When I hear stories about teachers and administrators making decisions that create the impression they don't know children at all, I speculate about how different things might be if everyone understood child development.
Arne Duncan said that the proposal on gun control had created one of his proudest moments while serving in this administration. Curbing school violence, he told us, is among his top priorities for the next four years. Somehow I think it's doubtful that these are the kinds of efforts he has in mind.
Today's educators are under tremendous pressure and are facing a scrutiny unlike anything they or their predecessors have experienced in the past.
If handwriting is no longer to be used as a form of communication but the computer is, at what age should children be learning keyboarding skills?
There are many, many stressors in the teaching profession. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are also many, many avenues to relief.
What if preventing bullying is as simple as paying closer attention? The research indicates this may be the case.
When teacher education programs begin advising its students to put up a high-five when a kid requests a hug, it's time to take a step back and reassess our priorities.
Early childhood professionals can play a part in helping young girls grasp that they are more than how they look. And they can start with how they talk to girls!
For many children, physical education class is their only opportunity to learn about the relationships among exercise, nutrition, and health.
Earlier this month, the Indiana Department of Education joined the ranks of school systems that will no longer require the teaching of cursive writing.
A growing body of research is determining that physical activity activates the brain much more than doing seatwork.
Among the countless catchphrases that educators generally despise are "drill-'n-kill" and "rote memorization." In keeping with their meanings, both sound terrifically unpleasant.
I very much believe that learning to delay gratification is an important life skill. Parents, and teachers, need to be in the business of teaching young people that we don't always get what we want right away.
Why aren't there more visionary organizations and leaders? How can a leader find a clear, compelling vision?
There's no silver bullet that will magically (and quickly) cure all of our educational woes. Real reform, which is to say meaningful and lasting reform, happens incrementally much of the time.
Can failure transform us in important -- and healthy -- ways? Should we champion failure as much as we do success? And in the field of education, should we learn not just to live with but to love leaders who fail?
