Tag: students
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Lack of Imagination in DMPS
I write a lot about public schools in three states: Texas, Vermont, and Iowa. I worked in the Texas public school system for 35 years, and I’ve lived in Vermont and Iowa over the past seven years. All three systems are different when it comes to providing public education to their youth. Texas has one…
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Conversation as Learning
Conversation is essential to learning. The Greek word for conversation is “dialogos,” meaning “through speech and reasoning.” The Greeks were fully committed to “dialogos” as a learning medium. Our one-room schoolhouse was full of conversation, as many 19th century adult learning leaders knew the importance of peer conversation. It wasn’t until America moved to the…
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Friday News Roundup
Here’s your Friday News Roundup! School Leaders Rush to Manage Deportation Fears (EducationWeek) Last week, EducationWeek reported that, “For months now, Almi Abeyta, the superintendent of Chelsea public schools just north of Boston, has been bracing herself for an immigration policy change that could affect schools.” “Back in November, following the victory of President Donald…
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More Bad News for K-12 Continued
When it rains, it pours. We just spent the last two days lamenting over our country’s latest NAEP (the National Assessment of Educational Progress or The Nation’s Report Card). And now there’s more bad news. Today, EducationWeek released a story that addresses American opinions about the quality of public education in the United States. Kevin…
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More Bad News for K-12 Continued
We continue today exploring why reading and math scores from our traditional K-12 system continue to decline. Last week, EducationWeek reported that, “Reading and math scores on the nation’s report card show that students haven’t rebounded from the pandemic – and in some cases, achievement is still declining.” “The grim news from the National Assessment…
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More Bad News for K-12
I’m afraid the next two days of ABPTL will be filled with bad news when it comes to our traditional K-12 public school system and the progress it’s made making the nation’s young learners smarter and stronger when it comes to their reading and problem-solving abilities. NAEP (the National Assessment of Education Progress) data, or…
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Change is Coming
Parents are looking for additional options when it comes to educating their young learners. In an article published by The 74 last week, “Nearly two-thirds of parents considered switching their children to a different school last year, but less than half of them actually followed through, a new national survey finds.” “In January, the National…
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Friday News Roundup
It’s Friday. Time for the News Roundup. Several Bills Filed to Weaken Vaccine Mandates as More Texas Families Opt Out of Immunizations (The Texas Tribune) It used to be that you were vaccinated, or you couldn’t attend public school. I don’t remember my parents or other parents making a stink about choosing not to be…
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Politics Versus Learning
Misinformation. Disinformation. It happens everywhere, and Iowa is no exception. No, you aren’t re-reading yesterday’s article, but the first two lines of both posts are the same – because providing reliable information to young learners and their families is under attack everywhere, including the Hawkeye State. The latest example of misinformation comes from the Iowa…
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Who’s Behind the Curtain?
Misinformation. Disinformation. It happens everywhere, and Iowa is no exception. Recently the Iowa Department of Education announced that the Hawkeye State’s science standards would no longer refer to “climate change” and instead refer to the phenomenon as “climate trends.” At the same time “biological evolution” would become “biological evolution over time.” The Des Moines Register…