? 12 Tech Takeover Concerns
Teachers in Boston are all aglow over personalized learning—teaching students how to learn on digital devices. But there’s something strange about learning how to help computers do a teacher’s job—like maybe tomorrow teachers will show up for work and their key will no longer open the classroom door. LearnLaunch Institute’s MassNet program is one of […]
The Dallas Dance Investigation: What’s Your School District Up To?
Dallas Dance is in trouble. But don’t forget his agenda. The attempted transformation of a school system to personalized learning is troubling. How many school districts have administrators or school board members pushing personalized learning at all cost? Anyone hearing buzz words and phrases like “no walls and no boundaries?” I have posted before about […]
Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools
Teaching children to be happy and resilient, to have grit, in a “changing and chaotic world,” and telling parents their children will now need skills “well beyond good test scores,” raises serious questions when you consider the no-excuses schools so many students now attend. I am referring to the upcoming Learning & the Brain conference […]
Rotting School Buildings and Magical Digital Learning Transformation
The key issue to watch in 2017 is the spiraling drive to privatize public schools through digital learning. One way this is done is through charter schools. Another strategy could be by not funding the upkeep of public school facilities then recreating them as blended learning schools. Allowing schools to crumble in order to justify […]
Killing Teacher Prep During a Teacher Shortage: A Mystery? (Maybe Not)
Are you in the mood for a mystery? Education Secretary John King recently came out with the intent to kill university teacher prep programs. His predecessor Arne Duncan, who never taught a day in his life, cheered him on. They will do this by denying future teachers TEACH grants to go into teacher preparation programs. […]
The Privatized Beaded Necklace “School of the Future”
The PBS NOVA “School of the Future” was interesting in that many corporate messages were strung together like an expensive necklace made of plastic beads. Grit, mindset, brain studies, social-emotional learning…you name it…it was there. Showcased individuals gave shout-outs to others in the program. Sal Kahn yelling out to students that they all have a […]