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 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.
Like many generations of immigrants before them, Latinos are making their mark on our social and economic landscape. The recent presidential election is a clear case in point. For Latinos, the next big frontier is the college campus.
The problem is that now, anyone that gives a TEDTalk (I've given two) has in the back of their mind that they might become the next Sir Ken Robinson.
Remediation may never be completely eradicated, but improvement can be made in the K-12 to college pipeline to better prepare students for college from the start. Education needs to expand outside school walls.
As a child, I fell in love with a merciful God. My curiosity increased as I grew older, but the mullah always had a "thou shall never question" in response to my interest. Today, the Muslim youth wants to understand Islam. But their curiosity is often misunderstood as lack of faith.
When kids first learn to cross the street, we tell them to stop, look both ways and assess the traffic before they proceed. Similarly, when it comes to decisions affecting the education of millions of our nation's public school students, we should exercise the same common sense.
A simple fact of business: You have to spend money to make money. And those who want to privatize education are willing to spend lots of money and effort to push their agenda. One of the main ways they are doing this is through ALEC.
Allocating one day out of 180 days of teaching to celebrate teachers when they are put down the rest of the year is just patronizing. If we really want to honor and celebrate teachers, let's show them some respect, support and encouragement.
