Teaching Blog

Connecting the Dots: Ideas and Practice in Teaching

Cristina Duncan Evans was a high school social studies teacher in the Baltimore City school district, and a member of the America Achieves Principal and Teacher Fellowship. This blog is no longer being updated.

Assessment Opinion What Opting In Reveals About Opting Out
Every year millions of students Opt-in to voluntary Advanced Placement tests. What can these students tell us about the reasons other students and families are choosing to Opt-Out?
Cristina Duncan Evans, July 21, 2015
6 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion Thank You, Ordinary Teachers, for Doing Extraordinary Things
Teachers go beyond their everyday roles to support students and families every day. But they need better support from their districts.
Barbara Gottschalk, July 6, 2015
2 min read
Teacher Preparation Opinion Education Majors Are Too Easy
Teach For America shows that top students can be attracted to teaching. Why haven't schools of education adapted by raising their entrance standards?
Cristina Duncan Evans, June 25, 2015
4 min read
Teaching Opinion A Key to Authentic Learning Projects: Authentic Audiences
No one ever asks for more worksheets. Projects with authentic audiences are the best way to get students inspired.
Cristina Duncan Evans, June 19, 2015
3 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion School-Performance Measure or School-Income Measure?
Numbers can't tell us everything about a school. School Performance Measures that aim to do so are a fallacy at best, and at their worst, they're harmful to low-income students.
Cristina Duncan Evans, June 9, 2015
2 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion The Opt-Out Movement Needs to Address Educational Inequity
The opt-out movement is right to call for a richer, more authentic learning experience. They're wrong to stay silent on the educational inequality that makes testing necessary.
Cristina Duncan Evans, May 28, 2015
3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Baltimore Unrest Is a Call to Action for Teachers
Teachers have a responsibility to advocate for their students and create schools and communities that counter systemic injustice.
Cristina Duncan Evans, May 6, 2015
3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion School Segregation Continues to Hurt Districts, But New Solutions Exist
School segregation is alive and well. Next Generation Schools offer a way to address this long-standing social problem.
Cristina Duncan Evans, April 29, 2015
5 min read
School Climate & Safety Opinion Schools Can't Improve Without Support for Low-Income Students
Can we increase student achievement without addressing high concentrations of poverty? Teacher Cristina Duncan Evans explains why we can't.
Cristina Duncan Evans, April 15, 2015
5 min read
Assessment Opinion Teacher Evaluation Means Nothing Without Teacher Buy-In
If teachers don't believe the evaluation process is valid and worthwhile, then they won't take it seriously and potential positive effects will never trickle down to students.
Cristina Duncan Evans, April 6, 2015
4 min read
School Climate & Safety Opinion Taking Aim at School Police Is the Wrong Approach to Student Safety
The national conversation about police brutality has led some to question the purpose and effectiveness of armed school police officers.
Cristina Duncan Evans, March 18, 2015
4 min read
School Choice & Charters Opinion Where's the Creative Thinking on Charter Schools?
We can't afford to get stuck having the same argument over and over again instead of finding new solutions for our kids.
Cristina Duncan Evans, March 4, 2015
2 min read
Assessment Opinion Common Core, Data, and the Road Ahead
Los Angeles Unified School District teacher Robert Jeffers says that common standards and the related assessments could provide important instructional opportunities for teachers.
Cristina Duncan Evans, February 14, 2015
5 min read
Education Opinion A Love Letter to Teaching
Learning is a joy. We can reach its delights on our own as individuals, but how wonderful it is to take someone's hand and show them the way.
Cristina Duncan Evans, February 13, 2015
1 min read