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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Graduation Rate Up, But Is Learning?
A more accurate picture would require districts to report both the current high school graduation rate and the college-ready rate.
Walt Gardner, May 5, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Value-Added Nightmare for Teachers
The value-added model is so complex even psychometricians don't fully understand it.
Walt Gardner, May 2, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teachers and Doctors Rated Differently
At no time in American history have classroom teachers been subjected to as much pressure from outsiders about what and how they teach.
Walt Gardner, April 30, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teacher-Training Evaluation Caveats
So much of the success of teachers depends on the students they happen to inherit, rather than on the quality of the education schools they attended.
Walt Gardner, April 28, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Teach For America Mystique
Teach for America's noblesse oblige has irresistible appeal for the media.
Walt Gardner, April 25, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Where Talent Outweighs Academics
Without innate ability, all the instruction and practice in the world cannot develop the talent seen in the performing arts.
Walt Gardner, April 23, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Common-Core Overreaction
I wonder if teachers' unions would be as adamant in their opposition to the Common Core if the standardized tests were used strictly for diagnostic purposes and the results were never made public.
Walt Gardner, April 21, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Questioning Vocabulary Items on New SAT
By reducing the list of vocabulary to "high-utility" words, the new SAT shortchanges students.
Walt Gardner, April 18, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Parental-Involvement Caveats
I don't believe that parental behavior has no benefit on academic performance any more than I believe that biology is destiny when it comes to health.
Walt Gardner, April 16, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Blame the Teacher in Altercations
Administrators reflexively take the side of students in altercations with teachers.
Walt Gardner, April 14, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Art Education Is a Stepchild
Arts and music education are often the subjects that make a profound difference in the lives of young people.
Walt Gardner, April 11, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Parents as Educators Begins at Birth
The positive effects of universal prekindergarten will not be fully realized unless parents themselves are made part of it.
Walt Gardner, April 9, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Banning Books Hurts Students
Real education involves subjecting students to ideas that by their very nature can make them feel uncomfortable.
Walt Gardner, April 7, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Parental Choice Downside
Parental choice will primarily benefit parents who possess the wherewithal to navigate the system.
Walt Gardner, April 4, 2014
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2 min read
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