Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION
What They Deserve
by Peter Greene / 1h
Before we get started, let me be clear-- this is not ALL conservatives, and in many cases not ONLY conservatives. But there is a thread that runs through current aspects of conservatism that ties many issues, from education to health care, together. As has been noted to the point that we are flogging the marrow inside the stripped bones unearthed from beneath the dead equine flesh, there are a lot
Another Free Market Competitive Fail
by Peter Greene / 1h
Word came yesterday that my county will join the list of communities that no longer has a Sears. It has been an anchor store at our one mall since that mall opened a few decades ago. Now, come October, it will gone. And there are lessons here for education reformsters. Coming to a mall near me Folks have been tracking Sears' growing problems for years, and while there are a variety of diagnoses, m
JUL 06
Why Churches Should Hate School Vouchers
100+by Peter Greene / 1d
It seems clear that the wall between church and state, particularly when it comes to educational voucher programs, is collapsing like a stack of cheerios in a stiff wind. This is not good for a variety of reasons, but those reasons do not all belong to supporters of public education. Even before I was a cranky blogger, I was telling folks that religious institutions should be right out there resis
JUL 05
Dear Lily. Re: Betsy DeVos & The NEA RA
38by Peter Greene / 2d
Dear Lily: Many news items came out of the NEA RA this year-- some pretty interesting, and some pretty routine, but I have one to cheer and one to complain about. Cheer There will be no photo op. After years and years of making compromises in order to keep an imaginary seat at a mythical table, this statement from you is a breath of fresh air I understand the motivations behind Randi Weingarten's
What Bad Bosses Say
17by Peter Greene / 2d
Forbes likes listicles with a business bent, but sometimes they seem applicable to other areas. School areas. For instance, here's their piece " Ten Things Only Bad Bosses Say." Let's see what portion of this resonates. Do we hear any of these from our on bad bosses-- and note that these are absolutely Forbes ten markers for bad bosses. That I did not make up. 1. I don’t make the rules — I just en
JUL 03
Wasting Tax Dollars on Advertising
36by Peter Greene / 4d
Charter fans like to say that charters will improve public education by pushing public schools to compete. Here's a story that proves them half right-- some public schools apparently feel compelled to compete, but not in ways that have anything to do with educational quality. The public school system of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has, like many Pennsylvania school districts, has been hit hard by mon
JUL 02
Personalized Bait and Switch
37by Peter Greene / 5d
Personalized Learning is getting the hard sell these days. It's marketable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that nobody really knows what Personalized Learning is. What it suggests is something appealing, like Individualized Education Programs for everyone. Personalized Learning fans like to trot out exemplars like Chugach, Alaska, a remote, tiny town where a school system create
ICYMI: July Already! Edition (7/2)
19by Peter Greene / 6d
Here's some reading for your holiday weekend. May it be a good one. Arizona Replaces Teachers with Persons One more state institutes a warm body law as a way of filling more teaching positions Washington State is Wealthy, But Doesn't Pay for Schools Can you guess how much rich Washington residents pay in taxes? Can anybody guess why the legislature refuses to meet its own funding requirements for
JUL 01
Alternative Certification Paths
13by Peter Greene / 6d
We need alternative paths to the classroom. Mind you, we don't need paths that are shortcuts. We don't need an alternative path that is just a five week long truncated training that wouldn't prepare a camp counselor for a summer with
