On September 8th, President Obama will speak to American schoolchildren. I got a look at an early draft...

"Dear children of America:

Study hard. Take lots of tests. Obey your teachers. Don't watch television. Don't play video games. Education is your responsibility. Eat lots...

Today, President Obama took his first trip aboard Air Force One and even got his very own souvenir Air Force One jacket. We all know that we should spare no expense to ensure that the President of the United States is safe and comfortable. That's why he has...

A curious cartel of billionaire bullies, power hungry politicians and tough-talking school superintendents wage an eternal battle against social promotion -- for the good of our children of course. Social promotion, a divisive political term with no basis in reality, like partial-birth abortion, is one of the most popular...

I nearly forgot that it was Labor Day until I walked into my local office supply superstore and was assaulted with memories of back-to-school shopping. As a kid, getting new cartoon pencils or bookcovers reduced the horror associated with another school year.

As a parent, I resented buying materials...

Then What?

Slate recently reported on the latest public demonstration of enmity towards public schools and their teacher. Teacher bashing is hardly novel, but what makes this gathering particularly noteworthy is that took place during the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The voucher, excessive testing and privatization fantasies of...

Mission Accomplished!
Although much of what recently elected and newly minted Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin says in her education plan for Alaska, reads like an undergraduate homework assignment, she does express support for something called...

Last Friday I was in Las Vegas for a couple of long needed days of R&R. Fun in the sun was interrupted by a text message from a friend telling me that Tim Russert had died.

I thought to myself, "I wonder if MSNBC will have any news on...

Driving past the local "cash-strapped" high school's humongous color jumbotron the other day (the one in violation of zoning laws and with a larger carbon footprint than Toledo), I was reminded that I haven't written about one of my favorite subjects in a while - summer reading. The jumbotron's ominous...

Friday night, ABC aired the Scripps National Spelling Bee in prime time. CBS' broadcast of Live Bingo from Temecula must have scared the network into preempting its landmark miniseries, Miley Cyrus: The Early Years.

The National Spelling Bee is like the Westminster Dog Show, but with children.

Spelling...

When overseas colleagues criticize American foreign policy, I've been known to respond, "If you like Iraq, you'll love what the Bush administration has done to public education." Late last week, the US Department of Education proved my point when they released the Reading First Impact Study: Interim Report. 

Like the...