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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Sex Ed Remains Controversial
Doesn't accountability in public schools also apply to the responsibility to teach frankly about sex?
Walt Gardner, November 17, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Assigning Teachers Fairly
Teachers cannot be forced to accept assignments to schools, but they can be made an offer they can't refuse.
Walt Gardner, November 14, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Testing Gone Wild
Testing every day can be highly effective to learning as long as it is done correctly.
Walt Gardner, November 12, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teachers Deserve Voice in Job Rules
Change is necessary in determining which teachers remain in the classroom, but the pendulum must not be allowed to swing too far the other way.
Walt Gardner, November 10, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Let's Hear It for Substitute Teachers
Substitute teachers deserve far more respect than they get.
Walt Gardner, November 7, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Closing Failing Schools
It's hard to understand why parents who want the best education for their children persist in opposing efforts to shutter persistently failing neighborhood schools.
Walt Gardner, November 5, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Half-Truths About Public Schools
Regardless of the teacher, there will always be an achievement gap.
Walt Gardner, November 3, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Zero-Tolerance Policies on Way Out
Restorative justice balances the right of students to a second chance with the right of other students to an education in a safe environment.
Walt Gardner, October 31, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Evaluating Pre-K Programs
Anything that can be done during the first five years of children's lives is an opportunity that must not be squandered.
Walt Gardner, October 29, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Firing the Worst Teachers
There has always been an achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and there always will even if tenure were abolished.
Walt Gardner, October 27, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Moral Distress in Teachers
Moral distress occurs when teachers know what is ethically wrong but remain silent because of fear of retaliation.
Walt Gardner, October 24, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Beware of State Takeovers of Schools
Schools alone cannot overcome the huge deficits that disadvantaged students bring to the classroom.
Walt Gardner, October 22, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Parent-Child Talk Is Crucial
The way parents and their children verbally interact is crucial for later learning.
Walt Gardner, October 20, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Role of School Superintendents
Superintendents have little effect on student performance, but even that can backfire.
Walt Gardner, October 17, 2014
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2 min read
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