The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Team Up with Scholastic to Survey Teaching Conditions
Schools Learning from Business
Okay, so when I read the title of this article, “Bill and Melinda Gates: Schools Need to Learn from Business.” My immediate reaction was, “Umm, no they don’t. Schools are not businesses Schools are not businesses and companies – I’ve even talked about this before. Luckily, I was completely wrong about the content of the article. Although the article was short, and felt cut-off at the end, it did have a few key points that I think non-educators should know.
“The Scholastic project found that teachers are desperate for more support. Three kinds rose to the top: more involvement from parents, more engagement from school leaders and higher quality materials to use in the classroom…In the survey, teachers were given a list of 15 things that might help retain the best teachers. Interestingly, ‘higher salaries’ ranked on 11th on the list, behind benefits like more time for preparation and opportunities for professional development.”
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The main focus on this article is about a company who wants to bring e-readers to school environments, and the obstacles they are facing in doing that. That’s great, but that isn’t what I wanted to discuss here. I’m pretty sure that we’ve talked about e-readers and electronic textbooks before. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about it more, does it? Part of me loves the idea of making technology more available to students – of any age. I also think that literally lightening the load that students have to carry is good. Plus, if students can take the e-readers home, then they will have a lot more school materials available to them. But, well, see, I just love books. I love holding them and owning them. So I guess I think that everyone else feels the same way. And if they do, well then, is giving each student an e-reader the best tool? And what about those students/schools/families who can’t afford one? Maybe I’m just being hyper-critical…
New York Times
International Teacher Performance
I know that this article is older, I’m actually a little surprised at myself for not writing about it earlier; especially since it’s a topic that I care a lot about. Teachers are constantly given a bad rap in this country. Plus, our roles as educators, seem to garner less and less respect. We are constantly compared to other countries and the ‘amazing achievements’ they have achieved. I don’t like the comparisons, but for once, well it seems to be working for teachers. This international committee (PISA) shows that the U.S. needs to pay their teachers more, look for high qualified individuals, and providing those teachers with a strong mentorship program. I love these ideas! And, although this article is from earlier this year – it resounds with the research found from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (and that article just came out last week). NOW – the really big question…. will it happen?
Arts Education
Yes, yes, I know that this article is old too. But, again, it’s not this actual article that interests me – it’s the subject matter. This time it’s about arts education. I’m super passionate about the arts and their value in education. I was so fortunate to be able to attend an arts magnet high school – and it made a huge difference in my life. Even for those students who don’t want a career in the arts, being able to have that creative outlet is of great importance. We so often overlook the value in the arts in comparison to math or science — but what those subjects can offer are very important, but totally different. But, the real reason why we push math and science is for technology and innovation which equals the almighty $$$. Sigh.
For-Profit Schooling
Bad, bad for-profit schools. Shame on you. I am not a fan of for-profit schools — mainly because they actually couldn’t care at all about their students. The majority (I’d like to say each one, but I don’t know every for-profit school so I can’t say all) are only there to get your hard-earned dollars. Even if you don’t attend for-profit schools, your dollars are still going there. The amazing tax breaks and federal monies that these corporations receive is ridiculous. I’m glad that new regulations are being put into place. However, what I feel really needs to happen is that we need to stop convincing everyone that they have to go to college; as well as, stop making each position out there require college course work. There are specialized programs that are just as meaningful and educational and financially rewarded as obtaining a four year degree that is done for the purpose of finding steady financially rewarding employment.
Student Loan Help
President’s Plan for Student Loan Debt Reformation
Who wouldn’t love some help out with their student loans? I know I sure would. If you don’t, well I’m jealous of you – but I am guessing you have a friend who does have student loan debt — so pass this article on to them…
I was absolutely shocked to discover that student loan debt has reached $1 trillion. A trillion dollars! Even more shocking, is that student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt; and is the largest area of debt from the people of our country. There is something so wrong going on here. It makes me furious at the for-profit schools, universities that continue to raise their tuitions, and everyone who is feeling the pressure to attend college to ensure that they can get a good job. I feel that the plan to limit how much students have to pay each month (depending on how much they earn) and dissolving the loans after 20 years is fantastic. I actually had no idea that plans similar to these were even in existence! I’m planning on researching how to readjust my student loans after I write this…
Crisis in Kindergarten
Yes! Finally an article and a study done that back up what I’ve been saying and believe for almost a decade now — kindergarten, the way it is currently, is not helping our children. “According to “Crisis in the Kindergarten,” a report recently released by the Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, all that testing is wasted: it neither predicts nor improves young children’s educational outcomes. More disturbing, along with other academic demands, like assigning homework to 5-year-olds, it is crowding out the one thing that truly is vital to their future success: play.” It’s ridiculous, testing for 4- and 5-year olds? There’s no benefit to that. I’m glad this article backs that up. I’m going to research this report by Alliance for Childhoodand see what greater details it can provide.
Recent Comments