Tag: schools

Today is Juneteenth, a celebration of what many consider to be a “second independence day” for black Americans. And their independence started with President Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. The National Museum of African American History and Culture describes Juneteenth this way: “On ‘Freedom’s Eve,’ or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first…

Part of being a life-long learner is inviting and embracing feedback, even if it is negative. In other words, if you are going to be a life-long learner, then you better be ready to accept criticism intended to make you smarter and stronger. Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor and a contributing writer for The…

Let’s face it, most homework is busy work. In my 15 years as a school and district leader, and then another 10 years as an educational non-profit leader, I saw very little homework assigned that made any difference in whether a student was going to become a smarter and stronger learner. I’ve written about the…

A dangerous trend has appeared in America’s largest school districts. Almost all our big districts are increasing spending while their enrollments are declining. Linda Jacobson, a reporter for The 74, wrote an article published today that addresses the trend: “The Philadelphia school district is 18,000 students smaller than it was a decade ago, but you…

Last week the BIG Questions Institute released their bi-weekly update and their message to their readers was spot on: “Here’s a frame for thinking about our approach to education in this fraught moment.” “We’re trying to do the wrong thing righter.” “Let us first say that we really believe that the vast majority of people…

Traditional school districts are notorious for telling their public that consolidation, meaning when schools are closed mainly because of low enrollment and students are moved to another campus, is a way for the school district to save money. But news coming out of Vermont, based on a Yale University study, suggests differently. According to a…

I’ve written about the group Education Reimagined before. ER is a small, but committed, group of folks trying to shift America’s attention from school-centered education to learner-centered education. Probably the best creation ER came up with since its inception was a document titled “Transformational Vision for Education in the United States.” In that publication, ER…

Whether it was covering it in the ABPTL Friday News Roundup, or writing about it in a daily post, we’ve noticed how much talk there is out there about smartphones and whether students should be allowed to access them during school time. Candice L. Odgers, the associate dean for research and a professor of psychological…