While April 1st is most commonly known as April Fools Day, this used to be New Year’s Day way back in the day.  When the calendar was changed to celebrate the new year on January 1st, people who wished others a Happy New Year on April 1 were called April Fools. So today, rather than…

With all the controversies surrounding education today, we seem to be having trouble finding where to place blame.  Certainly teachers are an easy scapegoat, since if children aren’t achieving properly, then there must be something wrong with what they’re doing (or not doing).  Administrators also get their share of the blame, since their salaries are…

The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as our nation’s Secretary of Education three years ago unleashed a firestorm of criticism.  Many called her “unqualifed,” and was even talk about eliminating the position!  But let’s think about three things – one in our nation’s history, one that happened about 11 years ago, and one that happened 3…

It seems that everyone is experiencing a shortage today.  In our culture of abundance, we focus on what we don’t have.  And if you’ve walked into a supermarket today looking for toilet paper, bottled water or bread, this point hits home!  Additionally, job seekers don’t have the experience that employers are looking for.  Employers don’t…

The modern public school in this nation was created to establish an informed electorate, so they could vote for qualified individuals to lead the nation. You can be the judge as to whether that goal has been achieved. Today’s post-modern education borrowed leadership models from the military so that students would be prepared to serve…

As public school leaders, administrators, staff and teachers continue to grapple with improving the achievement levels of students, preparing them to be able to succeed in an uncertain future, perhaps we should look to the past to be able to move forward, and revisit how learning was delivered in an earlier time.  Rather than simply…

While having a common set of educational constructs to set a “minimal” benchmark for educational achievement sounds like a good idea, the real issue surfaces when you dive into what that really means. Are we aiming for the minimum, rather than encouraging students to achieve to their maximum potential. School administrators and teachers will say,…