Has the MORE UFT Caucus Run Afoul of the IRS?
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Is MORE, the Movement of Rank and File Educators, committing tax fraud?
This question has been put to The Crack Team. Since The Crack Team are
neither a...
December Parent Engagement Resources
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Parent involvement in schools ⬆️. 87% of K–12 students from
English-speaking families had parents who reported attending a general
school meeting in 2019, ...
Some Christmas Tunery
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Here at the Institute (where the Board of Directors still firmly believe in
Santa Claus), we like our seasonal music, both as consumers and as
producers,...
Finding Light in Winter by Mary Pipher
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The mornings are dark, the late afternoons are dusky, and before we finish
making dinner, the daylight is gone. As we approach the darkest days of the
ye...
Last Minute Gift Ideas!
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We've been bombarded with "last minute" gift idea promotions since at least
mid-November, but now, finally, the last minute is truly upon us. As a
publi...
Cartoons about the Holiday Season
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Here are some cartoons that got me to smile about this time of year. I hope
they will do the same for you. Happy holidays to all of my readers. Enjoy!
HAIRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAIRY HANUKKAH TOO!
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*HAIRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAIRY HANUKKAH TOO!*
* The Big Hairy Education Ape Spreads Holiday Cheer! Ah, December! The time
of year when the air tur...
About the Social Security Fairness Act
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On December 21, 2024, the US Senate passed the Social Security Fairness
Act, otherwise known as HR 82, a bill that restores full Social Security
benefits t...
The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” Awards
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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...
Big Lies of Education: Grade Retention
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The Big Lie of grade retention in the US is that it is often hidden within
larger reading legislation and policy, notably since the 2010s: Westall and
Cumm...
Juntos lo haremos
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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...
Peace through Beauty
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I am and always have been more musical than I have been verbal. I have
always found beauty in sound. Often it can be purely instrumental, such as
playing...
San Diego School Board Election Outcomes
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By Thomas Ultican 12/17/2024 Before the recent election, I wrote
recommendations for several school board seats in San Diego County. The San
Diego County R...
SPI Supports SB 48 to Keep ICE Off School Campuses
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond sponsors Senate Bill 48 to keep
Immigration and Customs Enforcement off of school campuses, protecting
school attendance...
Schrödinger’s Cat
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Schrödinger’s cat is a famous thought experiment in which the renowned
scientist pondered how a cat in a closed box could be thought of as
simultaneously a...
In Memoriam: Nikki Giovanni
-
The literary and cultural world has lost an irreplaceable voice with the
passing of Nikki Giovanni. As one of the most celebrated poets and
activists of ou...
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
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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
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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...
Try Substack?
-
Seems like the popular new thing. Here’s my first try – it’s about
yesterday’s UFT Retired Teachers Chapter meeting – first ever not run by
Unity. (Spoiler...
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
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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 ...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
-
Well, this is the first anniversary of the introduction of Generative AI in
the form of ChatGPT to the world of education. Before it was a week old,
over o...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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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
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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
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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
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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
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[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
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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
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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
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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)
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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?
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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...
Momentmal / Pixabay As The Washington Post pointed out this week: Ninety years ago this fall, the stock market experienced the Great Crash. Shortly thereafter, America’s economy slumped into the Great Depression. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About The Great Depression .
Q&A Collections: Relationships in Schools is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Relationships in Schools (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
TeroVesalainen / Pixabay In addition to full-time teaching at Luther Burbank High School (this will be my sixteenth year teaching there!), I’ve got a few other things on my agenda over the next twelve months, and thought readers might be interested in hearing about them: Long-Term English Language Learners My fairly lengthy article about last year’s pilot at our school to support Long-Term ELLs w
GregPlom / Pixabay You may have heard Joe Biden talking about a “word gap” that is supposedly experienced by children in many low-income families. If you didn’t hear him, I’ve embedded a video below. More importantly, however, you might be interested in a previous post, The Best Resources For Learning About The “Word Gap.” It talks about some initial studies, along with recent more critical ones.
There Isn’t a ‘Switch’ That Blocks Out Race in the Classroom is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Public school student Jehan Pitt and Professor Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, Ph.D., discuss how teachers can deal with the issue of race in the classroom. This is Part Three in a series guest-edited by Shannon R. Waite, Ed.D. Here are some excerpts:
geralt / Pixabay In my IB Theory of Knowledge classes, we obviously often consider the question, “What is knowledge?” “The difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something,” is a quote from Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman in this video. He’s describing what he was taught by his father. I thought I’d share a few other examples I use, or will be using, in my class to help c
mcmurryjulie / Pixabay I’m a big advocate of students assisting other students in a variety of ways (see The Best Resources On The Value & Practice Of Having Older Students Mentoring Younger Ones and The Best Posts On Helping Students Teach Their Classmates — Help Me Find More ). A new way we’ve begun doing this kind of activity is by having my International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge stud
I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 19,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in My Seven Most Popular Pins In 2018
Q&A Collections: Teacher Leadership is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Teacher Leadership (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
Wokandapix / Pixabay The Democratic candidates for President talked a fair amount about education issues at tonight’s event. You can watch that portion in this embedded video. I’m adding it to THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES’ POLICY POSITIONS:
geralt / Pixabay CNN has just published a useful interactive called Inequality is an undeniable fact in America. It includes a number of interactive graphs on wealth inequality. I’m adding it to The Best Resources About Wealth & Income Inequality.
