If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
It's been said that Jean-Jacques Rosseau "discovered" the child, as far as something to study. Perhaps it is time for us to rediscover the child, and make sure the student is always the focus of our efforts in education reform.
Tens of millions of Americans turned out to vote for a New New Deal in 2008. We turned out to vote against the nefarious budget-slashing of Mitt Romney in 2012. And what did we get?
In a recent speech to the American Educational Research Association, Secretary Arne Duncan asked the assembled researchers to think about developing valid assessments of children's non-cognitive skills.
Common Core standard needs to be separated from the push by publishers to sell for material, the high-stakes testing of children, and from the evaluation of teachers.
Once upon a time, there was a football player named EDGAR. His team was in the state championship. It was the fourth quarter, and they were down by ...
Unlike other efforts, the Common Core goes to the heart of what educators do every day, and the theme of "fewer, deeper, clearer" expectations really strikes a chord with master teachers. This is why they got into the profession. We are facing a real challenge, however.
America's public education system could be on the brink of a once-in-a-generation revolution. If implemented properly, we can provide all children with the problem-solving, critical-thinking and teamwork skills they need to compete in today's changing world. But that's a big "if."
It's easy to argue that the best teacher could teach with nothing but a chalkboard and a piece of chalk, but we're not all Michelle Pfeiffer. And, considering our country revolves around computers, it's nearly impossible to prepare teachers and students for the future without access to technology.
More enlightened awareness of what is required in training and preparing school leaders and less simplistic rhetoric would go a long way toward getting education policy out of the dark and on the path of improving how schools are run.
It's easy to criticize tests but they represent this country's commitment to improving education for all students -- particularly the least well served. The Common Core is a big step forward and so are the tests that come with it.
The Time to Succeed Coalition launched a year ago with a simple mission: to ensure all children in our nation's communities have more and better learn...
Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of the California Department of Education, together with Malissa Shriver, the Chair of the California Arts Council (CAC)...
As a teacher who is an innovative and outspoken advocate for education and educators, and who takes his profession very seriously, I have only one thing to say to Jeff Bliss and his now historic rant: Bravo, Jeff.
What does connected learning look like in action? It looks like Charles Raben, a 14-year-old aspiring photographer from a public school in New York City.
Seventeen states offer vouchers to pay the tuition for students to attend elementary, middle and high schools that are NOT their normal local public schools. This accelerating trend has paralleled recent years' declining public opinion regarding the quality of public schools.
Amid the euphoria of record levels for the Dow or the S&P 500, Wall Street and Main Street.That's certainly true, but my visit to Chaparral High School reminded me that for some kids, even Main Street looks like a dream destination -- and they don't have the bus fare to get there.
