The K-12 Contrarian
A former high school teacher, Dave Powell is an associate professor of education at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. In this blog, Powell examined efforts to fix education, including whom you should trust and why. This blog is no longer being updated.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Maybe Pensions Aren't the Problem; Maybe We Are
It took awhile--after a year like last year, everyone seems to have been entitled to take some time off to recharge--but here's the second installment of my thoughts on government pension problems.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Pennsylvania's Government Pension Crisis (Part One)
We have a full-blown pension crisis on our hands in Pennsylvania, but it's obvious what's happening here because we've seen this movie before: engineer a failure in a public system (or sit idly by while it happens), then blame the system for its failure. If we know the play maybe we can come up with a decent way to defend it.
School & District Management
Opinion
Now Can We Talk About Standards?
I'll say it: creating more opportunities for choice without making any attempt to establish a baseline of quality is not just irresponsible, it's unconscionable. Yet it looks like exactly what we're about to do. Buckle your seatbelts, folks.
Education
Opinion
Public Education Is in Deep Trouble in the Age of Trump
People who dismiss the appointment of Betsy DeVos as just another political appointment of someone to a position without the ability to influence schools had better think again. Those who say we should wait and see and give her a chance to do her job might want to reconsider. The threat here is very real. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to fight it.
Social Studies
Opinion
Is It Appropriate for Teachers to Discuss Politics in School?
It's not always easy, or comfortable, to have conversations about controversial topics but we have to be willing to do it. We have to create conditions that normalize discussion of politics in public spaces instead of treating politics as a topic to be avoided at all costs. Our schools are not currently well suited to accomplishing this task but they can be reformed if we want them to be.
Social Studies
Opinion
Processing the Triumph of Trump
For many of us the election on Tuesday was devastating--not just personally, but in a much larger way. What can we do to fight the forces that made that outcome possible?
School & District Management
Opinion
Want to Change Things in Education? Better Get a Plan
Change is a natural part of life. Educators, of all people, should be able to see the need for change before others do. But you have to have a plan to make lasting change, and too many educational leaders don't seem to understand that.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Charter School Funders Shouldn't Be Paying for Research on Charter Schools, Should They?
Should people who fund charter schools also be funding research studies on charter school effectiveness? If that seems like a conflict of interest to you, you're not alone.
Early Childhood
Opinion
The Tyranny of (School) Choice
School choice is all the rage in education right now, but, to me, the only choice we need to make is this one: we need to commit to public education for everybody, not just for those lucky enough to win an enrollment lottery or lucky enough to have parents who live in the right zip code.
Early Childhood
Opinion
The Teacher Retirement Hoax
One of the most persistent, and frustrating, myths in education is the myth of the fatcat teacher stealing precious school dollars to sock away in her gold-plated pension fund. Don't believe it. You might be the victim of a hoax.
Early Childhood
Opinion
A Shortage of Well-Paid Teachers
The teacher shortage alarm has been sounded again. I would argue, though, that we don't just have a shortage of teachers on our hands; we have a shortage of well-paid teachers, and if we took steps to address it we might find the larger issue easier to tackle.
Education
Opinion
Our Schools Need Leaders, Not Managers
The most effective, and inspiring, leaders are more than managers; they're risk-takers, people who understand what needs to be done before others even know what the problem is. They're not afraid to make mistakes. How many people like that are running our schools?
School & District Management
Opinion
Fixing the School Start-Time Problem
We should make it easier for kids to go to school and get something out of it, even if it means making a few sacrifices on our part. As it stands the choices we make now too often do the opposite. We can do better than that.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Pay Teachers More? Of Course We Should
There is an old argument about teaching and teacher pay making the rounds, masquerading as a powerful new insight. The argument is that improving the working conditions of teachers is more important than raising teacher pay. Come on now.