Leadership Blog

Walt Gardner's Reality Check

Walt Gardner taught for 28 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and was a lecturer in the UCLA Graduate School of Education. This blog is no longer being updated.

Education Opinion Tax-Supported Religious Schools
No religion is exempt from promoting its values to students enrolled in its schools.
Walt Gardner, December 19, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion STEM Obsession Shortchanges Students
STEM is not, and can never be, the sum and substance of a well-rounded education.
Walt Gardner, December 17, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion No Miracles at Inner-City Schools
Poverty is not destiny, but it affects learning in ways that make comparisons between schools unfair.
Walt Gardner, December 15, 2014
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Education Opinion Same Offense But Different Penalty
Does the same misbehavior trigger the same response by school officials when race is involved?
Walt Gardner, December 12, 2014
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Education Opinion 'Exam Schools' Provoke Controversy
Admitting students to elite high schools should be based on proven academic ability.
Walt Gardner, December 10, 2014
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Education Opinion Parents as Education Consumers
Many parents reluctantly keep their children in underperforming schools simply because too much time and energy are required to make an informed decision.
Walt Gardner, December 8, 2014
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Education Opinion Teacher Pay Is Poorly Understood
If teachers are indeed overpaid and the job is such a plum, then why is there not a rush by the best college graduates into the profession?
Walt Gardner, December 5, 2014
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Education Opinion Better Use of Test Scores
Collaboration rather than competition works best in education because teachers thrive in an atmosphere of trust.
Walt Gardner, December 3, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Why Good High Schools Go Bad
Even the best teachers cannot consistently overcome the chaotic backgrounds that disadvantaged students come from.
Walt Gardner, December 1, 2014
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Education Opinion Are Behavior-Tracking Apps Too Much?
Gold stars and detention were behavior apps a generation ago.
Walt Gardner, November 28, 2014
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Education Opinion Draconian Teacher-Licensing Proposal
Making licensing totally dependent on supervisors' ratings will backfire by discouraging top talent from making teaching a career.
Walt Gardner, November 26, 2014
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Education Opinion The Maddening College Admissions Game
Admission to elite colleges has never been based on pure meritocracy.
Walt Gardner, November 24, 2014
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Education Opinion The Controversy Over Remedial Courses
All the Education Department cares about is boosting the number of students with a college degree regardless of what it stands for.
Walt Gardner, November 21, 2014
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Education Opinion Teachers Are Not Superhuman
There are simply not enough teachers willing to give up their personal lives to produce the results demanded.
Walt Gardner, November 19, 2014
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1 min read
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