If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
More and more school districts are asking for budget increases to hire investigators and detectives to follow around low-income mothers and their kids to ensure that they aren't 'stealing an education' from the state. Really?
We cannot pretend to care about whether our children are learning, if we don't do anything to make our teachers the best that they can be.
What is the statistical equivalent of a "save" in teaching -- and if we measured it, would it help us better assess a teacher's ability to support the learning and growth of children?
Eli Broad's Education Week Commentary "Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste" proves the dictum that a journal of record should never deny a billionaire the soap box he craves, even if he offers little of substance.
Both the successes and failures of school integration have a lot to teach those seeking to reform the public education system today.
Despite its clear limitations, grassroots reform elevates the voice and power of the most influential, and often under-leveraged, factor in determining student achievement -- teachers.
Instead of just setting a bar for teachers to reach, Peer Assistance and Review programs create teacher-led coaching and support systems to ensure that educators can meet expectations and continue to grow throughout their careers.
From filling out applications, to getting transcripts and recommendations, let's admit the whole process can be overwhelming. Our kids must be taught how to navigate all of the challenges associated with college.
How does Singapore view the importance of a world-class teaching profession? How has its government responded? What progress has been made to date? What are Singapore's next steps to advance the teaching profession in the 21st century?
I don't think that homework should necessarily be totally abolished. The core idea of homework is that it's used to polish concepts and reinforce lessons outside of the classroom.
I defy anyone to name a single important health care metric where the U.S. is considered a best-practice example as a nation. The only thing we lead the world in... is cost of health care. We have the world's most expensive health care system.
It's time to stop ignoring poverty and the realities that disadvantaged students face. We must instead address the factors that can and do impede student achievement and well-being.
I am not so naïve as to be unaware of the obstacles to any such "pie-in-the-sky" educational initiative -- teachers unions and culture warriors who object to science-based curricula being among them -- but we've fried bigger fish before.
What ought to be clear to all of us by now is that the institutional structure of schools and school systems is ill-conceived. It is a failure. And this failure is at the root of all other educational failures.
Not long ago, a degree was all it took to open doors. While a diploma from an Ivy League school still gets attention, the reality is that the value of a college diploma is being questioned from all sides.
Here's a very simple, common sense idea -- if you practice something more, you get better at it; if you can't complete everything you need to do, take more time.
