Andy Spears on Vouchers
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In Tennessee, A Warning on VouchersAs lawmakers prepare to vote on voucher
scam, some final words
by Andy Spears
Tennessee lawmakers are slated to tak...
Jim Acosta Signs Off at CNN
-
CNN doesn’t want to make Trump angry. Trump doesn’t like Jim Acosta. CNN
moved him to a late-night slot, where fewer viewers would see him. Jim
Acosta resi...
BLM at School Week of Action Events–Register Today!
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The 2025 Back Lives Matter at School Week of Action is almost here, and we
have a powerful week of events lined up to celebrate and center Blackness
in edu...
What We Can Do about Authoritarianism
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*1. Protect the decent and hardworking members of your communities who are
undocumented or whose parents are undocumented.*
This is an urgent moral ca...
January Parent Engagement Resources
-
Participation in School Activities by Spanish- and English-speaking Parents
of Enrolled Students: 1999–2019 Improve family communication with active
listen...
Summer Food Program Applications Are Now Open
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announces Summer Food Service Program
applications available on February 18; Applications are due by May 15.
NECESSARY, BUT HARDLY SUFFICIENT
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Banning cellphones in public schools seems to finally be happening in lots
of states and school districts, but, unfortunately, the numbers are
slippery. On...
PA: AI Cyber Charter Rejected--Hard
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The Texas business couple who wanted to launch a Pennsylvania cyber charter
that used 2 hours of AI in place of more hours with actual teachers has
been de...
Second Breakfast: 12 Years and 60 Minutes Later
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Second Breakfast: 12 Years and 60 Minutes Later
This will be the last Friday you'll receive a *Second Breakfast* newsletter
in 2024. I'm not writing my us...
School Board Glaze Amid Heartbreak
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“Virtue was vanity dressed up and waiting for applause.” ― Richard
Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North I try to produce a new Dad
Gone Wild piece...
Racing Heart, Sweaty Palms, Tense Muscles
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I once knew a two-year-old who was terrified of pinecones. In nearly every
other circumstance, he was a bold, confident child, but when he spied a
pinec...
Blog Powering Down For a Bit
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Signing off for a short period of time for personal time in Seattle (yes, I
see it might snow Saturday night, fun).
Sadly, I won't be able to attend the ...
FCMAT Attacks Weed Elementary
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By Thomas Ultican 1/28/2025 In 1992, California inaugurated the Fiscal
Crisis Management Assist Team (FCMAT) in the aftermath of the Richmond
School Distri...
Burn! (as That 70s Show Used to Say)
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As we move into the third (or is it fourth) decade of school degradation
and the end goal comes in sight, the charter wars have transmogrified into
the vou...
Who ARE These People?
-
For most of my adult life (other than a brief but wonderful stint in the
People’s Republic of Ann Arbor), I’ve been the proverbial blue dot on a red
backgr...
Our Friend Ali arrested in Switzerland
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The Electronic Intifada’s executive director Ali Abunimah was deported by
Switzerland on Monday after spending two nights in jail. Abunimah was
detained ah...
Who is the new CEO of Teach For America?
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From 1990 until 2013, the CEO of TFA was the founder, Wendy Kopp. Under her
leadership the program grew from a small organization that struggled to
make pa...
64
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[Header Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash] Regret More than a decade ago,
close to one of the most celebrated birthdays, turning 50, I was ghosted.
Althou...
The Madness
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I recently watched The Madness on Netflix, and it offered a fascinating
exploration of the intersection of power, money, and technology—one that is
DEEPLY ...
The Orange Turd feeds the racists
-
The Orange Turd has been feeding red meat to the millions of angry racists
for the past 8 years. He has succeeded in hoodwinking these sad souls into
placi...
Retiree Advocate Town Hall: The ARISE Campaign
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I am excited to be working on a UFT election campaign through Retiree
Advocate. Our first event is a Town Hall this Sunday at 7:30. Please
register if you ...
Site Index - Updated December 31, 2024
-
When I was teaching,
I got tired of hearing how bad American educators were.
*My Promise *
WHEN I STARTED BLOGGING IN 2011, I said I planned to speak ...
Perhaps this is a meaningless ramble
-
but I am choosing to reflect on a number of disparate topics that are
currently on my mind. Perhaps I should start by explaining that I have been
at leas...
The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” Awards
-
At NPE, we know who is naughty and nice when it comes to supporting our
public schools and their students.
The post The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” A...
Juntos lo haremos
-
En el año que viene, tendremos que tomar decisiones difíciles sobre quienes
queremos ser en cada comunidad y como nación. Ha sido un año muy intenso.
Desde...
