This is a creepy, scary topic. That would be the one where guys in white lab coats spend their careers figuring out ways to alter somebody's mental prowess.

 I had heard for years about something called MK Ultra and never understood what it was. But apparently during the heights and depths of the Cold War, the CIA was working on every possible way to manipulate the mind. Those ways would include brainwashing, torture, drugs, and others. 

 Meanwhile, my…

GOVERNOR CUOMO’S RECORD ON EDUCATION: FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP AND STRING OF BROKEN PROMISES

Report on “Failing Schools” Dodges the Issues

(Long Island, NY) Today Governor Cuomo released a report titled The State of New York’s Failing Schools. The report asserts that money is not a factor in the quality of education in these…

Dealing with a Classroom Crisis

In this Edutopia article, Richard Curwin (David Yellin College, Israel) lists the thoughts that often go through a teacher’s mind during a major classroom disruption:

• It tries our patience, pushes our limits, and makes us angry.
• It threatens our sense of control.
• We fear looking weak to students.
• We fear that other…

Awards are part of our culture. Just as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has the Academy Awards, schools and districts hold awards for students as the year comes to an end. Awards are like summative assessments. They are the conclusion of a value of the work done by a person or persons. What if school districts developed a culture in which a celebration of each other's work was an annual event?  What if we all held our own Oscars for teachers? We would call them…

My name is Michele McLoughlin and I am a graduate student at Queens College pursuing my master’s degree in art education. As part of my degree requirement, I’m working on a research project. My project involves interviewing a series of school administrators who are responsible for hiring art educators. 

I would like to interview you in person regarding my topic on the process of hiring art teachers. This should only take an hour of your time.

Message me if you…

Instead of incapacitating people's ability to problem-solve or try new ideas -- which is what fear does to us -- research on school reform strongly suggests that policy-makers should be encouraging school leaders to take a more humane approach. In their …

Just as with reading, it is best that the principal (and superintendent) model and lead as a writer. Whether aboard with the Common Core or not, common sense tells us that reading and writing across the curriculum are essential facets of 21st century learning. Just as reading in a literature class requires some of the same and some different skills than a physics class, the same is true of writing. Similarly, no matter the grade level, some different sets of…

Employees have consistently complained about the teachers in the building who have been promoted to school administrators. Most comments are usually referring to those individual's bad practices when they were teachers. Teachers also complain that these individuals have friends in the building which get special attention. With all things being equal, which practice  better promotes maximum success for our schools? Promoting a teacher from within the ranks of the school to school…

Here Comes The Classroom Observation and My Slim Chances of Being Rated a Top Teacher (Becca Leech) Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice by larrycuban / 7h // keep unread // hide // preview Tennessee teacher Becca Leech has been, in her words, “a special educator since 1991, with experience teaching infants to young adults in rural, suburban and urban communities, and in both private and non-profit school settings. I currently coordinate an alternative graduation program for…

Letting Parents in on the Secret of School

By Peter DeWitt on February 22, 2015 7:40 AM

Let's get two of the most common obstacles out of the way first.

Some parents don't want to engage - Perhaps they had a tough school experience when they were growing up. Maybe, they feel intimidated that we engage in educational talk and they don't always know the acronyms. What if we tried just one more conversation? What if we channeled Covey and tried to understand a little bit…

Looking at Teacher Accountability Through a New Lens…