The Washington Teacher: Rebuilding DC Teachers' Trust Through Transparency

The Washington Teacher: Rebuilding DC Teachers' Trust Through Transparency:

Rebuilding DC Teachers' Trust Through Transparency

Statements or expressions of opinions herein 'do not' represent the views or official positions of DCPS, AFT, Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) or its members. Views are my own.

Disclaimer: I am not a member of the WTU Contract Negotiations team.

One of the main problems we as a union have endured over the past nine years with past and current Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) presidents'- is that our leaders’ have not effectively made the switch from "classroom teachers" to union leaders.

Without "vision" or a "strategic plan" beyond their own advancement, they all seemed unable to act in the collective best interest of teachers', once they got elected. It is going to require strategic and substantive short and long-term plans, including the "collective wisdom of members", to "rebuild and re-purpose," if the WTU is to survive.

Effective union leaders must first communicate a clear vision and a strategy to the "rank and file" from the outset. Without a plan, we are like pilots flying by the seats of our pants. Certainly a lack of direction and focus can’t help get teachers’ a union contract; improve teachers’ working conditions, students’ learning outcomes, or the state of public education in general. A plan for rebuilding the union has first to be communicated with sufficient input and buy-in from members.

One of the insights I have gleaned as an active and involved union member – is that our leaders sometimes are their own worst enemy. For starters, collaboration, direct communication and transparency with one’s own management team, members of the Executive Board and rank and file are crucial if a union president is going to achieve any measure of success.

I have learned that if you do not have a "bond of trust" with union members who can help you succeed, then any plans you may have will come to a screeching halt, without a base of support.

Of course, if we are going to rebuild, we must first recognize, understand and accept that the membership is the highest authority in the union. However, if the "rank and file" membership remains passive and apathetic, the union will remain dormant. Of course, it's understandable why our members haven't been fully engaged for some time now. The union hasn't done the hard work needed to get members to want to be involved. The most The Washington Teacher: Rebuilding DC Teachers' Trust Through Transparency:

John Merrow and the Delusions of Edujournalism – the becoming radical

John Merrow and the Delusions of Edujournalism – the becoming radical:

John Merrow and the Delusions of Edujournalism

Veteran edujournalist John Merrow claims on his blog: “Education reporting has never been better than it is right now.”

Diane Ravitch mused on her blog about how I would respond to Merrow so here you go.

First, Merrow’s assertion can be true only if edujournalism was criminally horrible in the past to which he is comparing today’s journalism—which is negligently horrible.

Next, since Merrow mentions the Education Writers Association (EWA), his delusional post represents perfectly a central problem with edujournalism reflected in EWA: edujournalists are trapped within an insular norm of reporting that includes both traditional flaws in journalism (objective journalism anchored in reporting “both sides” dispassionately) and contemporary market forces that are contracting mainstream media, resulting in press-release journalism by journalists without the necessary expertise or experiences needed to report on a discipline or field.

In some of his most high-profile work, in fact, Merrow has personified a double failure common among edujrounalist: first, Merrow eagerly participated in the media’s creation of Michelle Rhee, and then, he fumbled badly and inadequately the media’s holding Rhee accountable for her horrible policies and inept (possibly criminal) leadership.

Merrow hangs his praise on several outlets that focus on education:

National coverage is strong: Chalkbeat (now in 4 states and expanding), The Hechinger Report, Pro Publica and Politico Education are providing outstanding national and local coverage. NPR (National Public Radio) has a strong education team, as does the PBS NewsHour (the latter team includes my former colleagues at Learning Matters).  Although Education Week is a trade publication, it remains a “must read” for anyone interested in the both the big picture and the weeds of the business.  (One of my regrets is that when we negotiated the merger into Ed Week, I did not ask for a lifetime subscription!)  There are more interesting education blogs than I could begin to count, and that’s a good thing.

Routinely, however, these exact outlets mangle reporting about schools, teachers, and all aspects of formal education (see, for example, examinations of Education Week and NPR).

The primary mainstream outlets for edujournalism are negligently horrible—unable to rise above press-release journalism, to see through the political manipulation of journalism and education, to listen to professional educators and researchers, or to critically examine assumptions about children/students, teaching and learning, and the purposes of school.

Merrow also celebrates: “When The Tampa Bay Times won a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, that clinched it: education had become THE cool and significant issue to cover!”

