Viewing: Educational Policy
My students discussing Twilight
OK, so I was recently involved in an online debate about the merits of using Twilight in the classroom. Actually, it turned out to be not much of a debate, because despite our differences of opinion about the quality of
Response to Washington Post: “Obama Revise NCLB Law”
This past weekend, as many of you know, President Obama’s new, revised-NCLB plan was released in both the New York Times and the Washington Post. My parents called after finishing up their Sunday morning ritual of newspaper-n-coffee to downshift about
Mr. Duncan: Save the National Writing Project
Dear Arne Duncan, The rumor on the winds that whispers through the halls is that funding for the National Writing Project will soon be threatened. I understand that the Obama administration is moving to consolidate expenses by merging a number
Part 3 of 3: The Future of Teacher Prep Programs
Well, what began as mere musings, seems to have become a fully fleshed fantasy for what a teacher prep program of the future may look like. It all began in Part 1 of this series of posts. It continued in
Part 2 of 3: The Future of Teacher Prep Programs
In yesterday’s post, Part I of 3: The Future of Teacher Prep Programs, I fantasized about what a credential program might look like years down the line. Here is Part II of my post that will address the following points:
Part I of 3: The Future of Teacher Prep Programs
My credential program was more of a necessary hoop than a valuable preparation program. My Ed Psych professor read his screenplay to us all semester long. My Methods of Math professor hadn’t been in a classroom for 30 years, and
When the Aliens Attack, Will Education Unite?
I just took a look at the recently released Metlife Survey of the American Teacher, and its section on “Effective Teaching and Leadership.” This section of the survey reported much about the opinions of teachers and administrators, focusing much of
Sneaking a Puff of Professional Development
I’m at CATE this weekend (California Association of Teachers of English) as both presenter and attendee. I’m doing two sessions: one on Internet Literacy (based on my recent workbooks) and one in a panel of Writing Project teachers on a
Why Equity can be a bad word for Education
As well intentioned as it is, the goal of equity in all branches of education is doing a disservice to the goal of, well, equity. I’m searching for a word here. Maybe I need to make one up. I need
Is Education a Mudslide?
“It’s like trying to stop a flow of lava with a Scott’s paper towel. It’s been this way for years!” The lady who said this wasn’t talking about education, but she could very well have been. The lady in question
I’ll Take that Education to Go: Individualization vs. Standardization
We live in a world of double-decaf-non-fat-lattes-with-room. We live in a world that is slowly beginning to customize everything from our coffee orders to our spa treatments. But it won’t just stop with luxury items. Some teachers complain about the
How do we “Fix the Schools?”
Ellen Berg, my colleague in The Teacher Leaders asked this very simple question the other day. I had so much fun in answering and I believe so deeply in the power of this simple question that I wanted to share
LA Times Article: Bailing on Schools Doesn’t Fix Schools
So a colleague of mine commented yesterday on my article “Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus?” David Cohen (fellow member of The Teacher Leaders Network and creator the ACT ning) said the following in response to my article: “…They won’t invest
Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus?
The New York Times recently published an article, which shares an analysis of the post-service Teach for America corps and their subsequent level of civil service. To those involved in TFA, the findings were somewhat cringe-worthy. To the rest of
The Truth About Tenure
I’ve posted before about this topic, but I wanted my readers to know that The George Lucas Foundation’s Edutopia.org has just posted my article on “The Truth About Tenure.” You can read it here. Tenured or untenured. I hope you all
Studies Find There’s No Such Thing as Learning Styles – As Teachers, Should We Care?
According to Psychcentral.com, “Learning Styles are being re-evaluated” and negated. This theory, according to a recently published journal article claims that there is really no research out there to prove that students learn differently from one another. Shrug. Cue eye
L.A. Times: “Don’t Forget a Note of Thanks”
Sunday’s LA Times took a tip from Miss Manners and decided to include a “Yuletide Tip Guide” in Booth Moore’s article “Don’t Forget a Note of Thanks.” Warm and fuzzy, right? Well, you should read the list.
Arizona to Abolish Teacher Tenure
According to the Arizona Star, AZ is about to become the first state to eliminate teacher tenure entirely from its educational system. AZ’s an interesting state. They are definitely onto something with abolishing the time change thing. Now THAT’S antiquated.
The Rules of Netiquette for Online Gaming and RPGs
The upcoming issue of Imagine Magazine is going to focus on online gaming and role-playing games, so I was pumped when they approached me to see if I was interested in contributing again to their magazine. After all, for all
Open Letter to Obama – Facebook Campaign
My fellow Teacher Leader Network colleague, Anthony Cody, recently began a Facebook campaign which has lit a fire in teachers from around the country. Open Letters to President Obama asks teachers to write a letter to our president and Secretary
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