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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Teaching's Diminishing Appeal
Teaching in public schools is no longer fun.
Walt Gardner, October 15, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Charter School Paradox
Despite their uneven quality, charter schools are extremely popular among parents of all races.
Walt Gardner, October 13, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Social Media and Teacher Professionalism
Teachers should restrict their comments to students solely to questions about subject matter when the school day is over.
Walt Gardner, October 10, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Class Size Matters
The situation in the Clark County School District is a perfect storm that serves as a reminder of how difficult it is for school officials to plan for changing conditions
Walt Gardner, October 8, 2014
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Education Opinion Skepticism Over Rising Graduation Rates
Is Texas lowering its standards to raise its on-time graduation rate to an all-time high?
Walt Gardner, October 6, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion How to Grade Schools Fairly
No matter how clear the criteria, parents will always disagree with the findings because education is so personal.
Walt Gardner, October 3, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Verdict on Charter Schools Is Elusive
The problem for those who have never taught is that they know only what they read or hear about schools in the media.
Walt Gardner, October 1, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion No Free Speech for Guidance Counselors
I cannot understand why guidance counselors deserve even less free-speech protection than classroom teachers.
Walt Gardner, September 29, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Student Disappointment Over Grades
It's incumbent on teachers to make it clear at the outset what their students will be expected to do at the conclusion of instruction.
Walt Gardner, September 26, 2014
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Education Opinion Getting the Best Teachers Into the Worst Schools
The best teachers avoid schools with large numbers of disadvantaged students because teaching there is extraordinarily hard.
Walt Gardner, September 24, 2014
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Education Opinion The Danger of Personal-Belief Exemption
How would parents who reject vaccinations feel if their decision caused their children to die?
Walt Gardner, September 22, 2014
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Education Opinion Non-Illness Absences Hurt Learning
Regardless of the reasons for non-illness absences, the burden to make up the work missed is always on the teachers.
Walt Gardner, September 19, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Beware of School Reconstitution
Reconstitution makes all teachers vulnerable to favoritism.
Walt Gardner, September 17, 2014
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Education Opinion Tax-Credit Scholarships=Trojan Horse
Tax-credit scholarships are an end-run around the will of the people.
Walt Gardner, September 15, 2014
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1 min read
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