Children fear third grade retention. It doesn’t motivate them to learn. They don’t read earlier because of it. Retention is not effective. It’s scary and could haunt a child forever. Third grade retention laws are real for children in nineteen states. NEA Reports noted in 2017 that 16 states and Washington D.C. make it mandatory that […]
It’s Time to Erase Harmful, Recycled Education Policy!
Serious education issues in public schools are recycled because the ulterior motive of some is to end public education. Research is repeatedly ignored. Why are school administrators clueless? How is it that legislators repeatedly recreate policy we know is harmful for students? Each heading contains a link to proof. End Retention. Research is clear that […]
Force and Flunk, Tougher Kindergarten Lead to Parental Dissatisfaction with Public Schools
When children aren’t reading according to the corporate time frame set by Jeb Bush and his ilk (non-educators who want to privatize public education), parents become dissatisfied, even angry with public school officials and teachers when their children fail. The goal of many corporations is to end public education. They want privatization. To do this, […]
Poverty & Reading: The Sad and Troubling Loss of School Libraries and Real Librarians
My last post listed reasons why many children don’t learn to read. Poverty was behind many of the items. Poor students attend poor schools where they miss out on the arts, a whole curriculum, even qualified, well prepared teachers. Students might end up in “no excuses” charter schools with only digital learning. But, next to […]
The Sad Impact of Corporate School Reform on Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities
We have a lot of troubled kids. As of 2016, approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. HERE. Schools should be on the front line to assist children and adolescents with mental health difficulties. But […]
The Lost Joy of of Putting On a Play: What Children Miss in a “No Excuses” World
How many elementary school plays do children get to perform in? Do schools have time for plays anymore? Do children ever get to act out dramatically? Drama can’t be tested. So plays might become a burden for teachers forced to worry about school accountability. Since NCLB, and no excuses for poor test scores, became popular, […]
Teacher Appreciation: It’s More than a Free Burrito
The official Teacher Appreciation Week starts tomorrow. If you celebrated it last week—celebrate again. In fact, celebrate every day! Teacher appreciation can’t be captured in one week. Here is my 2015 list and my 2016 list of why we should appreciate teachers. If you think of something I left out let me know. Chipotle gave […]
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 […]
What’s Scary to Kids: Having Dyslexia and Being Held Back in Third Grade!
You thought I forgot Halloween because I posted earlier today? No. Here is an old post that is unfortunately still relevant today. There is no point in rewriting what is already said. Happy Halloween! Have fun and stay safe out there! ___________________________________________________________________ With certain states jumping on the retention bandwagon, even though we know retention […]
12 Reasons Why Digital Personalized Learning is Not Special Education
A recent article in Business Insider describes how Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg got their idea for digital personalized learning from special education. A light bulb lit, and they realized that students placed according to their academic level online is needed for every child—not just students with disabilities. They liked the way special education teachers […]