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Should Schools Move to a Year-Round Calendar?0
- June 5, 2015
At the end of another school year, questions predictably arise about the continued value of a long summer break. On the side of maintaining the traditional summer break side are arguments that it’s good for family bonding, that students simply need the long hiatus from academics, and good-old-fashioned nostalgia about summers past. Those for adjusting
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Minnesota to Highly Qualified, Unlicensed Teachers: Go Away0
- June 5, 2015
I am not qualified to teach in Minnesota public schools. Here are my non-qualifications: A B.A. in Philosophy from Augsburg College An M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Wales (U.K.) I worked as a teaching assistant for several courses during this time. 14 years of successful teaching at Trinity School at River
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10 Great Summer Classics Your Kids Will Enjoy0
- June 5, 2015
Ah… summertime. School is out and your kids are hanging around, complaining of boredom or playing on your iPhone. How do you ensure that your children won’t fritter away their summer in useless activities that fail to stretch their mind? For starters, why not enroll your children in a summer reading contest at your local
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Why It’s Time for a Different Teachers’ Union0
- Education
- June 4, 2015
We need a radically different teachers’ union. The current model of a teachers’ union doesn’t fit the future educational landscape. Basically, the current model began with the industrial “labor and management are adversaries” model, giving laborers a collective voice in the face of the perpetual push to maximize profits. But schools and school systems aren’t
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Technology Makes Bad Schools Worse0
- June 4, 2015
Believe it or not, this message comes from a technology expert. In this morning’s Washington Post, Kentaro Toyama, a University of Michigan computer science professor and fellow at MIT, offers an honest reflection on his attempts to bring technological innovation into classrooms. After promoting new computer programs in schools in India for a number of years, he has ultimately
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Health Insurance Is Illegal1
- May 28, 2015
Health insurance is a crime. No, I’m not using a metaphor. I’m not saying it’s a mess, though it certainly is that. I’m saying it’s illegal to offer real health insurance in America. To see why, we need to understand what real insurance is and differentiate that from what we currently have. Real insurance Life
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6 Education Cartoons That Tell It Like It Is0
- May 28, 2015
1. (Above) We’re not all the same. Everybody knows that we’re not all the same with the exception of—apparently—public school administrators and curriculum writers. 2. The condescension is palpable today, even if it’s not based on any evidence. Fact: college isn’t for everyone, and there are good options for those who choose not to get a
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“…they take away our fathers…”0
- May 1, 2015
How different would it be for Freddie Gray today if he had had a stable family? Buried in the stories about his death and criminal record, we learn: “Court papers describe Gray’s childhood as problematic. He lived with his heroin-addicted disabled mother in a home in Sandtown-Winchester that contained enough poisonous lead in the peeling painted walls and
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Fantasy Films: The Obliteration of Imagination?0
- April 30, 2015
I confess to feeling a little surge of excitement this week in watching the trailer for the new Star Wars film. I thought the Narnia movies were pretty good, I greatly enjoy Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I do not complain too much when my sons drag me off to yet another superhero movie. I am
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