The Fallacy of Best Practices

A Principal's Reflections

by Eric Sheninger

Apr 21, 2024

The article "The Fallacy of Best Practices" by Eric Sheninger, featured in "A Principal's Reflections" blog, challenges the prevailing education system's fixation on standardized "best practices." It argues for a shift towards contextual effectiveness in educational strategies to foster innovation…

What Does It Mean to Follow a Reading Program?

Tim Shanahan

Blast from the Past: This blog entry first posted on May 5, 2018, and re-posted on April 20, 2024. The reason for this re-post is twofold: I received the letter below from an educational consultant who was troubled about how some school districts were using commercial reading programs and wanted my take on it. Also, recently, some critics have been making claims…

Character Counts

https://charactercounts.org/character-during-crisis/

3 Fun Relationship-Building Activities for Older Students

By Amy Nichols March 8, 2024

Edutopia

In an article for educators published on March 8, 2024, Amy Nichols highlights the significance of incorporating fun, relationship-building activities in the classroom to enhance student engagement and foster a sense of belonging. Nichols reflects on a conversation with her superintendent, who…

Unlock the Secrets: Expert Homework Hacks for Busy Parents

Vicki Davis

Podcast

• You will learn about the importance of active learning over passive studying methods, and how helping students engage directly with the material can significantly improve retention and understanding.

• You will hear about organizational…

Why Children Need Risk, Fear, and Excitement in Play and Why adults’ fears put them at risk

MARIANA BRUSSONI

FEB 28, 2024

After Babel

Mariana Brussoni's essay, highlighted by Jon Haidt's preface, emphasizes the essential role of outdoor risky play in children's development, arguing that the trend towards hyper-protective parenting is paradoxically undermining children's safety and…

Op-Ed: The Transgender Sports Ban: A Pediatrician’s Perspective 

Posted on February 25, 2024, 12:53 pm

Author…

This Black History Month, let’s finally break the cycle of racial inequality in our housing and education systems  

During Black History Month, Laura Harding, president of ERASE Racism, calls for a deeper examination of racial discrimination's enduring impact on education and housing in the United States. As we approach the 70th anniversary of the landmark…

Title: "Whatever Happened To Service Learning?"

by Larry Cuban

Larry Cuban's article, published on January 30, 2024, takes educators on a historical journey, exploring the enduring concept of service learning in K-12 education. Accessible at https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/, the article reflects on the evolution, challenges, and persisting importance of service learning as a means to foster civic engagement…

Putting on Your Underwear First: Why Instructional Sequence Doesn’t Always Matter

Tim Shanahan

Blast from the Past: This entry first posted on March 14, 2016, and was reposted on December 16, 2023. The original entry had 5 comments which you can see if you click on…

Why Main Idea is Not the Main Idea -- Or, How to Teach Reading Comprehension

Tim Shanahan

Teacher question:

You say that we cannot successfully teach comprehension skills like main idea. But our standards require that we teach main idea, and our state tests ask main idea questions to assess whether our students are accomplishing that goal. I don’t get it, your advice on this is not…