Author Archives
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Preparing our Kids for War
Last week I attended an event on education sponsored by Charles Koch. As I sat and listened to the hyperbole it suddenly struck me, we’ve let ourselves think about education as akin to war preparation. Instead of an AK-47 I’m going… Read More ›
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My Thoughts on MNPS School Board Race
Yesterday I realized that I’ve written 32 blog entries. That means, in my eyes, I’ve got a body of work. Therefore I think that I’m entitled to do an endorsement post. However. I don’t want to do a standard dry “these are the candidates… Read More ›
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Expectations
Last week we took a long deserved vacation to the beach. My wife and two young children piled into the car and headed to Destin for a week of sun and fun. When we got there the kids immediately clamored… Read More ›
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This Ain’t No Party, This Is No Fooling Around
“I think that most in the room will agree with me….enough is enough! This is not some sort of game where it’s OK to judge “winning or losing” by which press release or pithy statement gets printed in the newspaper… Read More ›
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If I Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry
As you may or may not know, Kevin Huffman and John White are in a race to see who can reach Chiefs for Change Emeritus status first. After reading a series of posts by the respected Crazy Crawfish (http://crazycrawfish.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/the-news-just-keeps-getting-worse-for-supt-of-ed-john-white-state-auditor-investigating-possible-payroll-fraud/) I… Read More ›
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The trouble with expectations.
“We know that when students with disabilities are held to high expectations and have access to a robust curriculum, they excel,” Duncan said. That quote above has had me walking around jaw dropped for about two days. Many other people, much… Read More ›
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Wanted: Chief for Change
Last year when I started reading educational missives from the Chiefs for Change, for a minute or two I wondered what it takes to be a member of Chiefs for Change. In case you didn’t know, Chiefs for Change is… Read More ›
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Universal Pre-k is not a blind trust
One area of education reform that everybody seems to agree on is the need for quality pre-k. There is a growing body of evidence that links the growing achievement gap to the lack of quality pre-k. This gap begins before children… Read More ›
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The Importance of School Board Races
I often speak about public schools as democratic institutions. Now this sounds great but what exactly does that mean and why is it so important. Since here in Tennessee we’ve got a bunch of school board elections coming up, this seems like… Read More ›
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Accountability Commissioner Huffman Style
“Growing results while closing achievement gaps is incredibly hard work,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “The goal of Tennessee’s accountability model is that all students grow. Accountability data help us sharpen our focus on the students who need added… Read More ›