Public writing and scholarship should both be well written, well supported, and engaging for the intended audience; both approaches to writing are, also, mostly acts of persuasion, making a valid and compelling argument. However, public writing and scholarship achieve those basic goals in different ways.
Read MoreI like to think of the literacy leader as the "teachers' teacher." In this role we work to make sure all of the teachers under our supervision are successful, while recognizing that each of them is a unique individual with their own special talents, abilities, and perspectives to bring to the task of literacy instruction.
Read MoreOf course, even if writing can't really be taught and even if most of what a child learns about writing is learned by reading, there is still plenty of opportunity for the teacher to help, to be the guide on the side. Here are some good ways to help.
Read MoreBecause communities across the country are more diverse than ever, and becoming more so, it’s really important for librarians to spend time and effort building relationships with those in the community.
Read MoreWomen’s colleges have by definition led progress toward equality between the sexes since their founding in the 19th century – and, I would argue, they lead it today. One reason is that women’s colleges offer an environment in which women are the focus, and the drivers, of academic excellence.
Read MoreIn a just and fair world—not the polarized and partisan world we live in—legislators are elected to craft policy that sees all sides: Business and the national economy. The environment. The needs of the rural west and the urban east. The well-being of The People. The most equitable way to educate all children.
Read MoreEnglish has more phonemes than many languages, with around 44, depending on which variety of English you speak. It has an unusually large set of vowel sounds – there are around 11. According to WALS, most spoken languages only have between five to six vowel sounds.
Read MoreYou gotta' admire those education reformers. Despite their almost total lack of experience in education and despite all the research and evidence that flies in the face of their bankrupt ideas, they cling to their ideology like a sloth to a low hanging vine. One area where I think they can come in for particular ridicule is teacher improvement.
Read MoreIt is not surprising then that as an adult, the natural world is my primary point of reference. I still situate myself in or near natural landscapes that feel familiar and comfortable to me and that hold significance in my life.
Read MorePeople across the world describe their thoughts and emotions, share experiences and spread ideas through the use of thousands of distinct languages. These languages form a fundamental part of our humanity. They determine whom we communicate with and how we express ourselves.
Read MoreNow in book form the banners spark conversation. When they are visible, they draw people to study and read them. In the Seattle park, passersby young and old took time to walk slowly by, reading the panels, and talking about the ways they have seen racism in their own lives.
Read MoreIn rejecting rubrics, I am not rejecting transparency or fairness. I am advocating for teachers and professors to step outside those traps and to make commitments to transparency and fairness grounded in student learning and teaching, not assessment, evaluation, and grades.
Read MoreA video series featuring Steven Nelson, former head of Calhoun School and author of the book, First, Do No Harm: Progressive Education in a Time of Existential Risk (Garn Press).
Read MoreWhenever a mass shooting takes place in schools, public discussion often focuses on laws or policies that might have prevented the tragedy. But averting school violence needs more than gun policy. It requires both prevention and crisis response that take students’ emotional well-being – not just their physical safety – into account.
Read MoreThe Carbon Clock is Ticking: Children Will Live the Future that Burning Fossil Fuels is Setting on Fire offers a rapidly closing window of opportunity to change the future now. It is important that we respond to the climate crisis by prioritizing the support of children and young people who will be most affected by the rising temperatures and extreme weather events that will make life difficult for them living on a much hotter and less hospitable planet.
Read MorePrivatizing public schools involves changing school words to reflect a business-like environment. There’s nothing wrong with these words in general, but when applied to schools, they change the nature of schooling and the way we look at teachers and students.
Read MoreAs a researcher and administrator who focus on the student experience, we’ve analyzed research on how people interact with their environments. Below are five things that we believe students should look for in a college to help them stay as healthy as possible.
Read MoreWhen reading texts of several hundred words or more, learning is generally more successful when it’s on paper than onscreen. A cascade of research confirms this finding.
Read MoreAcademic freedom, how we teach (pedagogy), and what we teach are sacred and even potentially beautiful things, enormously valuable to the students who walk the grounds and sit in our classrooms. But we have failed too, too many of those students; we have hidden behind a tarnished vision of academic freedom and proper pedagogy. Let’s hope this reckoning is the real thing. It is long past due.
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