Is the Common Core the best thing since sliced bread, or the work of the devil? Is it brand new, or a rehash of old ideas? Is it anything more than a brand name, or is there substance? Can it work, given the implementation challenges in our political and school systems? Opinions about the Common … Continue reading »
K-12 education
How to integrate social-emotional learning into Common Core
Do the Common Core State Standards undermine social-emotional learning? Many educators think so. In a recent Ed Week op-ed, an elementary principal argued that teachers were too busy teaching Common Core to address the social-emotional development of their students. I’ve heard the same argument from many teachers. This is troubling given that researchers strongly suggest that the learning … Continue reading »
International Day of the Girl: Why science and math programs matter
Late last year, the United Nations declared Oct. 11 the International Day of the Girl. Celebrated for the first time this month, the occasion aims to highlight the challenges girls face around the world to gain access to education and other basic rights, and empower them to advocate on their own behalf. Despite recent publications … Continue reading »
No Child Left Behind’s effect on literacy
While it is customary to give three cheers to something that we want to celebrate or commemorate, when I think about the legacy of the last decade of literacy instruction in America’s schools, I can only manage two cheers for No Child Left Behind. No Child Left Behind, the controversial reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary … Continue reading »