Never underestimate the abilities of those with disabilities. ~Eunice Kennedy Shriver Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent comments about autism, including describing it as a “disease,” created an uproar. Kennedy seems to be on a fishing expedition for a cure; one gets the feeling he still wants to blame vaccines, and his stigmatizing comments that autism […]
10 Years Later: The Continuing Intentional Unraveling of America’s Public Schools
School reform continues to privatize and destroy public schools. August marks ten years since I began blogging. Within that time I have written two books and co-authored a third with Diane Ravitch. I’m proud of all this writing but Losing America’s Schools: The Fight to Reclaim Public Education is the book title that especially stands […]
14 MORE Ways Teachers are Disrespected!
Add these to the previous list. 1. Data Teachers are tired of relentless data collection and don’t like being conduits for companies to collect and track information on students, families, and themselves. Improving privacy laws for children has been slow going. Here’s a video covering concerns about data collection in schools. Here’s a description of […]
Nineteen For 2019: Choose This, NOT That, to Save Public Education in the New Year!
1. Kindergarten NOT The New First Grade Kindergartners should be treated like the four and five-year-old students that they are and not pushed to be first graders. The activities and instruction for this age group are well established. Real educators should take charge and ensure that there’s much free play and age appropriate activities. 2. […]
Personalized (Online) Learning Fails at Classroom Dynamics and Socialization
Let’s get together, yeah yeah yeah Think of all that we could sha-are Let’s get together everyday Every way and everywhere And though we haven’t got a lot We could be sharin’ all we’ve got Together ~Haley Mills, From Walt Disney’s The Parent Trap The public school classroom is a sacred community. How students socialize in […]