Trending and Complicated: Teachers at Risk in the Classroom
Back in my junior high days, the principal got to know me really well… God, I even made my 7th-grade history teacher cry by rolling a marble or two down the aisle while she droned on and on. At the same time, during art class, Mr. H. liked to walk around his...
Celebrating Women’s History Month and 12 Who Broke the Mold More Than 100 Years Ago
It comes in like a lion and often goes out the same way, but in between, March offers up such goodies as Read Across America Day, Daylight Saving Time, the Spring Equinox, St. Patrick’s Day, and, in 1987, got itself officially named Women’s History Month, 130 years...
The Price Students Keep Paying Academically, Socially, and Emotionally
About the results on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, aka the Nation’s Report Card, the National Assessment Governing Board writes, “National scores are below pre-pandemic 2019 levels in ALL tested grades and subjects.” Plus, thanks to our...
The Disconnect between Grades & Test Scores, Kids’ & Parents’ Schooling Views
According to a recent, nationwide Gallup poll of 1,005 adults, 18 and older: ** Between 2019 and 2025, those reporting dissatisfaction with our K-12 public schools rose from 61% to 7 ** Those saying they’re satisfied with our schools is at its lowest since 2001....
The Uphill Battle Facing America’s Traditional Public K-12 Schools
Moody’s Ratings has now given our traditional K-12 public schools “a negative outlook.” The top reason: slowing revenue. The $121.9 billion from the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief III had to be spent by January 28, 2025, now extended to March 2026--but on a...
Winter 2025’s Big Comeback
On the 17th, AP science writer Seth Borenstein put it this way, “The vast majority of Americans are about to get an extended taste of frigid Siberian weather. Another polar vortex disruption will stretch Arctic air across the top of the globe…” Indeed, it seems as...
Artificial Intelligence and Schooling: Be Careful What You Wish For
This morning, I asked Google how/why teachers use Artificial Intelligence and got this AI-generated answer: “[It] essentially makes teaching more efficient and effective.” How? #1 on the accompanying list is Personalized Learning. The reason? Reportedly, AI analyzes...
Competency Based Education: The Next Big Thing or Concerning Reform?
The 1983 eye opener, A Nation at Risk, highlighted declining student achievement and SAT scores, too. An indictment, if you will, of our public schools that preceded such education reforms as George W. Bush’s NCLB (No Child Left Behind) and Obama’s ESSA (Every Student...
2024’s Words of the Year
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” Well, as we all know, they actually can and often do, while some simply get used so much they rise to the title Words of the Year, reflecting the times we live and/or how language evolves. In 2024,...
Guest Blog ~ The Art of Parenting: Sculpting Your Family
Parenting is like sculpting; each decision, each conversation shapes the story of your family’s life together. Open discussions where ideas are heard, considered, and appreciated can sculpt and refine healthy relationships. Family Meetings Create Togetherness...
Going, Going, Ongoing: Our Disappearing Public School Students
Amy Rock, Campus Safety's Executive Editor, and Education Week's Mark Lieberman report that, between 2013 and 2019, public school enrollment rose right there along with the rest of the U.S. population—until the pandemic took a sledgehammer to the numbers. In the...
Family Discussion: How to Lead Your Children with Purpose
Don’t Wonder How to Start Family Discussions. Find Out Here. Guest Blog by Jean Tracy, founder of kidsdiscuss.com Parents are like gardeners nurturing a young plant, ensuring it grows strong and healthy. Conversations at home are like sunlight and water—vital for your...
From Opportunity Gaps and “Strained Schools” to Billions in Federal Education Spending and Unfinished Learning
1. An American Educational Research Association study that followed 814 low-, middle-, and high-income children for 26 years found that, most high-income children experience 6 or more “opportunities” between birth and high school. However, 66% of those from...
Wonder of Wonders: The Human Brain
Wonder of Wonders: The Human Brain "You can not believe in magic all you want. But that’s a lot like holding your breath for your whole life because you don’t believe in air.” ~ from Story People’s Kai Skye In the recent “All Learning, No Questioning: How Schools...
School-Wise by the Numbers from Our Disconnected Kids to AI’s Role in Teaching
Pennsylvania public libraries and high schoolers in 750 schools have been sent copies of 1/6: A Graphic Novel that asks: “What would have happened if the January 6, 2021 insurrection had been successful?” The stated goal: “To convey the risks facing American democracy...
Guest Post by Jean Tracy: The Power of Family Talks: Growing Closer Together
Powerful Tools for Parents, KidsDiscuss.com Imagine your family as a team, working together toward a common goal. The key to any successful team is communication. Family talks are the practice sessions that help everyone play their part well. You’re the leader of...
It’s All in the Numbers from Civic Illiteracy & Reading Deficiencies to AI “Hallucinations”
1. In a recent ACTA poll of more than 3,000 college grads, just 15% of them think America is the greatest country on Earth, while about 50% think hard work doesn’t guarantee success. PLUS: ** Only 31% knew that James Madison was the Father of the Constitution. **...
Marijuana: A Readily Available, Rather Risky, Government Money-Maker
Legalized recreational marijuana jumped from zero to 24 states and D.C., with more sure to follow. The big holdout: the federal government--at least for now. After all, pot's one helluva money-maker, adding $20 billion to state coffers since markets first opened...
12 School-Wise Updates from Grading Policies and Title IX to Dress Codes and the ’24 Election
According to proponents and Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, the following do NOT measure mastery of content and should NOT COUNT towards a student’s grade: Homework Classroom participation Student behavior Ability to meet deadlines Attendance On the other...
A Parent’s New School Year Readiness Guide
Dear Parents, Ready or not, it’s upon us… Retailers got started way back on July 4 with early back-to-school sales, and many took full advantage, while others are still getting the job done, shopping, filling bookbags, and readying everything for day one of the...
