By Teresa Watanabe | Originally Published at The Los Angeles Times. December 9, 2013 District officials say having to annually verify students' family income to qualify for extra state dollars costs time and money. Major California school districts fear they will be shortchanged millions of dollars [...]
By Paul L. Tomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. December 3, 2013 What do zero-tolerance policies, “no excuses” practices, and grade retention have in common? They all negatively and disproportionately impact children from poverty, minority children, English language learners, and boys; and nearly as [...]
(Photographic Credit: Vadim Georgiev via Shutterstock/Salon) Do we develop children's minds, ensure that public education exists for all, or do we succumb to the pressure that comes from developers? Profiteers and politicians have decided, but what do the people say? "These are the questions" that will confront [...]
By Paul L. Thomas | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical November 17, 2013 Social media and even mainstream media appear poised to leap on Secretary Arne Duncan with both feet due to his swipe at white suburban moms. The nearly universal sweeping outrage—some with a level [...]
By Paul L. Thomas | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical November 15, 2013 | Graphic; AngertAesthetics In her “Diving into the Wreck,” the speaker of Adrienne Rich’s poem explains, “the sea is another story/the sea is not a question of power.” Critical response to this poem [...]
Photograph; The Franklin K. Lane Educational Campus in Brooklyn. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been an advocate for the letter grade system, which has become one of the country’s most complex. May the era of school grades begin its descent. May all those affected in New York, [...]
By Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. November 10, 2013 No child has ever chosen to be poor. Children have never caused the poverty that defines their lives, and their education. Yet, the adults with political, corporate, and educational wealth and power—who [...]
By Becky Schlikerman | Originally Published at Sun Times. November 7, 2013 5:52PM The Chicago Teachers Union Thursday urged its members and parents to take a stand against standardized tests. CTU President Karen Lewis announced the “Let us Teach” campaign in Chicago as similar measures were rolled [...]
By David Sirota | Originally Published at Salon. November 7, 2013 The right loves to demonize unions, but economic factors are much more important to success in the classroom Google the phrase “education crisis” and you’ll be hit with a glut of articles, blog posts and think [...]
