Outrage at the Los Angeles Unified School District case comes from the incredible possibility that school officials knew there was a serious problem and no action with consequence was taken. It comes from the fact that there are over 80 known victims and likely dozens of others. It comes from a school attorney who acknowledges that if the allegations had arisen now they would be taken more seriously. This is progress that we struggle to be proud of. Weren't there child abuse laws back…

Nonfiction That’s Good for the Learning Environment

by Steve Peha

As many of us adjust to the Common Core and new standards in other states which mimic the Core in all but name, we know we’re going to be teaching a lot more nonfiction. In particular, we’re going to be teaching issue-oriented, analytic, short-form nonfiction of the kind we often find in newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet. I recently came across an incredible set of materials that seem…

If we look at the present, we see the federal government has attempted to not leave any child behind and then asked us to race to the top, with little notable result. Now, the support for P-TECH and other STEM initiatives hold promise. We need to step up and meet these system changes with the engagement necessary to make a positive difference. Otherwise, the wheel will turn, energy will be spent, and little will change. The question remains how to step up and meet these system…

Countering 'churn and burn'

Since the no-excuses movement began in the 1990s, its schools have had a reputation for teachers who are young, idealistic, white, and available to families around the clock -- until they leave, writes Sara Neufeld for The Atlantic. Some are ready to have children of their own or more lucrative careers; others are just fried. The dynamic has been criticized for depriving students of stable adult relationships and creating mistrust…

The role of public education is to educate ALL children and to prepare them all for their lives as adults who are informed and productive citizens in our democratic society. In the age of dreams and start-ups, college may not be the only path but it is likely only a few who will become hugely successful without it.  Read more...

This morning I read a post from a higher education educator about the negative effects of Tech in lectures. The author was perplexed when he realized a great many students in his lecture hall were paying attention to Facebook, or attending to email during the course of a two-hour lecture. His school chose to ban tech devices from the lecture hall. Additionally, students were required to use nametags, so that the lecturer could address individual students with…

Separate, equal-ish

If wealthy Malibu can convince less-affluent Santa Monica, Calif. that two districts would work better than the one they now share, it could offer a template for others around the country that have sought independence from their less-well-off partners, writes Kyle Spencer for The Hechinger Report. "Separatist movements" are increasingly common as parents in mostly white, mostly middle-class communities in and around such places as Memphis, Salt…

With the acceleration of every kind of communication and information, technological developments from 3D printing to cars that drive themselves, a national fixation with the quality of schools is inevitable. But still, the voices heard remain those from outside of schools. Corporate magnates and politicians are forcing school change, albeit with little understanding of the school- community complexity.     …

That was my title for an article which the American Thinker changed to "Public schools chew up teachers and spit them out."

Okay, that's colorful. But it misses the essential point that I want to emphasize. The Education Establishment, which should be very…