For more years than I like to think about teachers in the United States have become the issue in determining why U.S. students do not perform as well as their international counterparts. The reason that there has been little success in turning our public schools around is that teachers are not the problem and until […]
Jackie Parrish
I am a retired teacher who taught in middle school for 30 years. I have certifications in elementary education, reading, and math. I have spent most of my career teaching math to 7th and 8th graders in an urban setting. I have also presented staff development within my school and within my district. Although I am now retired I am still passionate about teaching math in ways that engage all students.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Middle School, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Consistency and Organization Are Essential for Good Schools
Every time I hear “experts” talk about finding the next great thing to improve education I want to scream. Why are we trying to reinvent the wheel? Why don’t we use successful models to help struggling schools and districts? I am going to share with you what was a successful urban middle school as well […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Special Education
Inclusion Students – The Elephant in the Room
There has been the great controversy for many years over the inclusion of special education students in the regular education classroom. Some parents are afraid that inclusion students will negatively impact their child’s education. Mainstream education teachers sometimes voice concerns over whether or not they can teach these students when they have no background in special […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
Charter Schools Have Lost Their Way
Charter schools were first conceived in 1988 by then American Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker. Shanker hoped to open up schools that would be led by teachers who would use innovative methods to help children learn. The idea was to allow students to come to a charter school even if it was not in […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Uncategorized
The Baltimore – Education Reform Connection
The Baltimore neighborhood that was the focus of protests after Freddie Gray’s death exists in every major city in this country. Too often such neighborhoods were once places where families could graduate from high school and get decent jobs. Schools had decent funding and could find ways to help struggling students like Freddie Gray. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Governor Cuomo versus Public Education
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has begun an attack on public education in his state. His first target has been the teachers. After learning that about 95% of the state’s […]
Posted inFeatured, Mathematics, Parents
Fun Math Activities for Summer Vacation
Parents are the first teachers. Parents can also be of great assistance to their children during summer vacation by doing activities that reinforce skills already learned. The following fun math activities will keep your children occupied while reinforcing math topics that have been taught. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division Take a trip to the grocery store […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Kindergarten Geometry – Oh My!
Long before the Common Core School Standards (CCSS) were written, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) authored a set of standards for K-12 math. The standards were revised several times and what stands today has many things in common with CCSS. Instead of teaching certain topics in certain grades – like geometry – […]