I Stand With the Teachers of Wisconsin
If there is no organized force to advocate for public education in the state capitols of this nation, our children and our schools will suffer. That's the bottom line. Read Full Post >
Recently in Unions Category
February 22, 2011
February 10, 2011
Dignity and Respect in the Classroom
Being treated with dignity is, I suspect, part of our natural aspiration as humans. And while it can be crushed, it can also be restored. My experience in schools that placed faculty, family, and student dignity above all else was reassuring. Read Full Post >
February 08, 2011
Egypt and NYC
In New York City, there are a thousand schools with a million-plus students, and yet there is no avenue for a democratic voice. Read Full Post >
November 10, 2010
When There is No One to 'Look in the Eye'
"In short, what concerns us, Diane, is not new, but part of some ancient issues that reappear over and over. Ted Sizer used to say that he wanted his own kids in schools where he could look the decisionmakers in the eye and personally expect an answer, other than "I had to do it. THEY made me." " Read Full Post >
October 27, 2010
Prescient Words on Testing and Schools
Deborah Meier writes: "But I'm amazed to read those prescient words of 1983 which were, I argued, that your book was a recipe for the wrong reforms: "more tests, more homework, longer school hours, mandated state requirements, stiffer standards for promotion, stricter discipline codes, merit pay, and sometimes, tuition tax credits." Read Full Post >
October 19, 2010
Why 'Convenient' Lies Won't Set Us Free
Wealth brings privileges. To pretend otherwise and insist that the "gaps" between the wealthy and the poor aren't important is not just a benign mistake; it's a dangerous one. When we allow the target to shift to "lazy" teachers and power-hungry unions, we should feel guilty, Mr. Guggenheim. Read Full Post >
October 19, 2010
A Manifesto by the Powerful
The superintendents' manifesto does not come from the powerless. It was written by men and women who are in charge of major school systems and who certainly have far more power than parents, teachers, principals, or ordinary citizens. Read Full Post >
October 05, 2010
The Problems With Value-Added Assessment *
Diane Ravitch is furious at the unfair and dangerous treatment she feels teachers and public education are receiving; value-added assessment, she says, is a misguided and damaging means of judging teacher performance. Read Full Post >
September 29, 2010
The Truth Has Taken a Beating: Now What?
The scare tactics that followed A Nation at Risk have led to a false and damaging narrative about American schools and what needs to be done to improve them, Deborah Meier writes. Read Full Post >
September 22, 2010
White Knights and False Villains in Education
We need schools in which adults are treated like adults by those "above" them in the hierarchy--which has hardly ever been the condition of public schools, especially those serving poor communities. Read Full Post >
The opinions expressed in Bridging Differences are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.
Follow This Blog
Advertiser Links
Recent Comments