For those of you who haven't heard, there was big news in Tucson this week! A local school district was accused of teaching a class that promotes the overthrow of the U.S. government. (Seriously.) A new law, HB 2281, went
Read MoreSymptoms of Failure
It’s a farce, and kids know it. When students ask in math class, “When am I ever going to use this?” let’s stop answering with references to calculating bank interest, prices per pound, and the cost of a sale item.
Read MoreElections, Squirrels, Teaching, and Shiny Things.
An old adage suggests that if one wishes to understand why something truly happens, the question“why?” must be posed at least five consecutive times. This allows the questioner to get below surface-level influences and arrive at the root cause. I
Read MoreNow what do we do?
So Election Day has come and gone and many people are thinking what's going to happen next? How are things going to change? What do I do? Well, you are going to do your job. That's what you are going
Read MoreMr. Weatherbee is So 20th Century
Was I destroying the fabric of our democracy by being a fair and sensible principal? Will the kids would grow up to assume that most decisions made by adults were equally fair and sensible? YIKES!
Read MoreNot-So-Strange Bedfellows
As co-founder of a small charter high school, I decided to interview Mike Klonsky, Chicago-based leader in the modern small-schools movement. Mike and I have a lot in common: we agree that small schools offer a more humane and functional alternative to big schools. We also share the belief, as evidenced by research and our own experiences, that small schools have lower teacher turnover, experience less violence, and allow for greater teacher autonomy.
Read MoreSorry, Superman.
You can keep waiting for Superman, but he’s not coming. I find the title of a certain highly controversial documentary to be ironic, because it is problematic in its symbolism, alone. To invoke such iconography during the debate over
Read MoreOne Question Secretary Duncan…
Monday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, discussed other countries outpacing America in the educational arena. Secretary Duncan reinforced his message with the following bold statement: “The great ideas in education are always going to come at the local level. What
Read MoreJust Shoot Me.
At the most recent annual AZK12 Summer Leadership Institute, I sat with a small group of colleagues from around the state to discuss the future of public education. At least I would refer to them as colleagues. They would refer to me as “all-that-is-wrong-with-public-education” or, more simply, the devil.
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