Setting aside we eschew all caps and exclamation points in the writing of middle schoolersJohn Merrow and the Delusions of Edujournalism – the becoming radical:

 

Common Core "Field Tests" Boycott

Common Core "Field Tests" Boycott:
Common Core “Field Tests” Boycott

NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) is calling on New York State parents to support a boycott of new high-stakes assessments being field-tested in grades three-to- eight between May 23 and June 10. NYSAPE asks parents to contact school district offices requesting that they return the field tests to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). While the field-testing takes less than an hour, it contributes to the climate of high-stakes assessment that drives curriculum in the state.

The New Paltz Board of Education has already rejected field-testing its students. On May 4, it passed a unanimous resolution directing its school superintendent to return the field-testing material to NYSED and to inform it that the tests would not completed by students. In an earlier resolution, the New Paltz school board complained that since neither students nor teachers received performance results from field tests, the tests had no educational benefit. They also charged that “this type of assessment is in violation of Pearson’s contract with NYSED which requires that assessments adhere to the American Psychological Association’s testing standards which include the test takers right to receive a timely and understandable explanation of test results.”

In the next three weeks, over 2,300 New York State schools are scheduled to administer the field tests to a quarter of a million students. Many districts have children participate in the field tests without even informing parents. However, parents can submit an opt-out letter so their children are excused from the tests. In addition, some schools are administering Regent field tests in higher grades. Children can also opt-out of these tests.

According to NYSAPE, since 2012, the New York State Education Department has allowed the Pearson testing company to use the state’s children to experiment with test questions for the next year’s statewide exams. Pearson does not pay New York State or local districts for this privilege. Not only that, but New York State pays for the cost of the field-testing.

In 2014, NYSUT, the union representing New York State teachers, supported the campaign against participation in field-tests. New York State United Teachers President Karen Magee declared “NYSUT applauds those school districts that have recently opted out of this year’s field testing. Just as we support parents’ rights to opt their child out of the state tests, we support those districts that are opting out of the field tests. Why should New York state students be unpaid researchers for Pearson?”

Post-It Note: Peter Cunningham, Executive Director of a group calledEducation Post, reposted on Huffington a blog by Tracy Dell’Angela, managing editor of Education Post. Apparently Cunningham and Dell’Angela did not like my response to a New York Times editorial mocking opt-out parents. Education Post claims the purpose of their organization is to promote “honest and civil conversation.” But Dell’Angela’s blog accused me of “frothing” and clinging “desperately to the idea that the status quo is working just peachy in American school,” which is definitely not very civil or designed to promote conversation. When you go to their website, you quickly realize that Education Post is not about “conversation,” but about promoting charter schools, something that is not always clear in their posts. See Mercedes Schneider’s blogs that expose the big money and political power behind Education Post. I also invite Cunningham and Dell’Angela to read some of my other recent posts on charter schools, “Do Charter Schools Really Do Better? Let’s Look at Los Angeles“ and “Success Academy’s War Against Children.“ 

Common Core "Field Tests" Boycott:

What Will It Take to End School Segregation in America?

What Will It Take to End School Segregation in America?:

What Will It Take to End School Segregation in America?

Even though white, African American, and Latino children benefit from sharing the same classroom, there’s growing evidence that more than 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, it’s less likely to happen: A government study released last week shows that economic and racial segregation in the classroom is increasing nationwide. 

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal investigative agency, examined Department of Education data and found that the percentage of the nation’s public elementary schools and high schools with a mostly impoverished African American or Latino student body jumped by nearly 10 percent during the last decade. 

RELATED: Black and Latino Parents: Our Kids Aren't Dumb—They're Bored

At a time when postsecondary education is all but required for a middle-class income, those majority-minority schools were far less likely than their suburban counterparts to offer advanced math, science, or college preparatory courses and far more likely to flunk students or suspend them for disciplinary violations. 

Students who attend those schools, experts and analysts agree, are at high risk of being severely disciplined or dropping out before finishing high school and are increasingly likely to end up in the criminal justice system or at menial jobs instead of in college or the American workforce.

More than 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education banned separate-but-equal schools, the study confirms “we’re not going in a direction towards increasing educational equity” between whites and poor minorities, said Carla Shedd, a Columbia University professor and author of the new book Unequal City: Race, Schools and Perceptions of Injustice.