WTF, Democratic Caucus?
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Why is the failure of this current budget bill being blamed on Republicans
when almost every single Democrat voted against it? If only half of the
Dems had...
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
-
Education has failed to prepare children for the world today. Despite the
increased investment, impactful reforms, hardworking teachers and school
leaders,...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
-
Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
-
This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
-
The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
-
In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
-
Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
-
TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
-
I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
-
[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
-
I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
-
I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Keeping Progressive Schools Alive
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, Happy New Year and a special thanks to those
who respond to past blogs about choice, et al. I always mean to respond to
each c...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
-
Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
-
Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
-
It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
My First and Last Visit to Hudson Yards
-
Figuring I did not need to invite any more darkness and vulgarity into my
head than that provided on a daily basis from Trump’s White House, and
after read...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
-
The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
-
It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
-
Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
-
Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
-
In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
-
In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
-
An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
-
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
-
Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
-
States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
-
In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
-
I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
-
By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
-
My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
-
Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
-
I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
-
Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
-
*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
As regular readers know, at the end of each week I share the five most popular posts from the previous seven days. I thought people might find it interesting to see a list of the ten most popular posts from the previous thirty days. You might also be interested in IT’S THE TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS BLOG – HERE ARE THE FORTY ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR POSTS. Not to mention THE MOST POPULAR POSTS FROM
eismannhans / Pixabay The terrible fires in the Amazon continue to burn. I’m adding this list to The Best Sites For Learning About Brazil . Here’s what I have so far: People are deliberately starting fires in the #AmazonRainforest to illegally deforest indigenous land for cattle ranching Pataxó woman: “These assholes came in and burned down [our reservation]… I want all of the media here to see t
designwebjae / Pixabay August 28th is the anniversary of The March on Washington. You might be interested in The Best Resources About The March On Washington . August 28, 2019 64th anniversary- murder of #EmmettTill 56th anniversary- #IHaveADream #MarchOnWashington As we remember, King Center CEO, @BerniceKing , is hosting a #BelovedCommunityTalks dinner conversation, ‘ #TheLook : #TheBlackMaleEx
OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from The New York Times to The Best Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice :
I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART ONE Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: Weaving SEL Into Our Classr
Wokandapix / Pixabay Here are new additions to USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRINGING ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO AMERICA: Slavery’s explosive growth, in charts: How ’20 and odd’ became millions is a new interactive from USA Today. Listen to "1619," our podcast about how the legacy of slavery still shapes America. #1619Project https://t.co/WgVDjgo48H — The New York Times (
3D_Maennchen / Pixabay As regular readers know, I’ve been teaching International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge classes (as well as a zillion others) at our school for many years (you can see all my TOK resources here ). Now, thanks to my new TOK – teaching colleague Kara Synhorst, I’ve learned about an amazing Facebook group for TOK teachers. I’m not sure how I did not know about it until kno
Lots of news articles are coming out about a new study that says practice will not necessarily result in someone becoming the “best” at a sport or task. That may very well be correct. That result also misses the point. What research does show is that deliberate practice is the most important element in developing expertise that is within a person’s control . I’ve talked about this issue in the pa
StartupStockPhotos / Pixabay Earlier this week I shared an exciting announcement from The New York Times Learning Network (see NY TIMES LEARNING NETWORK ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR AMAZING STUDENT CONTESTS ). Today, they made another big announcement saying they’ve organized their materials into a seven-unit writing curriculum . They describe it as “A flexible program for middle and high schools based
BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART ONE. . Also, check out A Collection Of My Best Resources On Teaching English Language Learn
Q&A Collections: Differentiating Instruction is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Differentiating Instruction (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
I thought the summer might be a good time to re-share posts from My All-Time Favorite Posts! list… I’m wrapping-up this series by sharing my favorite “Best” lists from over the years. You can see all 2,100 of them here . Prawny / Pixabay The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons The Best Resources On The Importance Of Knowing What You Don’t Know The Best Posts & Articles On Build
Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay The New York Times Learning Network is an incredible resources for teachers and students, and I’m not just saying that because I wrote a ton of posts for them about teaching English Language Learners . They just announced their calendar of contests for teenagers and middle-schoolers, and it’s an amazing list . They’re wonderful opportunities for students to writ
How Can Teachers Help Students Develop Information-Literacy Skills? is the new question-of-the-week at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave responses in the comments section there or here…
Six years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART ONE , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . You might also w
I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE TWELFT
One of the articles in The NY Times 1619 Project (see TWO VIDEO INTERVIEWS WITH NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES ABOUT THE NY TIMES’ “1619 PROJECT” ) was about teaching slavery in schools . Now, The Times wants to hear about readers’ experiences in school when they were taught about slavery. Share your comments at How were you taught about slavery? We want to hear your story.
Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay I’m adding this new infographic to USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRINGING ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO AMERICA : You will find more infographics at Statista
Q&A Collections: Assessment is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Assessment (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
cherylholt / Pixabay Here’s how StoryCorps describes this new video: In 2000, Maria Rivas immigrated from El Salvador to the United States. A year later, she received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to stay and work legally in the U.S. TPS is set to expire for people from El Salvador in September of 2019. But if Maria is forced to leave the U.S., she won’t risk taking her American-born children
The most recent book that Katie Hull and I wrote, The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox (click on its book cover at the bottom of this post for more info), has become very popular. In fact, it became so popular and useful to teachers immediately after its publication last year that we proposed to Jossey-Bass that it be used as a template for a series of books in each academic subject area to help teachers of
Last week I posted about a huge new study on teaching students about a growth mindset (see RESULTS OF BIGGEST MINDSET STUDY FINDS POSITIVE IMPACT ). The Scientific American has published a report on the same study (see Debate Arises over Teaching “Growth Mindsets” to Motivate Students ). It gives a nice overview of the results (see the text box at the top of this post). However, it does a lot mor
Q&A Collections: Education Policy Issues is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Education Policy Issues (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
I’m adding these new resources to various “Best” lists. You can find links to all of those many lists that relate to race and racism at “Best” Lists Of The Week: Resources For Teaching & Learning About Race & Racism: How Do We Teach With Primary Sources When So Many Voices Are Missing? is from Ed Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Using Primary Sources . ACESSE Resource C: Making Scien
pixel2013 / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from The New York Times to The Best Tools & Lessons For Teaching Information Literacy – Help Me Find More :
kabaldesch0 / Pixabay The United Nations has declared September 8th to be International Literacy Day . You might be interested in The Best Resources For International Literacy Day. This year’s theme is ‘Literacy and Multilingualism.’ You might also be interested in my collection of Best lists related to multilingualism.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the amazing NY Times writer who put together that paper’s new “The 1619 Project” (see AMAZING NY TIMES PROJECT ON THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA and TWO NEW & INCREDIBLY USEFUL LESSON COLLECTIONS FOR TEACHING ABOUT AMERICAN SLAVERY ) gave two very excellent interviews today. The first one is from The PBS NewsHour ( you can find the transcript her
Laughter in the Classroom is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, teachers (including me!) describe some of the funniest moments in their classrooms over the years, and in some instances, how those moments improved classroom relationships. Here are some excerpts:
Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASS INSTRUCTION IN 2019 – PART ONE. Here are this week’s picks: OpenSciEd unveiled free materials to teach to the Next Generation Science Standards. Learn more about it at Ed Source’s article, Nat
Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in THE BEST ARTICLES, VIDEOS & POSTS ON EDUCATION POLICY IN 2019 – PART ONE ): Bread Crumbs and School Reform is by Larry Cuban. LAUSD’s school ranking system is a bad idea is from School Data Nerd. It’s an important commentary on a new and bad plan by the Los Angeles schools to create a simp
Tumisu / Pixabay July, 2019 was the hottest month in recorded history . Here are two new additions to The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change : 2°C: BEYOND THE LIMIT: Extreme climate change has arrived in America is a very useful interactive from The Washington Post. You will find more infographics at Statista
I thought the summer might be a good time to re-share posts from My All-Time Favorite Posts! list… This post originally appeared in 2017. I’ve done a variety of different types of lessons over the years about a growth mindset, and you can see most of them at The Best Resources On Helping Our Students Develop A “Growth Mindset” – along with a ton of other related resources. The one I did today, th
Federal legislation requires schools in the United States to offer lessons related to the U.S. Constitution on U.S. Constitution Day — September 17th of each year. You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About The Constitution Of The United States .
TuendeBede / Pixabay If You Want Engaged Employees, Offer Them Stability is an interesting new article in The Harvard Business Journal. The author, Marla Gottschalk, makes lots of points that are directly applicable to the classroom. She highlights three main features, based on research, critical for employees to feel engaged: 1. Acknowledgement of the psychological contract. The psychological co
Hatred – and it does appear to be hatred – of immigrants appears to have no bounds in the Trump Administration. It’s drumbeat of “invaders” continues (see The Demonization Of Immigrants As Invaders, And What Teachers & Students Can Do About It and SUPPORTING OUR LATINO STUDENTS IN THE FACE OF HATE ). Now, Bloomberg reports that White House aides like Stephen Miller had been working hard until rec
BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be