Who Else Is Rolling Over in His Grave?
A reader, noting the plan to privatize 40% of the schools in Philadelphia, had this to say:
It occurred to me that :
John Dewey must be rolling over in his grave as he sees our national leaders using standardized tests to impose rankings and ratings on students, teachers, principals, and schools, while many abandon the arts to reach their targets.
Horace Mann must be rolling over in his grave as he sees corporations descending on the schools to make a
| WILLIAM PENN is rolling over in his grave, I’m sure. |
John Dewey must be rolling over in his grave as he sees our national leaders using standardized tests to impose rankings and ratings on students, teachers, principals, and schools, while many abandon the arts to reach their targets.
Horace Mann must be rolling over in his grave as he sees corporations descending on the schools to make a
Strange Bedfellows
A reader this morning said I should make a clear distinction between what the Republicans and the Democrats say/do about education.
I wish I could.
Race to the Top is no different from No Child Left Behind, other than the timetable.
It shares the same assumptions that testing, choice, and data are the magic keys to the kingdom of 100%
I wish I could.
Race to the Top is no different from No Child Left Behind, other than the timetable.
It shares the same assumptions that testing, choice, and data are the magic keys to the kingdom of 100%
A Teacher in a Charter School
A teacher in a charter school comments:
I have worked in a charter school in an impoverished area for several years. I am a teacher by trade and by nature and I am patient, caring and kind to my students. Teaching is my vocation. I agree with what is being said about charter schools. The children are NOT getting a better education in fact they are getting a worse one. The sense of community is not there and more importantly the eyes and ears of the community cannot be utilized to watch over those who run them because these corporations are run more than not outside of the state they are operating. Where is the “voted in to office school board?” Oh yeah that’s right we have a CEO and a
I have worked in a charter school in an impoverished area for several years. I am a teacher by trade and by nature and I am patient, caring and kind to my students. Teaching is my vocation. I agree with what is being said about charter schools. The children are NOT getting a better education in fact they are getting a worse one. The sense of community is not there and more importantly the eyes and ears of the community cannot be utilized to watch over those who run them because these corporations are run more than not outside of the state they are operating. Where is the “voted in to office school board?” Oh yeah that’s right we have a CEO and a
The Rights and Responsibilities of Parents
Writing in response to this post, a reader has another view about the rights and responsibilities of parents:
| I’m not satisfied with the way this question is being framed; sometimes just taking an opposing stance to a bad argument isn’t correct.Although parents don’t always “know what’s best” for their child, there is overall no safer repository for the child’s rights and interests than in their hands. Guardianship is a fundamental obligation of parents, as much as a “right”. The first principle for legal defense of children is respect for their families, because there actually isn’t anywhere children can be put which is capable of meeting their needs, or is |
Three Articles and a Book about TFA
I periodically post outstanding articles that were written a while ago. “A while” might mean a month ago, six months ago, or years ago.
This article was written by Rachel Levy, a thoughtful essayist. A sample:
It’s time to stop allowing achievement and privilege to masquerade as competence, dedication, and skill. It’s time for the grown-ups who promote TFA to acknowledge that the quality teaching that we all agree is so valuable comes from experience. It’s time to stop letting TFA stand in the way of the committed, skilled, and
This article was written by Rachel Levy, a thoughtful essayist. A sample:
It’s time to stop allowing achievement and privilege to masquerade as competence, dedication, and skill. It’s time for the grown-ups who promote TFA to acknowledge that the quality teaching that we all agree is so valuable comes from experience. It’s time to stop letting TFA stand in the way of the committed, skilled, and
O Brave New World of School Reform
A retired teacher writes about her experiences teaching in an inner-city school in Hartford, Connecticut:
I retired last June, after nearly 38 years of teaching at M. L. King Elementary School, in Hartford, CT. ,one of the poorest mid-sized cities in the nation. As I listen to the President, educational leaders, media commentators, and many in the concerned public, I am always distressed by the degree of blame and scorn heaped upon “failing” city schoolteachers and their “obstructionist “ unions. While I believe that the expressed concerns regarding the state of education in our poorest communities are valid, the solutions seem to be leaving many of
I retired last June, after nearly 38 years of teaching at M. L. King Elementary School, in Hartford, CT. ,one of the poorest mid-sized cities in the nation. As I listen to the President, educational leaders, media commentators, and many in the concerned public, I am always distressed by the degree of blame and scorn heaped upon “failing” city schoolteachers and their “obstructionist “ unions. While I believe that the expressed concerns regarding the state of education in our poorest communities are valid, the solutions seem to be leaving many of
A Call to Retired Teachers!
Several readers have pointed out that retired teachers are free to be outspoken, because they can’t lose their jobs.
This teacher explains what retired teachers did in one community:
In Rockford, IL, a group of retired teachers and parents heard the cry for help from their active teachers. They formed an organization (W.E.E.: Watchdogs for Ethics in Education), and set about doing fact-finding work: they researched, went to meetings and took notes, filed an FOIA, and then presented their facts via a fact sheet to the community. Their efforts–in large part–resulted in the departure of their reviled Broad superintendent! (The
This teacher explains what retired teachers did in one community:
In Rockford, IL, a group of retired teachers and parents heard the cry for help from their active teachers. They formed an organization (W.E.E.: Watchdogs for Ethics in Education), and set about doing fact-finding work: they researched, went to meetings and took notes, filed an FOIA, and then presented their facts via a fact sheet to the community. Their efforts–in large part–resulted in the departure of their reviled Broad superintendent! (The
Do Parents Always Know What Is Best?
The State Commissioner of Education John White memorably said in defense of school vouchers: “To me, it’s a moral outrage that the government would say, ‘We know what’s best for your child,’” White said. “Who are we to tell parents we know better?”
This Louisiana teacher disagrees. She says that parents should expect professionals to know what’s best when it comes to education. She says that parents and teachers should work together, but that it is irresponsible to assume that parents always know what’s best for their child.
I am tired of this attitude about parents knowing what is best for their children. Parents are easily swayed by
This Louisiana teacher disagrees. She says that parents should expect professionals to know what’s best when it comes to education. She says that parents and teachers should work together, but that it is irresponsible to assume that parents always know what’s best for their child.
I am tired of this attitude about parents knowing what is best for their children. Parents are easily swayed by