“We’re still putting money towards discipline and policing” of low-income black and Latino students, and “not thinking systematically about the kids being left behind,” Shedd said. 

The problem is “largely an equity issue” in which majority-minority schools get less funding than their white counterparts, said Kimberly Quick, an education policy analyst at The Century Foundation, a nonprofit think tank. 

At the same time, according to Quick, the end of legally mandated busing for desegregation—coupled with housing segregation, the increase of options such as charter schools and private schools, and the failure to adequately fund neighborhood schools—has amplified the problem.

RELATED: Federal Complaint Puts Charter School Segregation on Blast

Busing for racial parity “ended before schools were really desegregated,” she said. 

According to the GAO report, from school years 2000–2001 to 2013–14, “the percentage of all K–12 public schools that had high percentages of poor and Black or Hispanic students grew from 9 to 16 percent.” 

Those schools “were the most racially and economically concentrated: 75 to 100 percent of the students were Black or Hispanic and eligible for free or reduced-price lunch,” a commonly used indicator of poverty,” the report's authors wrote.

Meanwhile, GAO's analysis of education data also found that compared with other What Will It Take to End School Segregation in America?:

Campbell Brown Has Blocked Me From Twitter | deutsch29

Campbell Brown Has Blocked Me From Twitter | deutsch29:

Campbell Brown Has Blocked Me From Twitter

Yep. I haven’t been on Twitter for two months yet, and I have been officially blocked by none other than Campbell Brown.

By blocking me, Brown is trying to prevent me from even viewing her Twitter page. However, in such a situation, all one must do is sign out of one’s own Twitter account to view any page from which one is blocked.

So, that’s what I did in order to access her page to write this post.

Brown recently stopped posting on Twitter.  On May 20, 2016, she stated why:

Twitter has become a fairly disgusting place. I am checking out for a while. Shabbat Shalom everybody.

— Campbell Brown (@campbell_brown) May 20, 2016

Brown’s exit immediately follows a situation that she brought upon herself with the statement that “two out of three eighth graders in this country cannot read or do math at grade level,” which happens to be Brown’s grossly misinterpreting the meaning of NAEP proficiency. Here is that story in Slate as Brown posted it:

What job should the next president do to better understand America? @campbell_brown in our latest #Memosto45: https://t.co/xcjAxFBLz2

— 92nd Street Y (@92Y) May 17, 2016

I did respond to her insistence that she was right. Apparently, here are the tweets that I wrote and that offended her:

Here is one:Campbell Brown Has Blocked Me From Twitter | deutsch29:

Utah charter schools spend public funds on private companies

Utah charter schools spend public funds on private companies:
Utah charter schools spend public funds on private companies

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's charter schools are spending millions of taxpayer dollars on the services of private companies, according to a Salt Lake Tribune analysis.

A study of expense reports shows two companies received nearly $7 million from the state's charter schools last year for providing administrative and academic functions, the latest in a trend in recent years.

Unlike public schools, charter schools are their own districts and rely on private charter-management businesses for needs such as information technology and human resources departments. These companies are not obligated to disclose how they spend any public money, according to the newspaper.

Any surplus funds are kept for profit and not returned to the schools.

Carolyn Sharette, executive director of the Draper-based American Preparatory Schools, disputed speculation that she and other charter management companies earn million-dollar salaries. American Preparatory Schools operates five American Preparatory Academy campuses in Utah. So, school administrators at those campuses are not considered school employees. The company charges $900 a student — or $4 million in 2014 — for managing operations and curriculum.

"If a school-management company is able to provide that richness of programming in the lowest-funded state in the country and still find profit, then perhaps they shouldn't be criticized," Sharette said. "Perhaps we should be delving into what on earth they are doing to be able to do it."

Royce Van Tassell, executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, said the state has a long history of joining with private companies on public services. He compared the practice to contractors who pour concrete on Utah roads.

"I just don't see anything terribly remarkable about any of these relationships," Van Tassell said.

Concerns about charter schools' spending of public funds also stem from the relationships some lawmakers have with the companies. The Tribune found in three years of expense reports that several high-earning private companies are owned by or employ current or former state lawmakers and their family members.

Virginia-based K12 Management gets $4.5 million per year for running Utah Virtual Academy. The head of the school is Stacey Hutchings, wife of Kearns Republican Rep. Eric Hutchings. He serves on the House Education Committee. However, Stacey Hutchings says she does not lobby him on anything that affects her charter school.

