If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
"Tears are tears," Gloria Steinem said. The profound message in that small phrase pertained to each of us, because all of us, no matter our differences, experience struggle. This is a powerful lesson we can teach all of our students.
Of the 5,229 students accepted to the city's eight Specialized High Schools this year, only 618 were black or Hispanic, a decline of nearly 16 percent in one year alone.
Walker-Style Voucher Fight? Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker first tangled with his state's teachers union when he signed a bill that upended collective bargaining. Now he's at it again, and this time, the fight is over school vouchers. "The debate over Walker's public education funding proposal and desire to grow alternatives such as private school vouchers is likely to be one of the fiercest in the Statehouse this year, even dividing Republicans who control the Legislature," the Associated Press reports.
Inspired to take action by the successes of large cities and many towns in NY in passing ordinances to ban or impose fees on single use plastic bags, K-12 schools are launching a campaign to pressure the City Council to consider the issue more seriously.
The education reform debate has been stuck for too long between competing advocates offering a set of false choices.
Too many tests in Texas? A group of parents certainly thinks so. "Texans Advocating for Meaningful Assessments recently made its case to parents, legi...
Parents should put pressure on the DOE to publish a complete inventory of physical education curricula, time and space allocated to physical education classes, along with the number of qualified teachers for each school.
The School Reform Commission has an historic opportunity to stand up for the constitutional rights of New York's public school children.
The status quo is unacceptable. We need to shift the paradigm in education in general. Even our top performers need to be taught that a love of learning will foster life-long learning, a necessity in this era of increasing disruptive innovation.
As we know, elected leaders spin numbers and statistics when they can to make themselves look good or to advance their causes. But some numbers tell the real truth.
Choice is a hallmark of our country. It is synonymous with freedom. We live in a country where we have choice in our leaders, our religion, our food, our housing, our lifestyles. Choice in education is not only necessary -- it is crucial for our country's future.
With the 2013 mayoral election in New York likely to produce a Democratic mayor supported by the teachers' union, education reform seems likely to join other major political disagreements in current U.S. politics, where the extremists dominate the debate and moderates have no forum.
Undoubtedly there is a problem with 97 tenured teachers or school employees in New York City being charged by the city's Department of Education with sexual misconduct. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. And it gets worse.
Mastering algebra is also like doing push-ups. There's nothing about push-ups that you're going to need to know later in life or that you would have to employ in some way on a job. But the fact remains: push-ups make your body stronger. Algebra makes your brain stronger.
If there's ever a tangible physical reminder about the differences in education quality in a particular locale, it is found on the floors of a school building on West 134th Street in Harlem. Literally on the floors.
Americans continue to lose faith in their public schools, a Gallup poll reported recently. Less than a third of Americans said they had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in schools. Why the drop?
Most Popular
