2/14/14

Bye Bye Public Education?

The world of the classroom teacher and the world of the policy maker do not easily or frequently intersect.  Each has his or her own set of goals and constraints.  So, while teachers spend countless hours desperately seeking just the right resources to engage and inspire a group of children with an infinite number of strengths and weaknesses, policy makers argue about what to teach, how to teach it--and how to fund it.  


Policy makers seem to be centered on whether public schools, private schools or charter schools should be the most generously funded.  Perhaps there are pros and cons of each.  But compromising won't solve the problem.  Jeff Bryant, an associate fellow at Campaign for America's Future, explains Why False Compromises Won’t Resolve The Education Debate.  He reports on how a columnist can jump "to sweeping conclusions without citing any evidence" and sheds light on the hope of some to end public education.   

It stands to reason that the longer the debate revolves around the nature of the system and avoids attention to the development of the teacher, the longer it will take to engage and educate the next generation.  What a pity.

8/16/11

Excuses?

I’ll read anything by Paul Tough: Here he wonders if we’re making excuses for low achieving schools instead of doing the HARD work of providing the services the kids need to succeed. The comments are interesting too.

And help the economy too

Upgrading our school infrastructure will also create jobs.