Duncan’s bus-tour myth about history of education classes
From an article September 8 about Arne Duncan’s bus-tour stop at the University of Michigan School of Education: One “big thing I hear consistently” from young teachers is that they spend too much time in college studying educational theory, history and philosophy and did not receive enough hands-on experience in actual classrooms, Duncan said. I don’t know which students Duncan […]
The family stretch, and a question
For the first time in a number of years, I found myself the caretaker for a sick family member this weekend and early this week. Our children are 16 and 19, so they’ve been out of the catch-every-cold years for almost a decade, and for the most part they have been independent even when sick […]
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…