In The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, Jonathan Kozol refers to a comment by President George W. Bush about Bush’s goals for education. President Bush said, I went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. Later, in 2004, he said, It’s working. It’s making a difference. […]
Technology Fails Students. Will It Matter? What’s Next? Private, Parochial, Charters, and Online Programs?
How are schools going to look in the fall? Local school district educators and parents are meeting to draft plans. Weighing heavily on the minds of many is this question, will public schools survive? Will teachers still have a role to play in the education of students? First comes safety. Schools might require a longer period […]
Beware of Education Frenemies!
Frenemies are everywhere when it comes to public education, while many of us fear disaster capitalism as the future of public schools. Dictionary.com defines frenemy as a person or group that is friendly toward another because the relationship brings benefits, but harbors feelings of resentment or rivalry. What makes an education frenemy and not an […]
Who Does the Biden/Sanders Education Unity Panel Unite?
Many want to say good riddance to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her boss. But educators and parents fighting for public education, and the ninety percent of students who attend public schools, deserve a more inclusive group of people to push back on harmful school reform. The Biden/Sanders Unity Education Task Force leaves much to […]
Disaster Capitalism, Online Instruction, and What Covid-19 Is Teaching Us About Public Schools and Teachers
The last few weeks have been surreal as we learn about the Corona Virus and how to protect ourselves and our neighbors. One of the largest disruptions has been school closings in order to contain the virus. No one knows when schools will reopen. While Covid-19 is of utmost concern, parents and educators, who’ve worried […]
Sen. Bernie Sanders or V.P. Joe Biden: Who is the Better Presidential Candidate for Education?
Public schooling is one of the most important issues of our time. Without great public schools, how will America’s children grow up to find their strengths, seek the paths that bring them joy, and create a better world for themselves and future generations? Our world faces many problems, and it will take engaged students, who […]
The Unintended Consequences of IDEA
By Aaron Wright It is undeniable that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has aided educational access for autistic children. Prior to the first iteration of the law, children with disabilities did not necessarily have the right to a public education. However, an unforeseen side effect of the IDEA’s deficit-oriented focus upon disability has […]
Invest in Public Schools for ALL Children. Watch Out for Partners or Stakeholders!
Public schools should be for all children. The country should get behind and invest in public education and be careful about partners or those that call themselves stakeholders. These are business words that usually mean that public education must rely on outside companies to fund education. This means public schools are no longer under the […]
The Myth that Charter Schools are Innovation Paradigms
For years charter school advocates have claimed that charter schools have something new and innovative to share with public schooling. It’s a myth. Charter schools bring nothing new to the table. Any innovative charter schools are likely run by real teachers. Jeanne Allen, who founded the Center for Education Reform (CER,) called the nation’s leading […]
The Summit for Corporate Reformers vs. Teachers Who CLIMB Summits
A summit is defined as the highest peak of a mountain. It’s also a meeting of high-level officials. In education, corporate politicians and reformers promote themselves as child experts. Yet they are far removed from the classrooms where teachers climb mountains every day to help students learn. Chicago teachers recently fought for paraprofessionals to have […]