Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris! How refreshing to hear a President speak of uniting the country and saving America’s democratic institutions. One of the largest institutions is the public school system, run by local school boards, supported by the states, with oversight and administration by the federal government. President Biden […]
Kindergarten Pandemic Learning Fears Should Not Be Tied to Screen Time and Rigid Drilling
Kindergartners and their parents and teachers struggle with the pandemic. When the focus is on problems with children learning online, whether a child will succeed, it might help to revisit what’s developmentally appropriate for a kindergartner. Many reports are raising concern about learning loss in kindergarten. “What Kindergarten Struggles Could Mean for a Child’s Later […]
Public Schools and School Libraries: The “Hub” of Democracy During a Crisis, Is Facing Its Own Crisis
A public school is the hub of the American community, and school libraries provide students the knowledge to better understand their world. But public schools and school libraries face a crisis at this time in history, and it’s important to question what has happened with CARES Act funding. Americans in crisis recognize that public schools […]
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 […]
Hire, Don’t Fire, Teachers! They’re the Educational Superheroes to Help Students Through this Crisis!
Once upon a time, this country waited for Superman to save its schools. Teachers are today’s Superheroes. They face this crisis with strength and determination. The elite can write their blueprints. It’s the teachers who get the job done. The country should be hiring, not firing, its teachers. The Learning Policy Institute reports grim statistics about […]
Who’s Behind America’s Superintendents and School Transformation?
The School Superintendents Association (AASA) recently met in San Diego. Superintendents from around the country gathered to discuss what they saw as important to school leadership and public education. The future of education was a prominent theme of the meeting, with the overall focus on one word, transformation. They saluted digital and futuristic learning, reflected […]
‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse
Parents and educators worry about how much time students spend facing digital devices. Here is a useful resource to help children live lives that aren’t dominated by screen use. Contact: Seth Evans, Chair, (seth@commercialfreechildhood.org) Screens in Schools Work Group, Children’s Screen Time Action Network Advocates Release ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push […]
The Science of Reading Plot to Replace Reading Teachers with Phonics on a Screen
Not only are school districts spending huge sums on laptops with little research to indicate students learn better on computers, they’re also pushing children to face screens to learn the most serious subject, how to read. They’re doing this alongside efforts by corporate reformers to kick teachers out of the classroom, and by promoting the idea […]
Common Core, Camouflaged in Testing and Technology
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) might seem to have diminished, but the standards are still embedded in testing and technology and still hurting students. When the standards were first imposed on students, parents and teachers complained. Sandra Stotsky, now Professor Emeritus, was an outspoken critic of CCSSs. She had previously helped develop the Massachusetts standards, […]
Problematic “Scientific Based” Phonics: The Flawed National Reading Panel
It’s odd and detrimental that the National Reading Panel is highlighted in reports as science, used to promote phonics and criticize how teachers teach reading. It has become so intense that teachers are being advised to drop certain reading methods to focus solely on “systematic, explicit phonics!” The NRP was discredited long ago. Why it’s […]