Safety commissions, school districts, PTAs, and other groups and individuals have discussed school safety. One smart move would be to ensure that every school has a legitimate arts program including visual arts, music, drama, and dance. Students who struggle with mental health problems might benefit from the arts. Every child should have access. Students should […]
Does this Summer Reading Program Bypass Librarians, Teachers, and Fun, While Tracking Students?
READS is a summer program for disadvantaged children promoted by the i3 (Investing in Innovation) Fund and The Wallace Foundation. It uses computer algorithms to figure out a student’s interests. Next, it matches them to books. It gives students in kindergarten through fifth grade 10 free books, but there are strings attached. Both the i3 […]
The School Safety Commission’s Troubling Ties to the Border Crisis
School safety is simmering in everyone’s minds during summer vacation. But looking at the individuals on the Federal Commission on School Safety should give us pause. How do they view children? There’s cognitive dissonance when they say they want safe schools, yet they thought it fine to separate babies and children from their parents in the […]
The Ridiculous Ways Adults Ruin Recess
Recess for children is such a simple concept that some adults don’t know how to deal with it. Edutopia is talking about a “right way” to do recess in order to “optimize” it. This stems from a report that is supposed to “help” with recess. They want to manipulate how children play and how we […]
Schools, and a Country’s Children: Remembering a Gentler (Not Perfect) Past
This is our land. These are our children. We’re all in it together. ~Brochure for the Van Buren Intermediate School District, Project NOMAD (Needs and Objectives for Migrant Advancement and Development), 1972 and 1973. In the early seventies, as a young college student, I became an aide for two summers, in the Michigan Migrant Education […]
Alternative Routes vs. Growth Mindset: Shouldn’t School Be Like a Map?
Maybe you are planning a trip over the summer. Are you going to tackle the Grand Canyon? Perhaps you’re going overseas to Italy, or some exotic place that has always been on your bucket list. Maybe you will stay home and enjoy relaxing in the backyard. Why don’t we tell children that school is like […]
22 Education Issues That Make Us Go “Well, Duh!”
There are certain issues in education that should no longer take a major study or a Ph.D. to understand. And yet some Americans seemed duped into believing there’s need for proof. For example, Chalkbeat just informed us that students who take tests in hot rooms don’t get good test scores. Does this shock anyone? Here’s […]
On this Memorial Day: Remembering Protectors of Children and Public Schools
On this day, Americans rightfully remember those who fought and died for our freedom. Maybe they will have a barbecue. Perhaps they will make use of the sales and go shopping at the mall. But when they hang the flag, they will thank those who made our country safe, so we can say what we […]
Bellwether: The Sheep Leading Teachers, Children, and Parents Off the Cliff!
Long ago, it was common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was called the bellwether. ~Mirriam Webster Dictionary Bellwether Education Partners is one of several nonprofits working with school districts around the country to determine how to […]
In DeVos Interview, Lesley Stahl Went Where Few Journalists Go
It’s been a long time since any journalist has defended public schools with the kind of punch we saw with veteran journalist Lesley Stahl. It was refreshing to say the least. Stahl has a book out about being a grandmother, so maybe she’s got the children of America on her mind more intensely these days. […]