I am a mob movie fanatic. I’ve watched all of the classics (to my husband’s dismay), from Godfather, American Gangster to my all-time favorite, Goodfellas. Even though I know how the movies will end, I still get a rush right before the villain is outed and the mob boss brings the harsh retribution. Long after […]
education reform
Posted inOpinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Children Are Not Widgets
In an effort to improve education, many reformers suggest that we use a business approach to evaluate teachers. To do this they suggest that teachers must be rated based on what they “do” for the children that they teach. For many, this means judging the quality of a teacher based on the improvements students make […]
Posted inFeatured, Uncategorized
Staff Loungin' Podcast and the Zombie EDpocalypse
By:David Pluscauskas Hi, I’m Dave Pluscauskas, I’m a teacher from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. I’m also the founder of the Staff Loungin’ podcast and I am very excited to be sharing my podcast with The Educator’s Room. Staff Loungin’, the podcast where teachers talk about teaching and eat their lunches while they do it, was born […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education, Interviews, Middle School, Principals' Corner, School Improvement
Inspirational Educator: Deborah R. Gerhardt
We at The Educator’s Room have a quest to locate and speak with any and every Inspirational Educator we can find. For this segment, we turn to North Carolina – currently a hotbed of pro-teacher – and much needed – educational reform. [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” […]
Posted inMiddle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Solution: Let Teachers Teach!
Guest Post By Laura Groves [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”] We’ve all heard the problems. Low scores. Too much testing. Parenting (or lack thereof). But what about solutions? We know there are lots of educational reforms […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion
Teachers on Trial: Vergara v. CA
On Monday of this week (January 27, 2014), the twenty-day trial began in the case Vergara v. California. This lawsuit not only takes on some of the longest protected education policy in California, it pits the very stakeholders who truly matter in education against each other: the students and the teachers. Education watchers will pay […]
Posted inBook Review, Uncategorized
Must Reads For The Ed Reform Advocate #1: Test and Punish – A Book Review
[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”] Test and Punish: How The Texas Education Model Gave America Accountability Without Equity Author: John Kuhn Publisher: Park Place Publications, Austin, TX I first encountered John Kuhn’s name about a year […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
A Tale of Two Cities: How Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Sports at the Expense of 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”] When the Seattle Mariners signed Robinson Cano to a 10 year, $240 million contract, I scratched my head. Weren’t the Mariners one of the “poorer” teams in Major League Baseball? Yet […]