Author Archives
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Coco for Cocoa Puffs
Its been awhile since I’ve written anything. Partially because work has been overwhelming and partially because the education policy landscape in Tennessee and specifically Nashville has been overwhelming. These are some surreal times we are living in. You have the… Read More ›
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Sometimes you have to know when to quit.
Brett Favre had a long and by most counts Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers but as retirement loomed he decided he wasn’t ready to quit. He signed with the Jets and played another year or two…. Read More ›
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When Charters get Angry
When I was a teenager I was given some advice that has proven valuable over the years. If you want to know someones true nature, don’t base it on how they treat you. Base it on how they treat the… Read More ›
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A New Day For Teachers
The Superintendent of Nashville Schools is currently out doing a listening/promo tour for his proposed “Third Way” plan. If you’ve been paying any attention the last couple of years you’ll be familiar with this plan. It involves turning some schools… Read More ›
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Don’t Underestimate a Community
A couple weeks ago I sat in the meeting room for the Nashville School Board and listened as Superintendent Dr Register outlined his plan to combat a recent rise in priority schools in the district. Under Tennessee’s statute the bottom… Read More ›
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Punk Rock Education Style
In 1977 I fell in love with Punk Rock. In 1977 that wasn’t an easy thing to do. There was no internet. There was no Spotify. Punk Rock wasn’t covered by any major magazines. So to fall in love you… Read More ›
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What Ferguson Says to Me
I don’t normally proofread my posts more then once or twice, but talking about race in America is always a bit tricky, so this time I’ve done it a number of times. You always need to parse your words because… Read More ›
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First Day of School
It seemed like just yesterday we were bringing my daughter Avery home from the hospital for the first time and now it was time to send her off to her very first day of kindergarten. Time had literally flown by,… Read More ›
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About that school board race…..
Recently epaa/aape published a study calledĀ “National Affiliation or Local Representation: When TFA Alumni Run for School Board” (http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1451/1311) that literally sent a chill down spine. The study was focused on Teach For America’s increased foray into school board races and… Read More ›
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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 ourselvesĀ think about education as akin to war preparation. Instead of an AK-47 I’m going… Read More ›