12019 / Pixabay World Teachers Day, held annually on October 5th since 1994 – when it was created by UNESCO – celebrates teachers worldwide (in the United States, National Teacher Day is Tuesday in the first full week of May). You might be interested in The Best Resources To Learn About World Teachers Day.
falco / Pixabay Ruby Bridges turned sixty-five this past Sunday. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Ruby Bridges . As your kids start school again tell them about Ruby Bridges—the first black child at all-white public elementary school in South. Sunday was Ruby’s birthday. She's only 65 65. pic.twitter.com/koEHUPSpkz — Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) September 11,
If We ‘Don’t See Race,’ We Don’t See ‘Students’ Magic’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Kris DeFilippis and Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad question teachers who say they “don’t see race,” in this series guest-edited by Shannon R. Waite, Ed.D. Here are some excerpts:
reneebigelow / Pixabay We teachers obviously need to be kind to our students — just because. In the midst of our hectic days, however, it’s probable we miss plenty of opportunities to do so. A new study (focused on employees but, it seems to me, easily applicable to the classroom) finds that small acts of kindness could result in improved student self-efficacy – a sense of confidence that they ca
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
TheDigitalArtist / Pixabay I’ve been sharing a lot of resources related to the amazing NY Times’ 1619 Project (see USEFUL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF BRINGING ENSLAVED AFRICANS TO AMERICA). Now, The National Education Association is with The Times so that all educators can get a free PDF of the articles. Just go here to sign-up to get it!
Q&A Collections: Administrator Leadership is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Administrator Leadership (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
MariaLR / Pixabay September 16th is Mexico’s Independence Day. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Mexico’s Independence Day .
StockSnap / Pixabay Watch and Listen to the Song That Hong Kong’s Youthful Protesters Are Calling Their ‘National Anthem.’ I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Protests In History . Also, I’m adding this tweet to The Best Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice: Hong Kong high-school students formed human chains in solidarity with protesters https://t.co
cromaconceptovisual / Pixabay TED-Ed originally posted this video on its Facebook page, and I wrote about it and their poetry series at that time (see ANIMATED POEM: “ODE TO THE ONLY BLACK KID IN THE CLASS” BY CLINT SMITH). They’ve since begun sharing them on their YouTube channel ( see the playlist here ). I think this one is the best they’ve done so far…. I’m adding it to The Best World Poetry
Strong student-adult relationships lower suicide attempts in high schools is an article at The Eureka Alert that summarizes a new study. The results are obviously unsurprising, but any research that reinforces prioritizing relationships in schools can only help. I’m adding this info to The Best Resources Helping Educators Learn About Suicide & Warning Signs .
Author Interview: ‘Collaborative Lesson Study’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Vicki S. Collet agreed to answer a few questions about her book, “Collaborative Lesson Study: ReVisioning Teacher Professional Development.” Here are some excerpts:
cocoparisienne / Pixabay Here are new additions to The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change : The Climate Change Tracker shows which countries are most responsible for contributing to climate change. A teachable moment: educators must join students in demanding climate justice is from The Guardian. Is Climate Change a Big Deal? shows how much have temperatures changed in cities across the US.
PaliGraficas / Pixabay The United Nations had declared September 15th to be The International Day of Democracy . You might be interested in: The Best Websites For Learning About Civic Participation & Citizenship The Best Posts & Articles On Building Influence & Creating Change The Best Ways To Talk With Someone Who Disagrees With You The Best Sites To Learn About Saul Alinsky The Best Sites For L
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: The Power of Short Writing Assignments comes via Edutopia. I’m adding it to Best Posts On Writing Instruction . Try This! – A Series
My latest ten-minute BAM! Radio Show is on Lessons Learned About Power Struggles in the Classroom . I’m joined in the conversation by Rita Platt, Gabriella Corales and Heather Wolpert-Gawron, who have all also contributed written commentaries to my Ed Week Teacher column. I’m adding this show to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked With Descriptions .
I’ve previously posted about unsurprising research that found low-income students tended to be less motivated in school if they felt that inequality in society reduced the odds of upward mobility for them (see New Study Finds Students Less Motivated In School The More They Think Wealth & Income Inequality Is Stacked Against Them ). I found it particularly disappointing that the study didn’t offer
Q&A Collections: Learning & the Brain is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Learning & the Brain (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:
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’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: Teachers’ belief that math
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
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: NYC school diversity panel recommends ending gifted programs in public schools. One member explains the surprising decision. is from The Washington Post. The missing pieces of Americ
The number of refugees in the world is at its highest in history . In the face of this crisis, the Trump administration this coming week is considering a “drastic” cut in accepting refugees. Perhaps to zero. Check out The New York Times article, Trump Administration Considers a Drastic Cut in Refugees Allowed to Enter U.S. I’m adding this info to The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Da
The ‘Colorblindness’ of Schools Has ‘Failed Children of Color’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Judd Rothstein and Terri N. Watson, Ph.D., challenge the notion of teacher “colorblindness” in this series