A Better Path to Learning

Tag: parents

  • Friday News Roundup…

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Here’s the Friday News Roundup for June 17, 2022 Advice for Principals: Empower Your Teachers (Education Week) “The best thing principals can do to support their teachers is to empower them to teach. Yes, of course, it is also important to provide systems, professional development, and to be a strong leader. But what good is…

  • Relationships Matter…They Matter A Lot

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Here’s another Best of the Best from the archives. I wrote this article for The Education Game back in 2021. Hope you enjoy it. Traditional schools struggle establishing relationships within academic settings. Most schools begin their relationship-building by the teacher receiving a student roster telling them who is assigned to each of their teaching periods,…

  • What I Learned from Coach Woody

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Recently, I read an article on Joey Woody. Joey is the head coach for the University of Iowa men’s and women’s track and field team. Coach Woody has built what could be considered a sport’s dynasty in Iowa City, Iowa, home of the University of Iowa. Woody has led Iowa to 46 Big Ten individual…

  • Here’s the Problem with State Legislatures

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    I noticed an article in a recent online edition of The Texas Tribune that discussed the “hardening” of Texas public schools. “Hardening” is the word used when elected officials pass laws attempting to make schools safer for the students, teachers, other staff, and the public. According to the article, back in 2019, after an armed…

  • Debating with a Traditionalist

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    A dear friend just retired from a central office position in a traditional suburban school district. He used to buy me beers at happy hour during my first year of teaching in Houston, Texas because I didn’t have money to pay for my own. We watched each other get promoted inside our Houston district, with…

  • Learning Like Picasso

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    I just returned from Spain. While there I visited the Picasso Museum in Barcelona for a second time. I’m glad I returned since there is too much to capture on just one trip. Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. Throughout his long career as an artist, he created more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures,…

  • Friday News Roundup…

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    It’s Friday! Time for the news roundup! ‘We Beg You. Do Something’: Principals Who Lived Through Shootings Plead for Action (EdWeek) “Current and former principals who experienced shootings in their school have issued a plea to lawmakers at all levels of government to “Do something. Do anything” to keep “our educators and our kids from…

  • Public Schooling Over Public Schools

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Lots of folks think I no longer appreciate public schools. That might be true. Public schools, at scale, are mediocre at best. Public schools have produced flat line National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation’s report card) results over the past 40 years. Out nation’s public schools have been rated a “C” by EdWeek, a…

  • Weavers to the Rescue?

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    I came across an interesting new movement recently. It’s called Weave: The Social Fabric Project and it was started by New York Times columnist David Brooks and the Aspen Institute in 2018. The project seeks to mend the broken social trust that has left Americans divided along many lines. Over the past four years, the…

  • Friday News Roundup…

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    It’s Friday! Time for the news roundup. Oakland’s New Opportunity Ticket Gives Students in Failing Schools a Shot at Attending Its Most Sought-After Ones (The 74) I mentioned this lottery program in yesterday’s column. This past March, the Oakland (CA) Unified School District board approved a plan to offer spots to some of their most…