Countering the hidden curriculum of iTunes
When my daughter was looking at colleges a few years ago, she visited a class at every place she considered, and as I told her, part of the reason why I encouraged the classroom visiting is because I wanted her to feel she belonged, to reduce the “imposter syndrome” that affects so many undergraduate and […]
Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) proposal would create jobs and economic demand
The country needs jobs and economic demand. Here’s a simple way to fill some of the gap: fix the nation’s school facilities. Over the summer, Mary Filardo of the 21st Century Schools Fund, Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Ross Eisenbrey of the Economic Policy Institute developed the Fix America’s […]
Happy Labor Day!
Thanks to efforts of hundreds of thousands of folks preceding me as union members, I have enjoyed the day by reading my spouse’s novel manuscript, eating semi-indulgent stuff, relaxing, and generally not thinking about work. If you live in the U.S., I hope you’ve done similar things. And now, I’ve got to toast those predecessors…
Being careless with education history
Earlier today, Duke professor Cathy Davidson uploaded a rebuttal to the New York Times article by Matt Richtel on technology’s limits, a retort that included the following passage: Keep in mind public, compulsory school was invented in the 19th century because of the industrial age which needed a certain kind of focused worker who understood the new […]
Scenes from dropping off a college sophomore
Observations from helping my daughter move into her student apartment: Why do people rush to buy milk and eggs before a storm that’s predicted to wipe out your power: do people in the Northeast regularly plan hurricane parties with eggnog funneling? Electronic locks on summer storage spaces (tied to student IDs) removes significant friction out […]