[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”] Many people will tell you that urban schools can’t succeed without involved parents, motivated students, adequate supplies, and a safe neighborhood. While all of these factors would make the success of […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, How to Fix Education, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Custodial Care: Respecting the Essential Education Support Services
Who are the custodians at your school? Do you know them by name? Do you know their strengths and weaknesses? Are you reliant upon them? The crazy mess with custodial services in Chicago has made national news. Last year the Chicago Board of Education contracted custodial services with Aramark and Sudexo. Sudexo is primarily working […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Middle School, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Urban Education, Stereotyping and Michael Brown
When Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson Missouri, I was struck by the fact that he could have been any one of the young men I taught in my 30 years in an urban middle school. This got me to thinking about how low performing schools and stereotypes of poor children and children of color […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
The Importance of History in the Elementary Classroom
This past week marked the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11. My first and second graders haven’t a clue about what this terrorist attack on the United States meant. Some adults still don’t realize it either, for that matter. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to remember that these kids are only six and seven. I liken it to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Opinion, Parents, Principals' Corner
Dealing With Death
My husband has been a high school teacher for twelve years. During his fifth year, several of his students from the soccer team were killed in a car accident. The driver lost control of his car, went through a barrier, flipped the jeep and landed in a ravine full of water. A few years later, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured
All Professions Deserve Summers Off
It’s amazing how many non-teacher Americans get angry, frustrated, and even downright rude about a teacher’s summer. When June comes around, so follows resentment. The vitriol is then repeated in late August when students report back to school. But here’s the thing – these people need to channel their criticisms towards producing a greater cultural shift. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
CA Bill Addresses Suspensions and Expulsions
Millions of students get suspended from school every year – and it is mostly students of color. According to the US Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, 16% of black students are suspended every year, compared to 5% of white students. When a student is suspended, he or she falls further behind in school, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Social Studies
A Call for National History Day
All teachers search for that moment when what you do in the classroom raises administrators’ eyebrows, students’ hopes, and the goosebumps on our own skin. These pivotal moments in our interconnected lives show us – emotionally – that our job is more than just worksheets and pencil sharpeners; it’s changing lives. One of the most remarkable […]