An Alternative To The Federally Mandated Teacher Evaluation Plans

All of the plans for evaluating classroom teacher performance in the public schools share a common flaw: failure to recognize that the present system of public education in the United States are incapable of providing children…

“Reality Pedagogy” to Engage Black Male Students

From the Marshall Memo #425

“To address the low achievement of black males,” says Teachers College Columbia professor Christopher Emdin in this Kappan article, “schools must be willing to accept that there are ways of looking at the world, modes of communication, and approaches to teaching and learning that are unique to black males. At the same time, educators must also…

What Works – and What Doesn’t – Educating Male Students of Color

From The Marshall Memo #425

In this Kappan article, NYU professor Pedro Noguera reviews the discouraging statistics on African-American and Latino male students: they are less likely to be placed in programs for high achievers, more likely to be classified as learning disabled or mentally retarded and placed in special education; they have the highest suspension…

A Flawed Approach to Reading in the Common-Core Standards

In reading the recently proposed Common Core State Standards already accepted by all but three states, I could not see many elementary school children of any background or ability meeting the standards at the…

Amid a Federal Education Inquiry, an Unsettling Sight

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press; Alex Wong, via Getty Images

A spokesman for Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, cautioned against the presumption of guilt in an investigation of Washington schools under the direction of Michelle Rhee.

By …

Top ten rules for raising kids

from Prism Decisions Systems - http://www.prismdecision.com/top-ten-rules-for-raising-kids

• Love them to death but never, ever indulge them.
• From the youngest age, help them to master something productive because if you don’t, they are sure to master something unproductive (i.e., all children distinguish themselves in some way!)
• Read to them…

My wife and I had been saving up our rewards points from airlines, hotels, and credit cards in order to celebrate a 24^th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas. We finally did it this past week. As a lifelong “Rat Pack” fan I looked forward to the Landmarks, the Legends, the Lights, and the Luxuries of the Las Vegas Strip. Ironically, however, our most enjoyable venture was a helicopter tour and landing in the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

One of the most impressive feats of Las Vegas…

Q and A: Imagining a Virtual Education Oasis

The thing to know about author Ernest Cline is that he owns a DeLorean. Well, that, and he conceived a future where everyone who can will learn online.

That vision might seem exaggerated, but as virtual education continues to break into the mainstream of K-12 and higher education, and expands rapidly in job-training programs, his imaginary view of the future of education might have a stronger connection to reality than one might…

A Sound Deal on Teacher Evaluations

NY Times Editorial

What All Students Need from All Teachers

(Originally titled “Teach Up for Excellence”)

Marshall Memo - 423

In this Educational Leadership article, differentiation guru Carol Ann Tomlinson (University of Virginia) and EDEquity founder Edwin Lou Javius note that until quite recently, U.S. schools were legally segregated and unequal based on race. Today, there is…