The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize
Ferlazzo teaches English and social studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. He has written or edited 12 books on education, writes a teacher advice blog for Education Week Teacher and has a popular resource-sharing blog. He has written pieces for this blog over the years, including one on how teachers can help students motivate themselves and this one, one of my favorites, titled: “NEWS BREAK (not breaking news): Teacher asks students to grade him. One wrote: ‘I give Mr. Ferlazzo an A at being annoying.’”
NOTE: As in the past, Ferlazzo says he does not presume to suggest that the following compilation is all-encompassing and he hopes that you will take time to share your own choices in the comments. He starts this piece with what he thinks is the best education news of 2019 and then the worst — though the items in each category are not in any order of importance. And then there is one bit of news that he can’t categorize. Let him know if you can.
By Larry Ferlazzo
The Best Education News Of 2019
*Teachers maintained their momentum of successful organizing into 2019, beginning the year with a successful strike in Los Angeles, and continuing through Oakland, Denver and Chicago. In all cases, unions won agreements for reduced class sizes, additional nurses and counselors, and more (we had our own one-day strike here in Sacramento). Teacher walkouts also occurred in West Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana.
*Teachers were also able to build on their organizing success by supporting candidates who won the majority in the Denver school board elections and becoming the key factor in the defeat of Kentucky’s governor.
*Several important education-related research results came out this year, including a huge study finding that teaching students about a growth mind-set can lead to increased academic achievement; CONTINUE READING: The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize - The Washington Post