"He has his work, and I have mine," she said. "We keep it pretty separate."Utah charter schools spend public funds on private companies:

Jersey Jazzman: Charter School Realities: Morris, NJ

Jersey Jazzman: Charter School Realities: Morris, NJ:

Charter School Realities: Morris, NJ



I was fortunate to participate in a great academic conference at Rutgers this week: Education Reform, Communities and Social Justice: Exploring the Intersections. I'll try to get to some of my impressions later, but for now I want to thank Julia Sass Rubin for inviting me and congratulate her and her staff on doing such a wonderful job (looking forward to next year!).

One of the presenters was Paul Tractenberg of the Rutgers School of Law - Newark. Paul was a key player in the landmark Abbott v. Burke cases, which led to New Jersey's overhaul of its school financing system (sadly, the state has recently retreated from its commitment to funding equity). 

Paul Tractenberg, Rutgers Conference on Education Reform, 5/20/16

photo courtesy of Sarah Tepper Blaine

Paul's presentation was about the Morris, NJ school district, a textbook case of what happens when the courts order school desegregation. Paul wrote about Morris back in 2013:

If we could get beyond our fetishistic attachment to home rule, there are many ways to consolidate districts, either on an individual or statewide basis. Examples of both abound. The Morris School District was created in 1973 out of the adjacent Morristown and Morris Township districts, one increasingly black and lower-income, the other overwhelmingly white and middle to upper income. It was created primarily for racial balance and allied educational reasons. 

Despite initial start-up issues, 40 years later the Morris School District is an amazing success story. It may be the most racially and socioeconomically balanced district in the state, it sends 93 percent of its students on to higher education, and it is widely considered to have been primarily responsible for Morristown’s ability to flower as the state’s leading county seat.

Yet few New Jerseyans are even aware of the existence of the Morris School

- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2016/05/charter-school-realities-morris-nj.html#sthash.hExcP7Ls.dpuf

Charter school advocates flood Sacramento education races with $300,000 | The Sacramento Bee

Charter school advocates flood Sacramento education races with $300,000 | The Sacramento Bee:

Charter school advocates flood Sacramento education races with $300,000

Charter school advocates have spent nearly $300,000 backing candidates for three seats on the board of the Sacramento County Office of Education, positions that once were considered sleepy political outposts.

Besides providing oversight for Sacramento County school districts, the education board reviews the charters of countywide charter school systems and hears appeals from charter schools whose applications have been rejected by local school districts.

In recent years, the California Charter Schools Association has emerged as a major player in supporting candidates for the board. This year, the advocacy group has focused its donations on three candidates: Joanne Ahola, who works for the association, Heather Davis, who is married to Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis, an employee of the charter schools group; and Roy Grimes, a former county education board member challenging an incumbent who has voted against reauthorizing charter schools.

Carlos Marquez, senior political director for the charter schools association, said it views the Sacramento County Office of Education as “a really strong safeguard, a strong backstop for (preventing) politically motivated denials (of charter schools) at the local level.”

“We are happy with the board,” he added. “It’s really important right now that we maintain continuity.”

The county office of education has so far chartered five schools – all part of a network operated by Margaret Fortune that focuses on closing the achievement gap between African American and other students. Fortune recently finished serving as a California State University trustee and was an adviser for former governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis.

“I think it’s unfortunate that they are throwing so much money into this race,” said Orlando Fuentes, 65, who is running for the Area 6 seat to represent the south county, including Elk Grove. “It’s clear to me that the California Charter Schools Association is eager and willing to put up this kind of money to get charter school advocates on public school boards.”

Unlike the expensive 2012 races for three SCOE board seats, teachers unions haven’t spent heavily so far, though the charter school spending hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m not surprised to see the Charter Schools Association spending money on candidates of their choice,” said Claudia Briggs, spokeswoman for the California Teachers Association. “They are an organization that has an agenda. They ..... support candidates that push their agenda.”

The charter advocates gave the most support – $131,700 – to Grimes, 66, who has served on both the county board and that of the Sacramento City Unified School District.

He is running against incumbent Harold Fong, the only member of the county board of education to vote in December against reauthorizing the Fortune schools for another five years. The Area 7 seat occupied by Fong includes much of south Sacramento.

