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Alan Patton wrote a novel, Cry the Beloved Country about South Africa in 1948. Today I cry for our country because it is filled with hatred, vitriol, and voices that do not hear (and have no interest to hear) each other. Where does this all go? In this article, we're talking about schools--the one public connector we have always had. I listened to the 60 Minutes Leslie Stahl interview of Betsy Devos--in disappointment, both for the questions and answers. The questions were [...]

https://education-reimagined.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Transformational-Vision-for-Education-in-the-US-2015-09.pdfI Read it and pass it on! I loved this paper! I loved the idea that a group of people from diverse background --all around the country, schools, businesses, teachers, and foundations-- are getting together to give their best ideas for reimagining our schools. It's an easy wonderful read--even though it got a into the weeds a little in the 10 pages of text. It's [...]

On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 8:01 AM, John Merrow wrote: Friends, The emperor has no clothes, and I believe it's high time that everyone acknowledged that. Proof positive is Washington, DC, long the favorite of the 'school reform' crowd, which offered it as evidence that test-based reforms that rewarded teachers for high student scores (and fired those with low scores) was the magic bullet for turning around troubled urban school districts. But now we know that about one-third of recent [...]

Here are my thoughts in response to this excellent Education Week piece by Matt Miles. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/02/07/tech-companies-are-buying-their-own-education.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58376112&U=1500758#comments Thank you, Matt, for this vital piece. It's about time! As a teacher, you clearly set out the downsides of tech addiction, research funded by technology that drives efforts for 1:1 technology, so-called "personalized instruction," and other efforts. [...]

Thank you, Diane, for highlighting this 2011 story. It was also one of my favorites when I first read it. https://dianeravitch.net/2018/01/26/where-do-tech-giants-send-their-children-to-school/ The hypocrisy in public education is rich. Too often, policies and "great ideas" are for other people's children--not our own. Please visit her blog at dianeravitch.net to see this post and my comment. If we're not careful, the rich and powerful will continue to pull their children out [...]

Of course, I mean the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and the way to improve public education is through special education. If we want strong robust public schools, we need to understand what's happening in those schools. And then, believe it or not, it's vital to understand special education. That's right, special education. And that's because special education, which was created in 1975 to mandate public education for children with special needs, has evolved & [...]

Please read this review, as posted on Diane Ravitch's blog. It raises all sorts of excellent issues. So, I was moved to comment. Enjoy! https://dianeravitch.net/2018/01/14/john-thompson-on-daniel-koretzs-the-testing-charade/ Here's my comment: Diane, Happy New Year and thanks for posting this interesting and unsettling book review about the negative (and, HMMM, unpredicted?) effects of testing policies set by experts and our government. As I read it, I realized that these [...]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/inside-silicon-valleys-big-money-push-to-remake-american-education/ HMMM... whose children are these computers for? Theirs or other people's. You decide.... http://www.businessinsider.com/waldorf-silicon-valley-school-shuns-technology-2017-3 And see an earlier story, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html. When Silicon Valley execs embrace technology in schools for [...]

Check out the little program in East Palo Alto (10 Books a Home) where I volunteer as a "role model." I visit a 4 year old boy (we started when he was 3) in his HOME--role modeling for the PARENTS--the help prevent (not close) that "30-million-word-gap." Here's a great link to the cleats that will be worn by the 49ers' Solomon [...]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/23/wish-book-tutors-for-preschools-ignite-a-love-of-learning/ Here's a story about 10 Books a Home-- a small, in-home learning program. It provides an hour a week of games, toys, and books for little kids and helps their parents work with their own children. I know, because I'm as volunteer role model with 10BH--as we call it. A good read. I do believe in home-based education! Let's help 10BH and other programs thrive.