A Better Path to Learning

Tag: students

  • We Need to Stop Thinking This Way

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    We have a terrible habit when discussing our current K-12 system to recognize it’s dismal results overall, but then try to leave the readers with a glimmer of hope by focusing on schools and school districts that are anomalies to that failing outlook. Witness an opinion piece appearing in The Hechinger Report last month, written…

  • Friday News Roundup

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    After a few days off, I’m back with your Friday News Roundup. Why We Still Haven’t Solved Teacher Shortages (Despite Decades of Trying) (EducationWeek) I’ll spare you the details of this article. If you want to read it, you know where to find it. It was the article’s title that caught my attention. My God,…

  • Who Really Runs a Public School District?

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    I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: When you work in schools, you work in two worlds. One world is about getting young learners stronger and smarter in their reading, writing, problem-solving, and character development abilities. The other world is about rewarding adults, whether they be teachers, administrators, staff, parents, or vendors receiving…

  • Friday News Roundup

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    It’s Friday – the Dia de Los Muertos. Here’s your News Roundup. “Mom is Texting”: Teachers Say Parents Are a Daily Distraction During Class (EducationWeek) According to EducationWeek this past week, “Nearly half of teachers, principals, and district leaders say that parents are texting and emailing their children during class at least daily, according to…

  • Kids as Designers

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    My wife and I keep noticing there is one thing noticeably absent when we walk or drive past schoolyards or public parks – kids playing. Part of the problem with kids choosing not to play in their schoolyards or neighborhood parks is the fact that many of those places are run down and some are…

  • Magic

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    How many transformational teachers were you lucky enough to have during your K-12 schooling experience? 10? 15? More? Less? Now think back to why those teachers were transformational. I’m guessing it wasn’t because of their knowledge of math or that they were able to teach noun/verb relationships like no other. No, those teachers, and other…

  • Resume or Eulogy?

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    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between our traditional K-12 public school system and a personalized learning one. I’d like to borrow some of David Brooks’s TED talk on “Should You Live for Your Resume…or Your Eulogy?” Brooks is an opinion columnist at The New York Times and an author of numerous…

  • Wishful Thinking

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    Devin Vodicka and Katie Martin, from the Learner-Centered Collaborative, are smart people. Theoretically, both are spot on when it comes to what young learners need in their lives to become smarter and stronger with their reading, writing, problem-solving, and character development skills. There’s only one problem. Most of what they preach can’t be done to…

  • Friday News Roundup

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    Time for the Friday News Roundup. School Choice Questions Dominate November Ballot Propositions (The 74) Election Day is right around the corner, and education issues will play a part in the day – especially education savings accounts primarily to be used for private school tuition. According to The 74, “Voters have a history of rejecting…

  • Electing Craziness

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    The Raleigh News & Observer reported this week that, “…Democrat Mo Green has a 2-to-3 point lead over Republican Michele Morrow in the race for state superintendent of public instruction. The race has received more attention than normal for a down-ballot race due to…coverage of Morrow’s history of controversial social media posts.” Dana Milbank, opinion…