Peter DeWitt is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. A former public school teacher and principal, he now facilitates professional learning in the United States and abroad based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor to this opinion blog. He is the co-leader of ILC and a former superintendent who has been an educator for more than 40 years.
Special Education
Opinion
The Stigma of Special Education
I reflected on the years I've been in education and the stigma I have seen that is attached to being classified in special education.
Education
Opinion
Truth, Beauty and Goodness: an Interview with Dr. Howard Gardner
We live in an increasingly complicated world. Some of us have a moral compass that is shaped by our experiences. We all have our own opinions on what truth, beauty and goodness means. However, we also meet people who have diverse opinions of those three virtues and thus problems ensue.
Education
Opinion
How Do We Become Career and College Ready?
21st century skills is a common topic of discussion these days so I decided to use my 21st century skills and do a search on career and college readiness. The search garnered 21,800,000 hits. From college reports to consultant and businesses offering unique ways to meet the career and college readiness goal, there is certainly a great deal of support and research out there. However, not all of it is very beneficial.
Education
Opinion
Pyrotechnics on the Page!
I'm a huge fan of children's literature. Some of my friends get star-struck when they see celebrities but I get tongue-tied when I meet children's authors that I admire. I met Tomie dePaola at a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference and couldn't speak. I love cracking open books written by Phil Bildner, Mark Teague, Loren Long, Emily Arnold McCully and Moira Fain, just to name a few.
Education
Opinion
Struggling Learners and the Factors That Interfere
As a former struggling learner, I know that there are factors that interfere in a student's academic progress. Those factors cover many different areas and some students can have more than one of the factors working against them. However, for educators to know how to solve the puzzle for struggling learners, they need to be able to indentify them.
Education
Opinion
No Administrator Left Behind
We know, as administrators, we set the tone in our buildings or districts. Some of us set a positive tone and others set a rather negative one. We all have tough jobs where we have to communicate effectively with parents, students and teachers. The level of difficulty increases depending on the size of our student population, age of students, and whether you are in an urban, suburban or rural setting. Although I understand the life of an administrator, I worry that we have not been communicating well enough with those who control our fate through high stakes testing.
Education
Opinion
Inequalities in Real World Experiences
When I taught elementary school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., we used to take a field trip every year to Hahn's Farm. First graders love to go to a farm to see cows, pigs, chickens and other animals. They also learn where some of their food comes from, and it provides a great way for students to learn about proper nutrition. Unfortunately, many children lack real life experiences, which is why schools offer field trips to bring kids out of the classroom and into the real world.
Education
Opinion
Zero Tolerance is Not Elementary
When we think of zero tolerance in an elementary school, there are most likely many things that come to mind. Most elementary schools do not have to worry about students bringing weapons in an effort to hurt their peers, although we all understand that the potential for this to happen is always there. However, those of us who are elementary school administrators do have to worry about zero tolerance policies because we are bound to them in the same way that our middle and high school administrative colleagues are bound to them.
Education
Opinion
Save Our Schools
On Thursday, July 28th I will be in Washington D.C. with thousands of other educators from across the country as we kick off the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action (SOS). The march will take place from the 28th of July through Sunday, July 31st. Jonathan Kozol will provide the keynote speech at the conference on July 28th and Diane Ravitch will be the keynote speaker on Friday, July 29th. Although the conference requires registration, the march is open to the public.
Education
Opinion
The New Normal
Dear U.S. Secretary Duncan,
A few months ago you spoke about the "New Normal." Considering the speech was given in November of 2010, we all have had time to get used to this concept. During the speech given to the American Enterprise Institute you mentioned that educators are going to have to learn how to do more with less. Thank you for providing the speech on the U.S. Department of Education website, because it was worth reading a few times. As a former small city school teacher, I completely understand the need to do more with less. This blog focuses on the social and emotional growth of children, so I felt the need to write to you with some questions regarding your speech.
A few months ago you spoke about the "New Normal." Considering the speech was given in November of 2010, we all have had time to get used to this concept. During the speech given to the American Enterprise Institute you mentioned that educators are going to have to learn how to do more with less. Thank you for providing the speech on the U.S. Department of Education website, because it was worth reading a few times. As a former small city school teacher, I completely understand the need to do more with less. This blog focuses on the social and emotional growth of children, so I felt the need to write to you with some questions regarding your speech.
Education
Opinion
Pray the Gay Away
Last week, ABC News reported that presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and her husband, Dr. Marcus Bachmann, believe that through the use of counseling, gays can change their sexual orientation. Bachmann has not denied, nor has she confirmed the opinions expressed in the ABC News story. It's not the first time she has come under criticism for connections to anti-gay remarks. "She once likened it to personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement" (Stolberg. The New York Times, July 16, 2011, p.1).
Education
Opinion
Finding Balance With The Wired Generation
Our students these days seem to have a real fascination with playing video games. They talk about using avatars and other games that make them feel like they are in alternative worlds. It seems as though the more real and life-like these games are, the more our students love to play them. I'd love to use more video game vocabulary, but I've never been much of a gamer. Truthfully, video games sort of frighten me because kids enter the video gaming world and do not come out of it for many hours.
Education
Opinion
Setting Our Students Up For Failure?
Life is about advantages and disadvantages. Our advantage is that we get to teach kids on a daily basis and hopefully have a positive impact on their lives. We have disadvantages as well. We lack the same resources that some of our colleagues in other school districts have just like we have students that lack the same upbringing and advantages of their classmates.
Education
Opinion
Safeguarding LGBT Students
Some students in our public school system fit in to the school culture without an issue. It's almost like they go through their school experience unscathed because they were popular, good-looking, a good athlete, or did well in school. They entered school on a daily basis feeling engaged and safe, and when they get older, as we all do, they probably remember their high school days as if they were one of the best times of their lives.