Parents' role in college admissions
I know parents who don’t get involved in their child’s college application process. And I know parents whose child doesn’t get very much involved in his or her own college application process. Somewhere in the middle is the right space to inhabit.
I asked a private college admissions counselor to talk about the right kind of parent involvement in college admissions. Here is what Marcia Libes Simon, director of College Planning Service, LLC, in Potomac, Md., has to say:
Continue reading this post »
Rhee: Uncompromising
Late last week I had an interesting telephone conversation with D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. She called with a comment on a post in which I suggested she be more careful of her public words--like her statement that some of the teachers she fired hit or had sex with kids--in order to make sure she stays in her job and applies her considerable skills and knowledge to fixing our failing school system.
I suggested she apologize for offending teachers with her words so that we could get past this point and back to helping kids.
She said, in essence, that she is not going to do that. She said she wished that the Fast Company magazine item that sparked the controversy had included her statement that many of the teachers she had to fire for budget reasons were good people. But, she said, she was not going to compromise her methods or her beliefs. Some teachers did hit kids and have sex with kids, she said. She thought that was something people should know. It was important to root out such behaviors.
Continue reading this post »She said, in essence, that she is not going to do that. She said she wished that the Fast Company magazine item that sparked the controversy had included her statement that many of the teachers she had to fire for budget reasons were good people. But, she said, she was not going to compromise her methods or her beliefs. Some teachers did hit kids and have sex with kids, she said. She thought that was something people should know. It was important to root out such behaviors.
Spingarn H.S. principal out
DCPS has confirmed Candi Peterson's weekend report in The Washington Teacher that Spingarn High School principal Blanca Reyes was replaced on Friday. As is usually the case with such personnel moves, there's no official word on why. Reyes was in her first year as leader of the 560-student school on Benning Road NE.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Calloway said Gary Washington, principal of CHOICE Academy Middle School/Senior High School, will take over Monday. CHOICE (Choosing Options for Individually Centered Education) specializes in students serving long-term suspensions from neighborhood high schools. No word yet on who will replace Washington. Lloyd Bryant will be the new assistant principal.
Continue reading this post »