*** “‘There”s a wide range for learning to read. If we make students feel pressure so that they shut down, then that light bulb is not going to be as likely to come on, and they aren’t going to develop the confidence that they need to become successful readers later. Most 5-year-old children are not really ready to learn to read … Research shows on a national scale there’s less play and experiential based curriculum happening over all, and much more didactic instruction, even though we have research that shows long term there are greater gains from play-based programs than academically focused ones.” ~ Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Lesley University
*** “Simply put, although gifted children are recognized as being high achievers, the emotional, social, and sensory traits usually go unrecognized in schools. Historically, schools have done an inadequate job of identifying and serving gifted students, and this has perpetuated the damaging misperceptions about being gifted.” ~ Celi Trepanier, author and former teacher
*** “Just imagine the millions of dollars spent on standardized test development, scoring, actual testing, test training and test security that could be spent to hire new teachers, lower class sizes, restore art and music and elective classes, buy new school books. materials, and furlough days or–gasp–give teachers a raise. Imagine an end to the silly insistence that standardized testing is the only way to hold teachers and schools accountable. Imagine the return of the authority of the classroom teacher to actually teach their students rather than follow a scripted test-centric routine designed not to improve teaching and learning but to improve test scores.” ~ Jim Arnold, School Superintendent, Pelham, GA
*** “What we see in looking at states that have reduced class sizes is that if you do it right–that is, if you can get class sizes in the early grades down to about 15 students with well-qualified teachers–it can have a very significant effect in improving student learning.” ~ Noah Berger, president of MassBudget
*** “If voucher programs motivated by a desire to improve educational outcomes for our young people, and not simply to divert public spending to private education, then their unsettled and uneven history does not support continuing them.” ~ Jack Markell, governor of Delaware
*** “Democracy thrives when citizens think critically and deeply about civic and political issues, when they consider the needs and priorities of others, and when they engage in informed action–not when they memorize a few facts.” ~ Joseph Kahne, Mills College
*** “To comprehend why students spend so much time on social media, the compelling appeal of Facebook, Instagram, and the like has to be understood. With that understanding, teachers should be able to consider the possibility of using social media to enhance learning. Unfortunately, this has been rare in my experience and that of my friends.” ~ Katie Benmar, freshman, Roosevelt High School in Seattle