We know of many variables that help children learn to read. But well-designed peer-reviewed research continues to be ignored when it comes to these variables. At the same time, states and school districts continue to promote destructive school policies. We know such policies fail. So, why are they still being used? Here’s why some children […]
Special Education: How Has Teacher Preparation Changed?
Sometimes parents of students with disabilities will complain that teachers don’t know how to teach special education. This generalization is difficult to pin down. What specifically makes parents believe this? What is it about their student’s teacher that makes them so critical? With more student placement in inclusion classes, it also isn’t always clear if […]
Killing Teacher Prep During a Teacher Shortage: A Mystery? (Maybe Not)
Are you in the mood for a mystery? Education Secretary John King recently came out with the intent to kill university teacher prep programs. His predecessor Arne Duncan, who never taught a day in his life, cheered him on. They will do this by denying future teachers TEACH grants to go into teacher preparation programs. […]
Do Americans Hate Teachers, Or are they Duped by Teach for America?
With more than $75 million coming in from government at last count and another $220 million from the philanthropic community, we should be seeing more evidence of long-term student gains and far more alumni continuing their impassioned work in the classroom. Patricia Schaefer, NPQ, September 11, 2015 Do Americans understand that by contributing to a […]
The Dangers of Eliminating Teacher Preparation
Wisconsin is thinking about letting anyone teach. No degree will be required to enter the classroom and work with students. Isn’t it bizarre to encourage young people to go to college but claim their teachers don’t need a college degree? Surely this is quackery. But I thought it would be a good time to do […]
More on Memphis School Cuts and the Broad and Gates Foundations
The Blues City is earning its name when it comes to public schools. Both the Broad and Gates Foundations have seen to it. The other day I posted about cuts to Memphis (Shelby County Schools). I was quickly reminded, rightly so, that these were proposed cuts—like maybe there would be some kind of rollback in […]
Transforming Teacher Preparation—Gates Style
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have a quote on their website that says “Nobody knows teaching like teachers.” If they believe that, why don’t they let teachers teach the way they know best? Or, why don’t they ask them what they need to teach better? Instead, Mr. and Mrs. Gates are going to now […]
Professional Teachers—Click, Click! Poof! You’re Gone!
The attack on teacher education is fast and furious. Privatizing America’s public schools means getting rid of career teachers who support instruction geared to a child’s needs. A way to purge the country of real teachers is to extinguish their teacher education programs and make teaching look like a regimented practice that any drill sergeant […]
Purging U. S. Education History: Ignoring Past Mistakes and Successes
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. Maya Angelou They are doing strange things to Colleges of Education in this country, and one of the weirdest is dropping education history courses from required teacher preparation. According to Education Week there is a decline in […]
How to Size-Up an Ed. Reformer in Five Minutes–TN Example
Due to troubling school reforms like Common Core, it is important to study those who are running schools very carefully. Whenever anyone new is placed in a position of power, we must figure out what they will do to improve public schools and be good stewards of children. This isn’t always easy, because the language […]