• Thomas Friedman–“We’re Number 11!” Scary!

    (Thomas Friedman echoes Robert Samuelson's call for motivated and hardworking students) Finally, Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and Robert Samuelson of Newsweek tell us the truth: too many of our students are not motivated to work hard. After all the money spent on 'education reform,' we have little to show for it because (so far) we have been unwilling to look in the right places--what students bring from home and what students do in school. Let's hope these thought leaders [...]
  • Barnard College… Alumnae books includes FIXING!

    (Fixing Special Education listed among Barnard College Alumnae books)
  • Three experts weigh in on issues of fixing special education: published by Education Update

    To be published by Education Update.  www.educationupdate.com http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2010/SEP/assets/EdUpdate_sep10.pdf Three experts weigh in on issues of  fixing special education–a discussion that was begun by Common Good as a book party for my Fixing Special Education–12 Steps to Transform a Broken System. The experts are Michael Best, general counsel of New York City public schools, Jean Johnson, Executive Vice President of Public Agenda, and me.
  • Education Week reports number of SLD students is down.

    (Number of students with specific learning disability is down). Is this good news? Is it news? What does it mean? We all need to stay tuned. But, for the moment, it looks like GOOD news for those of us who believe that too many students were labeled with SLD and who believe that good teaching in the early grades through good old fashioned GOOD TEACHING practices (now called RTI--response to intervention) will keep numbers down. A story to keep watching!
  • “Learning style”–is it real?– in New York Times

    (Learning style and other theories of learning debunked). We've known that brain research and 'common knowledge' don't often match. So here we go again. In my book, Fixing Special Education, I wrote about the fact that so much of special education is built upon questionable (or no) research. It's a tragedy for students, schools and our country. Maybe this New York Times article will help. Let us hope!
  • School reforms’ meager results. See 2nd reason!

    (Two reasons for school reform failure) A gutsy piece. Common sense tells us that education is a two-way street. Educate is an active verb. It is something one does. It does not happen passively. The teacher should work hard AND THE STUDENT SHOULD WORK HARD. Yet, defying common sense, education reform efforts have focused only on the first person--not the second! If students don't learn, the teachers must be doing something wrong! Hello... does that make sense to anyone? NOT ME. [...]
  • Back to school magic…

    It’s that time of year—the annual, magical beginning of school. Every year, teachers, students, and parents get to start anew. New beginnings. Clean slates. A world of possibilities Dreams. It’s magic! I left teaching to practice law more than 35 years ago. Yet, that end-of-summer beginning-of-school magic is still powerful in me. There’s nothing like it in the practice of law. Instead of an annual fresh start and clean slates, when we return from vacation, ‘stuff’ is piled high on [...]
  • Top books? Here are the results thus far…

    (Voting for top books of the last 10 years). Diane Ravitch is up by far!
  • Top education books of the decade!

    Education Next.org has a fascinating contest--vote for the book you believe to be most influential. I did. And I added the comment that Carol Dweck's book, MINDSET, should have been on that list. It influenced me the most-- what teachers and parents can do (and should stop doing) to help students learn, succeed, and thrive. Check that out too--the book and the comment! What book would you add? (Top books of the decade)
  • If only they would get a good night sleep!

    (What teachers want from parents). It's amazing, isn't it. What teachers want most from parents. Get their kids to bed at night for a good night's sleep. Interestingly, this comment also found itself in my book, Fixing Special Education, where I quote a principal of a successful California school: "If I could only get the moms to put their children to bed early."