Posts by Guest Author
Six premises, seven ideas for better teacher training
At the Twitter Town Hall with Education Secretary Arne Duncan (related: the full transcript of that dialogue is online) on August 24, he promised some new initiatives regarding schools of education. In the hope that the suggestion box is still open, I have a suggestion — not for the Secretary but for schools and colleges of education.
Confronting the 15,000-Hour Problem
But we must also contend with the 15,000-hour problem. Most Americans have attended schools for 13 years—and have watched teachers teach for more than 15,000 hours, usually in the company of 25 or 30 other students (40 or 50 in hard times). And while most Americans may want improved schools and better teaching, they do not want teaching and learning to look all that different from when they were in school themselves. The public’sfamiliarity with teaching reifies expectations. It may even breed contempt for the specialized skills that effective teachers and administrators need to develop—after all, an expert teacher can make the job look easy.
Debating Petrilli’s Post “One size fits most” for Ed Reform
By Bruno Behrend We education reformers are a fractious lot. We like to debate each other more than we like to take on the obstacles to transforming education. One exception to this rule is Mike Petrilli of The Fordham Foundation. He is well known for his tendency…
Digital Learning in Kentucky
KY Commissioner Terry Holliday By Terry Holliday Kentucky was one of the early leaders in virtual learning. Today, we are struggling to find the appropriate methods for funding, support and innovation. Over the past two years, we have been working first…
Responding To Tennessee State Representative Craig Fitzhugh
I couldn’t let this column by state Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-TN) titled, “Virtual Schools Bad for Education Reform” go by without responding. It was so full of errors I almost didn’t know where to start. I don’t know Rep. Fitzhugh, so I won’t suggest he was intentionally misleading readers. I’ll just give him the benefit of the doubt and presume that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Let me attempt to dissect it.
The Name Game
It’s silly season again, and I’m not referring to the Republican primaries. No, I’m thinking about the all-out battle for proponents and opponents of “reform” to stick a nasty label on the other side and claim the mantle of truth and goodness for themselves. This is nothing new, of course (Sean Cavanagh had a smart piece in Ed Week about this in March). But the battle continues apace.
1.5 million reasons to get a grip on digital learning: Q+A with ISTE’s Don Knezek
Susan Sawyers is a multimedia journalists and social media strategist. Sawyers conducted a Q & A with Donald G. Knezek CEO of ISTE, who is preparing for their annual conference in Philadelphia next week.
A Reason to Go To School
Andrew Miller provides a few great examples of why students have a reason to go to school.
Feature School: Northwest Passage
We need to pursue a system of public education that endorses schools like Northwest Passage and that embraces them as part the norm, rather than perpetuate a system that holds them at arm’s length.
Why Standards-Based Gradebooks & What Next?
Standards-Based grade books can help ensure quality instruction and assessments for our students as long as there is a level of flexibility and rigor