Here comes VAM for social-emotional learning! Controversy erupted years ago over holding teachers accountable for academic test scores. VAM (Value Added Measurement) was supposed to have been put to rest, but it never really left. Move over VAM, now teachers will be responsible for student behavior too! Back in June, Peter Greene, writing for Forbes […]
My Blogging Anniversary: How Has School Reform Changed in Five Years?
I recently passed the five-year anniversary of when I started writing my blog. What has changed? In this post, I analyze some of the issues I’ve written about over the years. Then, I thank you for your support. Change or lack of change in education can seem dark and foreboding, but there’s a great deal […]
K-12 Mega-Merger: What Strange World Is This? Teachers Want Lowered Class Sizes!
Teaching children can be a beautiful thing. But there are so many needs right now due to years of inadequate funding and mismanagement. One solution to many problems is lowering class sizes. But read this article about a K-12 Mega-Merger and it’s easy to see that lowering class size is only on the minds of […]
Social-Emotional Learning: The Dark Side
Why would parents and teachers, tired of high-stakes testing in their public schools, wish to sign onto more assessment that tests, tracks, and profiles their child’s behavior online? Good teachers have always built social skills into their classes. Helping children behave and work with each other is second nature to teaching. One can find nice […]
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 Best Gift for Children: Saying NO to Summit Online Learning
During this holiday and Christmas season, salute the fine parents of Cheshire, Connecticut who said NO to Summit online learning! Theresa Commune said her 11-year-old son just wanted more attention from teachers than he was getting. “They need teachers to get them to love learning at this stage,” she said. Especially great is that parent […]
Learning and Happiness: The Problem with Social-Emotional Learning
Happiness is a real factor when it comes to learning. It’s important to a child’s identity formation and how they relate to their environment (see study below). But can you teach happiness? There’s a push for social-emotional learning (SEL) which leads some to think that happiness can be taught. But SEL is not what it […]
The Troubling Trend to Collect Behavioral Data on ALL Children
As school starts, many parents are being bombarded with information about behavioral data collection on their children. A lot of this is tied to the trendy push for social-emotional learning (SEL), and the attempt to connect behavior with a child’s ability to read and do well in school. But it’s troubling to see schools monitoring […]
Addressing Mental Illness in Children During Trying Times
As schools open their doors for the 2017-2018 school year, it is a good time to discuss students, schools, and mental health. Recently, we learned that suicides have spiked in middle school. Young people are still bullied, often online. Sadly, national and world events can be far more alarming to children than adults might realize. […]
Preschool Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Discipline in Disguise?
Social Emotional Learning is popular! But why do school reformers discuss SEL like it has been hiding under a rock someone just kicked over? Haven’t preschool teachers always worked with children on how to get along? While reading and thinking about preschool, I thought it would be interesting to explore SEL as it relates to […]