I recently attended a briefing on technology in the classroom. CQ Roll Call and Samsung sponsored the event, which began with guest speakers Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of California. Senator Isakson made the point that many textbooks are often used...
When students in my classroom knows their parents and I will be supporting each other in their education, they are much more likely to be committed to their own education. Quite a few of my students come into my class believing they are performing for me...
Great leadership is at the helm of any successful endeavor. This is certainly true for education. I pride myself on being a great classroom leader. My students know I run the ship and we've built a relationship of mutual respect, so they gladly follow my lead....
3/4 x 4/3 = 1. Most ninth graders can solve that immediately. Raven, one of the students I tutored as an undergraduate in Baltimore, could not. She was frustrated and discouraged, so I showed her some of the techniques I learned during my own struggles...
Standardized testing is one of the most passionately debated education topics in America. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of teaching experience in Missouri and Florida, I say with confidence, my fellow teachers and I are not afraid of evaluation based in...
With the current political climate and gridlock, I find it natural to wonder if our nation will emerge from this pit we have seemed to dive into. It is easy to read and watch the media, and thus become very cynical at the process for...
Introduction Sequestration is an across the board cut to federal discretionary spending set to occur on January 2, 2013. It could negatively affect every major federal discretionary spending program and fundamentally change the way that schools operate. Admittedly, budget cuts are a dry topic. However, budgets also...
In most states across the country, work is underway to incorporate student growth measures into a teacher’s evaluation. In concept, it’s hard to argue that this shouldn’t happen. In application, it’s understandably complicated and, many times, controversial. To bring a different light to this work,...
Dru Davison and I were invited to represent Hope Street Group to interview Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan about teacher evaluation. What an honor it was! It was a whirlwind tour and in a matter of hours, we had met with Secretary Duncan, his chief of...
The most powerful words from the State of the Union? “Teachers Matter” and “teach with creativity and passion.” The creativity and passion in teaching has been leached out over the years by increasing emphasis on high-stakes testing. Everything seems to hinge on a single assessment....