Fong said the donations from the charter schools association to Grimes represent “a lot ofCharter school advocates flood Sacramento education races with $300,000 | The Sacramento Bee:

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article79172162.html#storylink=cpy

WTF: Washington State PTA to Members: Not Qualified to Talk about Money for Education

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State PTA to Members: Not Qualified to Talk about Money for Education:
Washington State PTA to Members: Not Qualified to Talk about Money for Education

There was a speech that was delivered by Duncan Taylor, the interim Legislative Director, at this weekend's PTSA convention in Yakima.  I heard about it from several PTA people who told me they were quite surprised at what he said.  He skipped going over what happened at the last legislative session in Olympia which is surprising. 

So the lessons learned from this past legislative session were not so important to talk about for Mr. Duncan. Unfortunately, there was one key thing that it would behoove all ed groups to understand - bring the kids.  It certainly was the tipping point for some Democratic legislators for charter law legislation. 

What did he say?

Basically, Mr. Duncan is saying PTSA shouldn't advocate for money for public education for two reasons.

One, all those numbers are too big and complex for parents to understand.

Two, it's not their mission as a group.

 He said that for the last 30 years that the issue of full-funding for public ed has been on their list and why was that?

I'll bite; that education keeps costing more money because of mandates from the state and the need for more student supports? Let's look at the PTA website;here's their mission statement:

Our Mission:
PTA is 

• a powerful voice for children,
• a relevant resource for families, schools and communities, and
• an advocate for the well-being and education of all children.

 Mr. Duncan apparently said that PTA isn't a org that works on tax issues.  He said that kind of work wasn't part of their mission.  And, that parents don't have the expertise to talk about it to legislators.

He's probably right on that exact point - taxing"  but under "History" they say,"here are some specific examples of PTA successes right here in Washington"(partial)

•  When local levies failed in the 1950s and kindergartens went Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State PTA to Members: Not Qualified to Talk about Money for Education:

Delaware Public Schools: You Have Until Thursday To Get Rid Of Your Data Walls Or I Start Filing FERPA Complaints – Exceptional Delaware

Delaware Public Schools: You Have Until Thursday To Get Rid Of Your Data Walls Or I Start Filing FERPA Complaints – Exceptional Delaware:

Delaware Public Schools: You Have Until Thursday To Get Rid Of Your Data Walls Or I Start Filing FERPA Complaints

I will be emailing all Delaware Superintendents, Heads of School, and the DOE on this tomorrow, but I wanted to put it out there now.  If any of you have ANY data walls with kid’s names on them or anything that could make a student easily identifiable by the peers in their class, you have until the end of the day on Thursday to get rid of them.  If you don’t, I will start filing FERPA complaints against each and every one of the schools that ignore this.  I don’t mean to play hard ball here, but you are violating the most sacrosanct part of education, the rights of the child.

I highly recommend ALL Delaware parents contact their schools and ask if they have these data walls in their child’s school.  I also suggest they ask the principal or assistant principal to make sure their child IS NOT ON IT.  I don’t care if you think your kid is the next Einstein.  It is wrong to do this.  I don’t care if it is the best charter school, magnet school, or regular school out there.  It is a violation.

If you want to kill a child’s self-esteem, there is no easier way to do it than data walls.  This latest disgusting and sick craze of schools is an actual posting in school hallways or a classroom of a child’s progress.  Whoever thought this was a good idea is one sick individual.  I’m sure it is great for the smart kids who are always on top.  But for those who struggle it is a demeaning and humiliating experience.  For priority schools in Delaware, this is a requirement.  From the minds of those with no soul in the education reform world who don’t give a crap about children and their needs.  For students with disabilities, this is Delaware Public Schools: You Have Until Thursday To Get Rid Of Your Data Walls Or I Start Filing FERPA Complaints – Exceptional Delaware:

Stop Fighting Social Media. Start Working with Students + Teachers to Integrate It Into Learning!

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Stop Fighting Social Media. Start Working with Students + Teachers to Integrate It Into Learning!:

 Stop Fighting Social Media. Start Working with Students + Teachers to Integrate It Into Learning!

