Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 4

  Helping to Change Our Schools by Increasing Literacy – Part 4 Introduction The Amarok Society project in Dhaka Bangladesh is a microscopic version of what might become a literacy epidemic. The environment had most, if not all, of the required conditions; A fledgling Connector – me A Maven – Dr. Tanyss Munro – an expertContinue reading “Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 4”

Helping our Schools by Increasing Student Literacy – Part 3

  Blog #106- Helping our schools by increasing student literacy.  – Part 3   Introduction   One possibility for helping to change schools is to create a literacy epidemic of the type reported in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Tipping Point which was described in the last blog (Blog #105). Gladwell points out that certain environmental circumstancesContinue reading “Helping our Schools by Increasing Student Literacy – Part 3”

What We Can Do to Make Our Schools Work- Part 2

                What Can We Do To Make Our Schools Work? – Start Small – Part 2 Introduction Public education is huge. It is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Considering K-12 education alone, here are some recent facts from the U.S. Dept of Education. 55+ million studentsContinue reading “What We Can Do to Make Our Schools Work- Part 2”

What We Can Do to Make Our Schools Work- Part 1

   What Can We Do To Make Our Schools Work?  – Part 1 Introduction Virtually everyone has an opinion about our educational system and especially what is wrong with it. Many of the opinions are based more on emotion and frustration than on hard facts and proven research. These discussions crop up in almost everyContinue reading “What We Can Do to Make Our Schools Work- Part 1”

Why Our Schools Are Failing – Part 5: A Second Solution

Why Our Schools Are Failing – Part 5   A Second Solution   It is possible that schools could quickly and universally adopt methods that have irrefutable research backgrounds to support them, such as Behavior Analysis, Direct Instruction, and Precision Teaching. That is unlikely to happen. There are simply too few knowledgeable practitioners to train,Continue reading “Why Our Schools Are Failing – Part 5: A Second Solution”

Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 4

Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 4 The Solution If school administrators at all levels really want to make our public schools work, they need to take a lesson from medicine and the ways in which medical professionals are trained. If you had appendicitis, it probably doesn’t matter which hospital you are admitted to, theContinue reading “Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 4”

Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 3

  Blog # 101 – Why Our Schools are Failing – Part 3   The Fundamental Issue   There is no doubt that measured by the end product, learning, our schools are hopelessly inadequate. Their structure and organization are archaic and unresponsive to change. There are far too many cooks trying to run the kitchenContinue reading “Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 3”

Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 2

                Blog #100 – Why Our Schools Are Failing – Part 2 Many people think that schools’ first priority is about children and learning. They would be wrong. School systems like all organizations are driven by a set of goals that will avoid or alleviate problems for theContinue reading “Why Our Schools Are Failing- Part 2”

Parent/Teacher Interview Tips: Ask “How will I know about my child’s progress?”

This is the fourth post in a series covering four critical questions you need to ask your child’s teacher in your next parent-teacher interview: Question #1 – “What does my child know now?” Question #2 – “What will you teach him/her next in (pick a curriculum)?” Question #3 – “How will you know that s/heContinue reading “Parent/Teacher Interview Tips: Ask “How will I know about my child’s progress?””

Parent/Teacher Interview Tips: Ask “How do you measure my child’s progress?”

This is the third post in a series covering four critical questions you need to ask your child’s teacher in your next parent-teacher interview: Question #1 – “What does my child know now?” Question #2 – “What will you teach him/her next in (pick a curriculum)?” Question #3 – “How will you know that s/heContinue reading “Parent/Teacher Interview Tips: Ask “How do you measure my child’s progress?””