Category Archives: Equity

A Sinking Ship?

During a week in which both Education Secretary Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama will publicly defend their education reform priorities – in response to severe criticism from the country’s leading civil rights organizations – I’m trying to figure out how a set of ideas that was so close to mobilizing a quiet revolution in public education has instead led the soldiers of that revolution to passionately (and loudly) take up arms against each other.

All I can come up with is they’ve gotten some lousy advice. And I think I see where they’ve gone wrong.

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Equity, Leadership, Learning, Organizational Change, Teacher Quality

Tags: , , , ,

4 Comments

How to Build a School System That Nurtures Creativity

In case you missed it, there’s an important new piece in Newsweek about the declining capacity of Americans to think creatively — and what we can do about it. This is, of course, the primary issue that has driven Sir Ken Robinson’s work (if you’re among the few who haven’t yet seen his hilarious and [...]

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Equity, Learning, Teacher Quality

Tags: , , , , , ,

7 Comments

What Gandhi Would Think of “The Lottery”

I just saw “The Lottery” – a documentary film about public education in general, and the charter school movement in particular – and I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. The film is beautiful, and deeply moving, It is impossible not to fall in love with the four children (and their families) whose [...]

Continue reading…

Categories: Equity, Leadership, Learning

Tags: , , , , , ,

Leave a comment

Is It Really All About the Benjamins?

As both a former teacher and a MBA, I’m struck these days by two things: first, the ubiquity of “business thinking” in today’s education reform strategies; and second, the complete absence of the sort of business thinking we actually need to be heeding. Keep reading here . . .

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Equity, Learning, Teacher Quality

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a comment

Less Standardization, More Flexibility

Great piece by the New York Times‘ Bob Herbert two days ago, in which he writes the following: “When you look at the variety of public schools that have worked well in the U.S. — in cities big and small, and in suburban and rural areas — you wonder why anyone thought it was a [...]

Continue reading…

Categories: Equity, Learning

Tags: , , ,

Leave a comment

BBC Walk and Talk

I spent this afternoon walking and talking with BBC reporter Kavitha Cardoza about assessment systems and what the U.S. can learn from other countries around the world. Check it out at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8612399.stm.

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Equity, Learning, Teacher Quality

Tags: , , , ,

Leave a comment

Privatization or Public-ization?

There’s a lot of talk these days about the growing support for a privatization of America’s public school system, and what it augurs over the long haul. Typically, that’s as far as the conversation gets before breaking down into myopic talking points that force people to pledge allegiance to one of two camps: these days [...]

Continue reading…

Categories: Equity, Learning

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a comment

MSNBC — Chaltain and . . . Sharpton

This morning I was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe talking about the national climate for school reform . . . with Reverend Al Sharpton. Check it out at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35458319#35458319.

Continue reading…

Categories: Equity, Learning

Tags: , , ,

Leave a comment

Rethink Learning NOW

This fall, as young people across the country settle back into the rhythms and requirements of a new school year, the rest of us might want to heed the words of a former U.S. president and ask ourselves an old question: “Is our children learning?” The answer, of course, is that we can’t know for [...]

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Equity, Learning, Teacher Quality, Voice

Tags: , , , , , ,

Leave a comment

USA Today Covers Launch of Rethink Learning Now

Greg Toppo of the USA Today covered today’s launch of the Rethink Learning Now campaign. See what he had to say.

Continue reading…

Categories: Assessment, Democracy, Equity, Learning, Teacher Quality, Voice

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Leave a comment
  • Read Sam’s Books