Many students and teachers are in districts like Wake County where they are subjected to policies, guidelines, and mandates that they rarely have any say in. It doesn’t have to be that way and in New York City it isn’t. Instead the newly released social media guidelines for students 12 and younger incorporated the participatory design process and were developed with rather than for students and teachers. These guidelines serve as a companion to the 13 and older guidelines and have been positively received by stakeholders.  

When we spoke with teens for the 13+ guidelines they provided useful input. They said they wanted the guidelines in infographic form as that is how they like to consume information. They also said they wanted to hear from real-world experts and that they wanted relevant stats cited. They wanted the district to recognize that students are using social media for academic and career success and respect their use of these platforms.  The resulting guidelines which got the thumbs up from teens, incorporated all feedback.  

Pre-teens wanted something different.  They said they’d prefer to have the guidelines in an activity book format. They told us their favorite uses of social media. This included making  movies in MovieStar Planet, watching YouTube videos, and having discussions on learning platforms like Edmodo, Schoology, and Google Classroom.  They were concerned about students being kind to one another and wanted to ensure no one’s feelings are hurt because of what takes on social media.

The resulting guidelines incorporated their feedback and were created in the suggested format. The activity book contains fortune teller games, crossword puzzles, word search, and more. Teachers tested them on students and the students were pleased with the results.  

The guidelines help teachers and parents become comfortable with using social media to support student success in career, college and citizenship. In addition to the guidelines there are also parent and teacher guides for primary and secondary school aged children as well as professional development for teachers, parent coordinators, and guidance counselors.  You can access everything at http://schools.nyc.gov/socialmedia.

The guidelines and accompanying materials were developed in partnership with Common Sense Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Stop Fighting Social Media. Start Working with Students + Teachers to Integrate It Into Learning!:

What Guides My Thinking on School Reform: Pulling the Curtain Aside * | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

What Guides My Thinking on School Reform: Pulling the Curtain Aside * | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:
What Guides My Thinking on School Reform: Pulling the Curtain Aside *

From time to time readers will ask me what I believe should be done about teaching, learning, and school reform. They usually preface their request with words such as: “Hey, Larry, you have been a constant critic of existing reforms. You have written about schools not being businesses and have pointed out the flaws in policymaker assumptions and thinking about reform. And you have been skeptical about the worth of new computer devices, software, and online instruction in promoting better teaching and faster learning. So instead of always being a critic just tell us what you think ought to be done.”

Trained as a historian of education and knowledgeable about each surge of school reform to improve teaching and learning over the past century, I cannot offer specific programs for school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, and voters to consider. But I do embrace certain principles that guide my thinking about teaching, learning, and reform. And also this blog for the past six years. These principles come out of my five decades of being a teacher, administrator, and scholar. These principles come out of my school experiences and as a site-based researcher. Most readers will be familiar with what I say. No surprises here. But these principles do steer my thinking about teaching, learning, and reform.

Context matters. Suggesting this program or that reform for all math classes or urban districts or elementary schools is impossible because the setting in of itself influences what happens in the school and classrooms. There is no  reform I know of aimed at improving classroom teaching and student performance that should be applied across the board (e.g., school uniforms, teaching children to code, project-based learning). Policies and programs delivered to teachers need to be adapted to different settings.

No single way of teaching works best with all students. Because students differ in motivation, interests, and abilities, using a wide repertoire of approaches in lessons and units is essential. Direct instruction, small groups, whole-group guided discussions, student choice, worksheets, research papers, project-based instruction, online software, etc., etc., etc. need to be in teachers’  tool kits. There are, of course, reformers and reform-minded researchers who try to alter how teachers teach and the content of their instruction from afar such as Common Core State Standards, the newest version of New Math, New Science, New History, or similar curricular inventions. I support such initiatives as long as they rely upon a broad repertoire of teacher approaches to content and skills. When the reforms do not, when they ask teachers to adhere to a certain best way of teaching (e.g., online “personalized” lessons, project-based teaching, direct instruction) regardless of context, I oppose such reforms.

Small changes in classroom practice occur often and slowly; fundamental and rapid changes in practice seldom happen. While well-intentioned reformers seek to basically change how teachers teach reading, math, science, and history, such 180 degree changes in the world of the classroom (or hospital, or therapist’s office, or law enforcement or criminal justice) seldom occur. Over the decades, experienced teachers have become allergic to reformer claims of fast and deep changes in what they do daily in their classrooms. As What Guides My Thinking on School Reform: Pulling the Curtain Aside * | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: