We live in a representative democracy. We elect governmental leaders and empower our leaders to represent our best interests in the making of laws and policies that will sustain our commonwealth and future prosperity and assure the balance of our … Continue reading
The Iron Law of Oligarchy and Educational Policy
Farce – Mistreating Education for Political Advantage
Farce! This is not about improving K-12 education in Wisconsin. It is all about gaining support from Tea Party conservatives and the uninformed by a governor who is promoting his national standing as a presidential nominee. As reported in the … Continue reading
Give Children A Break, A Winter Break, Not Make-up Days
When winter weather causes the cancellation of school days, the education of every child suffers. No compensatory make-up of school days or minutes of instruction redeems the loss of planned, continuous learning. We know this to be true. It is … Continue reading
Look Differently To Cause Learning Better Than Good Enough
For more than a decade, my mother cut my hair. I give her credit for looking at the heads of other children at school and at church and in Look and Life. She wanted me to look like other children. … Continue reading
Professional Development – Too Often A Plan to Fail
Most professional development is a plan to fail because too many school districts do not take advantage of what we know about quality professional development. Typical professional development is more about the obligation to inform teachers about issues and prepare teachers for … Continue reading
Change Theory and Chaos Theory – Plan With Both in Mind
Change is a constant in our lives as nothing stays the same forever. Change is a constant phenomenon because the interplay of time and the human propensity to muck around mean that eventually even the most stalwart feature of our … Continue reading
Social Studies Education Mired in the Schlock
Huh? is an appropriate question when the status quo of schlock is deemed preferable to improving the education of generations of children. The Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for the Social Studies was written in the early 1980s and confirmed in … Continue reading
Words Determine a Child’s Future
Talking with young children is a treat. As Art Linkletter noted in his 1945-1969 radio and television series, “kids say the darndest things.” Bill Cosby later hosted a television special based upon this Linkletter quote. But, unlike Linkletter and Cosby, … Continue reading
Credibility Is Matching What You Expect With What You Get
When most of us purchase a new-to-us car, we expect that the car will have an engine and a transmission, four wheels that go around when the engine and transmission are engaged, and a compartment within which we can ride. … Continue reading
Simple and Direct Instruction Causes Learning
Do, listen, read, watch. Let’s think and talk about this together. Explain it to me. Show me. Once again. That’s good! When teaching and learning are kept simple, children learn. Call this kind of teaching old fashioned. Label it as … Continue reading