Serious changes are occurring when it comes to special education. This post is an attempt to tie recent events together. Under the Trump administration, the Education Department said Friday, it’s rescinding 72 guidance documents to “alleviate unnecessary burdens” and get rid of “unnecessary regulation” having to do with special education and rehabilitation. They seem to […]
What’s Behind the Obsession with Kindergarten Readiness?
When I was in kindergarten, I had one line in a little play. I said, I am Patrick Potato and this is my cousin, Mrs. Tomato, and I heard laughter. I wanted to be an actress from that moment on. ~Doris Roberts, American actress, author and philanthropist. Raymond’s mom on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. […]
Finland’s School Reforms are Troubling: 4 Reasons Why
Finland’s new curriculum means that schoolchildren will no longer need to sit down quietly in classrooms, since they will instead be able to choose where and how they study. In future there will not necessarily be any traditional enclosed classrooms. —“The Truth About Finnish Schools” This is Finland Finland’s schools have been admired for years. […]
President Donald Trump: What NOW for Public Schools?
President Trump certainly won’t be remembered as someone who “Made America Great Again” by churning the past failed public school policies of both parties. What can we expect from President Donald Trump when it comes to our public schools? Is it all doom and gloom? Can we find any silver lining? Is there a smidgeon […]
Using Teacher Shortage Talk to Justify Online Instruction
A few weeks ago Nick Morrison wrote an article for Forbes titled “Sleepwalking Our Way into the Teacher-Less Classroom.” He insists that technology, specifically the takeover by online instruction in schools, is not the real danger facing education. Instead, he claims it is a teacher shortage. According to Morrison, teachers leave due to pressure, and […]
If Thankful for Teachers, Return Trust to Them
How much trust do parents place in their child’s teacher? Maybe more than you think. The BATS were celebrating Thanksgiving this week with Thank You tweets about teachers and other school personnel. As a nation, I hope we can return to the time when we trusted teachers to be the good and decent professionals they […]
Take the CEO and Policymaker Challenge—Teach A Year in a Poor Public School!
I would like to challenge CEOs and education policymakers, and anyone else who thinks they know best what teachers should do, even though they have never been in a classroom, except perhaps for a few photo opts, to take the teaching challenge. Spend at least a semester teaching in a poor public school, which now, […]
New Website Entries
Back in August I passed the two year mark since I started this blog! Today I would like to draw your attention to many wonderful blogs, websites and books about education which I have been collecting like rare coins for the last year. I already listed many others when I first started this crusade. Check […]
New Jersey, the Principalship and New Leaders for New Schools
Who are New Leaders for New Schools? Education bloggers wrote fervently this weekend about the suspension of four principals in Newark, New Jersey who spoke out against the “One Newark” plan to reform schools http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/12/18/one-newark-reform-plan-proves-divisive-even-before-official-release/. The plan is similar to what is happening in cities across the country other than the fact that they have […]
More Weird New Words for the School Reform Education Vocabulary List
Six months ago I started my website/blog and one of my posts included strange education vocabulary. Some of the words used to mean something relevant and different from their meaning today. But most of these words have been used by education reformers to change the nature of public schooling. Many of the words or phrases […]