Tag: schools

Teacher evaluation has always been a slippery slope. Back in the early part of this century, school districts became interested in using student growth measures, mainly from standardized test performance, to decide the best classroom instructors. But, student growth measures came under attack primarily from teacher unions questioning the validity and reliability of how standardized…

How long will we continue defending the indefensible? How long will we try to convince ourselves that our traditional K-12 system can be improved, especially when it comes to black, brown, and poor young learners? When will we stop trying to turn those wanting  to try “different” into demons set to destroy public education as…

Too much of traditional school is spent memorizing information. Instead, what if most learning time was spent focusing on how to create. How would our world be different if our learning system “created creators?” A chapter inside Built for More: The Role of Out-of-School Time in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work titled “Creating…

This past Saturday I attended our son’s white coat ceremony at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. At WVU, medical students are presented their “white coats” at the end of their first two years of classwork and at the beginning of their two-year rotation schedule. It’s kind of a big deal. During the ceremony,…

Yesterday I asked a couple of questions: What if our learning day was filled with building reading, writing, and problem-solving work? More importantly, what if our learning day focused on leadership skills and how all young learners could benefit from leadership training and character development? Today, continuing to focus on a book titled “Legacy” –…

I often wonder whether we are working on all the wrong stuff with our kids when it comes to teaching and learning. What if our learning day was filled with building reading, writing, and problem-solving work? More importantly, what if our learning day focused on leadership skills and how all young learners could benefit from…

Given Donald Trump’s insistence that the U.S. Department of Education should be targeted for closing, it might be a good idea to look to our 50 states for a heads-up regarding what public education issues are being addressed in 2025. ABPTL covered the same story last year, and the topics haven’t changed much this year.…

1 out of every 10 American kids attend a public school in Texas, so it’s important to keep an eye on what the Lone Star State is doing when it comes to K-12 education. This year, while the Texas Legislature is in session, the state’s decision-makers are busy on several fronts that will impact children…