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,...
Greg Olear: Reading Charles Dickens Today
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Greg Olear writes a blog that is always rewarding to read–full of insight,
experience, knowledge, wisdom. His post below connects the world of Dickens
to t...
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...
Apologies to Dan Alicea
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I want to truly apologize to Daniel Alicea. On November 30, Dan wrote a
blog post about how, despite millions of dollars being available, Mulgrew
refused...
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
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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...
November Parent Engagement Resources
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Greeting a family in their preferred language is a small gesture that
demonstrates respect and eagerness to connect with parents. Creating a
Welcoming Envi...
Try Substack?
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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?
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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. . . .
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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*“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...
geralt / Pixabay I had my final classes of this school year yesterday, and both my ELL Newcomer and IB Theory of Knowledge classes followed a somewhat similar agenda. In both classes, I asked students ahead of time to prepare one inspirational sentence they would share with everyone “that would help their classmates get through the summer. The examples I gave included: “Things will get better!” “
‘The Problem With Kindness’: SEL & the Death of George Floyd is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Three educators offer suggestions for educators in the face of George Floyd’s death, among them, going beyond social-emotional-learning skills and “know and teach the hist
Free-Photos / Pixabay The United Nations has declared June 8th to be World Oceans Day . You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Oceans .
geralt / Pixabay As I’ve written earlier, I think most students are going to be fine despite missing the last two or so months of school (see I’M NOT CONVINCED THAT STUDENT LEARNING LOSSES THIS YEAR ARE TRAUMATIC, BUT THEY WILL BE BAD IF WE’RE ONLINE NEXT YEAR ). But, our most vulnerable student populations are the ones you have taken a hit, and who can least afford it. I know our district is pro
Research Shows Students Falling Months Behind During Virus Disruptions is a new article by Dana Goldstein in The New York Times. The article cites various studies warning of dire learning losses this year from school closures. One of the studies is from McKinsey & Company, which has a truly awful track record when it comes to education studies. One of the others is based on an online learning pro
Six Truths About Racism That White Teachers Must Know is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two educators challenge White teachers to confront “hard truths,” including recognizing the role of White privilege and acknowledging their own biases. Here are some excerpts:
aitoff / Pixabay There are many inequities between Blacks and Whites in the United States. One of them is the “wealth gap.” Here are some resources describing what it looks like (you might also be interested in The Best Resources About Wealth & Income Inequality): US black-white inequality in 6 stark charts is from CNN. The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968 is from The Wash
LoggaWiggler / Pixabay I’m adding this latest TED-Ed lesson and video to the section on our World History class blog where we cover the Aztecs and Incas :
Chinese Army troops put down the Tiananmen Square protest on this day in 1989. You can find related resources at The Best Sites For Learning About Protests In History . Chinese army troops storm Tiananmen Square, this day in 1989. https://t.co/hDlRLbm6Ft pic.twitter.com/V3k43OyqhP — NYT Archives (@NYTArchives) June 4, 2017
is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Three educators offer lessons teachers can learn from the death of George Floyd, such as neutrality has no place in the struggle for racial justice and White educators must stop expecting their colleagues of color to do the “heavy lifting.” Here are some excerpts:
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 THIRTE
Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Four – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Five: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particular
Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). This is a relatively new addition to that list. Some of these resources will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions ! and the best will go to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To
I’m adding this video to THE BEST RESPONSES TO “I DON’T SEE COLOR” Here’s how it’s described: Stanford psychologist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt explains why the “colorblind” approach to race does more harm than good. For more info, check out her book ‘Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do.’
‘Advice for the Newly Woke White Teachers on Teaching Black Children’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Joe Truss and Janice Wyatt-Ross offer advice to White teachers, including learning more about restorative practices and focusing on their actions, not their intentions. Here are some excerpts:
BiljaST / Pixabay Six 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 and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A
Eight 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 TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this
Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Four – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White T
PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay Tiered Activities Make Math More Inclusive is the headline of a book excerpt appearing over at Middleweb. The book it’s excerpted from is The Math Teacher’s Toolbox by Bobson Wong and Larisa Bukalov, which is one of the three Toolbox books that Katie Hull and I have edited. I’m adding the excerpt to a post where you can find a ton of free materials from all the book
Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay As I always do at the end of a semester and a school year, students do anonymous evaluations of our classes and me. I’ve previously posted: Here Are The Questions I’m Having ELL Newcomer Students Answer In An End-Of-Year Class Evaluation The Results Are In! Here Is How My ELL Newcomer Students Evaluated Our Distance Learning Class Here Are The Questions I’m Havi
OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay This Wall Street Journal video is interesting for a whole lot of reasons, including to help students see how the U.S. is being perceived around the world:
Here’s how CBS News describes this video: Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times Magazine won a Pulitzer Prize for her work as the creator of “The 1619 Project,” which explored the legacy of slavery in the United States. She joined CBSN to discuss why that history is critical to understanding the protests that have spread across the country since the death of George Floyd in police custody las
The Sacramento County Office of Education today released their guidelines for re-opening schools in the fall. You can read about it at the Sacramento Bee article, Sports canceled. Students in masks. Sacramento health officials urge big changes for schools . That article also has embedded the entire report which, as far as I can tell, is the only place you can get it right now. I called SCOE’s off
What Educators Should – and Should Not Do – in Response to George Floyd’s Death is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two educators offer suggestions on what to do – and not do – in the wake of George Floyd’s death, such as learning about the legacy of racism before taking action and not just limiting actions to empty messages of support. Here are some excerpts:
Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd Part Three – Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revis
What Teachers Should Learn From the Murder of George Floyd is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two teachers (one is Antoine Germany, my colleague and friend) reflect and communicate about what they think educators should learn from the murder of George Floyd, including the importance of being anti-racist and challenging White teachers to acknowledge their implicit biases.
Check out: Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd Part Two: Important Tweets About The Murder of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race &
Thanks to my very talented friend and colleague Katherine Bell, I learned that today the National Museum of African American History and Culture unveiled a new site called Talking About Race . It looks very impressive, and includes a wealth of resources for specific use by educators. Here’s how they describe it: “The portal offers a wealth of resources to inform and guide discussions—videos, role
Question ‘Structures’ & ‘Privilege’ When Making Fall Reopening Plans is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two educators envision what the fall might look like for schools and specifically call on them to include the voices of all community members in deciding on equitable practices. Here are some excerpts:
Check out Part One: Important Tweets About The Murder Of George Floyd You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences Our Work New & Revised: A Collection Of Advice On Talking To Students About Race & Racism Here are some tweets: I keep feeling like I should be
I thought readers might find a selection of important tweets about the murder of George Floyd useful. You might also be interested in all my “Best’ lists related to racism , particularly: New & Revised: Resources To Help Us Predominantly White Teachers To Reflect On How Race Influences