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Category Archives: Schools and Politics
At Risk Students: The Case for Early Intervention
Summary: Though the case for early intervention, before kids reach school age, is persuasively cost effective, preciously little suggests the political culture is wise or mature enough to be so rational. Wouldn’t it be nice if wishing were to make … Continue reading
Charter Schools and Politics: Vote Yes on Washington State’s Initiative 1240
Summary: Arguments surround Washington’s proposed charter schools; in balance it is time for passage of I-1240. November 6, 2012 is Election Day. Or, these days, the last day to vote. On the ballot in the state of Washington is Initiative … Continue reading
Schools and Politics: The Waiver Game Dilutes No Child Left Behind?
Summary: Waivers to No Child Left Behind by the Obama Administration in the face of the failure by many schools to fully meet Annual Yearly Progress, and Congressional failure to update the law, nonetheless run the risk of derailing impetus … Continue reading
Schools and Politics: Charters Schools and Teachers’ Unions
Summary: Last week, as part of a discussion of charter schools, I cited the Harlem’s Children Zone as an umbrella project that has changed the “context” of associated schools, and thereby the expectations of students and the realities from which … Continue reading
Schools, Culture, and Politics: David Brooks’ “The Widening Opportunity Gap”, and Washington State’s College Bound Scholar Program.
Summary: Can incentive scholarship programs such as Washington State’s College Bound Scholar impact the growing economic gap between low and upper income groups, and reestablish mobility into the middle class? How refreshing it is to find a conservative who laments … Continue reading
Schools and Bureaucracy: Notes on Staying “Alive”
A younger colleague, in the midst of a discussion about some relatively minor indignity we counselors have suffered or observed, turned to me recently and asked as though to a veteran of many wars, “how do you do it?” She … Continue reading
School Politics: Is Teacher Evaluation Destined for the Rabbit Hole? (Part B)
Last post (5/18/12) I introduced an article by Jenny Anderson in the New York Times, February 19, 2012, “States Try to Fix Quirks in Teacher Evaluations”, and explored some of the ins and outs of reform efforts in teacher … Continue reading
School Politics: Is Teacher Evaluation Destined for the Rabbit Hole? (Part A)
Summary: Teacher evaluation reforms encounter headwinds to be expected amid some sentiment that we don’t know enough about what we are trying to do, and alongside worries about the cost in time to those principals doing the evaluating. Meanwhile, the … Continue reading
Schools and Politics: Fiddling with No Child Left Behind
Summary: How are we to evaluate the new Obama waivers to No Child Left Behind? Political expediency or a necessary tweak to a flawed endgame? Hard to tell. While we labor on day to day in our schools with our … Continue reading
School Culture and Politics: Whither the Money?
Summary: A conundrum, in which school reform will depend on application of public funds toward targeted solutions that remain elusive in a political environment highly resistive to new spending. I am a professional person. I strive to define my job … Continue reading
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