RTI – Response to Intervention – has made its way to the top of the list of most commonly used education acronyms. Â Since changes to policy language in the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the Response to Intervention framework has emerged as the favored way to identify students with learning disabilities. Â After a decade […]
education policy
The STEM Revolution in Higher Education
I just got back from a fascinating conference about the state of STEM in U.S. schools, sponsored by U.S. News and World Report! I was compelled by the idea of a STEM revolution in higher education; as a middle school teacher, it really didn’t occur to me that colleges would be reacting in a similar […]
The State of STEM in U.S. Schools
I just got back from an exciting conference about the state of STEM in U.S. schools, sponsored by U.S. News and World Report! As an AVID teacher and coordinator, I was invited to San Diego to learn more about how to include STEM into AVID’s college and career readiness program. STEM is an acronym representing […]
Teaching a New Generation: Changing the World in a Changing World
Almost everyone I know hated 2016. It was the year that equally ticked off the populace. When the New Year’s Ball dropped, America collectively sighed with relief; we were ready for a new beginning. Resolutions in hand, January 1st arrived… and not a damn thing is changing. Sure, the New Year’s placebo effect hasn’t completely […]
“An Education System Flush with Cash [and] Students Deprived of All Knowledge”
“An Education System Flush with Cash [and] Students Deprived of All Knowledge” In President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address, these were his first official words about American public education. While it’s all too easy to jest that President Trump could have been possibly referring to his Education Secretary choice Betsy DeVos (who has donated $5.3 million to campaigns […]
Tracking is a Dirty Word
To track or not to track? Is that a question? Have I already lost you? Tracking has been a dirty word for decades. Mostly for good reason. But. Leveled classes might have a place. We all know that “tracking” happens when we offer advanced courses and co-taught sections. The limitations of scheduling mean groups of […]
The U.S. Secretaries of Education, A History: Part 2
In the previous article, we focused on the first five Secretaries of Education. So far my advanced evalumetrics have rated them the following: 0 Unsatisfactory, 1 Needs Improvement, 3 Proficient, 0 Distinguished, and 1 Incomplete. How will the next 5 Secretaries of Education pan out? Let’s have a look: The 1990s Richard Riley, the sixth […]
Will President-Elect Trump be Good for Education?
This past Tuesday, America elected a new President to provide leadership, guidance, and safety for our great country. On January 20, President Obama will spend his last day in the White House, and President-Elect Trump will take over as Commander in Chief for the United States. This is big stuff, considering the difficult election Americans […]