THE BECOMING RADICAL
EMPATHYEDUCATES!
the becoming radical
A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
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“Education as Great Equalizer” Deforming Myth, Not Reality
In the Seinfeld episode “The Hamptons,” viewers watch yet another clash between the essentially soulless main characters as they interact with the very white and privileged “real world” surrounding them in the sitcom. The crux of this episode revolves around one couple having a baby, and then what occurs when reality clashes with civility: Jerry: Is it me or was that the ugliest baby you have ever
AUG 06
Florida Retention Policy a Blight on Literacy, Children across US
The New York Times headline suggests we are finally poised to read a positive story about education: A Summer of Extra Reading and Hope for Fourth Grade. But education reporter Motoko Rich’s examination of third-grade retention policies based on the Florida model and sweeping across the U.S. is not about “hope,” but about a disturbing resistance by political leaders, the media, and the public to c
AUG 05
A Call for the Next Phase in the Resistance
Teachers at every level of schooling have struggled against two powerful social claims: (i) education has always been labeled a failure by political leaders and the media (notably in the context of international comparisons and despite such claims being at least misleading if not completely false) and (ii) that K-12 teachers must not be political while university professors should also focus on th
AUG 04
Denying Impact of Poverty Has an Evidence Problem
As I have noted, denying racism has an evidence problem. But those who persist in denying the impact of poverty also have an evidence problem; thus, they have to manufacture evidence. But manufacture evidence they will—as evidenced by Hanushek, Peterson and Woessmann (2014). However, David Berliner and Stephen Krashen have now unmasked that effort: David Berliner Responds to Economists Who Discoun
Rational and Evidence-Based Responses to Standards Advocates and Critics
Because the education agendas and discourse by Democrats and Republicans are essentially indistinguishable, as I have argued before, educators have no political party. Educators are similarly trapped, however, in the Common Core debate between standards advocates and standards critics, who are also indistinguishable for two prominent reasons: the failure to start the consideration of standards on
3 Facts that Poverty-Deniers Don’t Want to Hear
By Paul Buchheit | AlterNet. August 3, 2014 Three-quarters of conservative Americans say poor people have it easy. The degree of ignorance about poverty is stunning, even for people far removed from the realities of an average American lifestyle. Both oilman Charles Koch and Nicole Miller CEO […]
AUG 07
An Open Letter to the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
You heard the stories. You’ve seen it in the papers. Oprah too sang the praises. In New Orleans, we have witnessed a Miracle. Finally the city is able to provide an excellent education. Yes, the skies opened up. The rains fell. The area was flooded. And now…It’s […]
10 Ways Kindergarten Can Stop Failing Our Kids
By Laurie Levy | AlterNet. August 6, 2014 My grandson, like millions of other five- and six-year-olds across the country, is about to start his formal education in kindergarten. Like most kids, he’s a bit worried. He has three important questions about what his new school will […]
AUG 06
A Call for the Next Phase in the Resistance
Graphic; Respect Existence or Expect Resistance by AngertAesthetics By Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. August 5, 2014 Teachers at every level of schooling have struggled against two powerful social claims: (i) education has always been labeled a failure by political leaders […]
Trauma In The Trenches of Gun-Weary Chicago
Do our school children get enough sleep? Do they get enough to eat? Are they ready for days of stringent testing? By the time our children arrive at school they are tired and weary. Their eyes are teary. In every moment of their young lives they live […]
AUG 03
News Flash…All Black People Don’t Think Alike!
By Black&Smart, AKAdemic | Originally Published at Black&Smart July 14, 2014 There have been those times when my White brothers and sisters have suggested that my perspective couldn’t possibly be right because some other Black people didn’t hold that same view. The idea that Black people have […]