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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Class Reunions Are Good for Teachers
By attending class reunions, teachers will realize that their efforts have not been for naught.
Walt Gardner, April 2, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Big Lie About Public Schools
One of the oldest propaganda techniques is repeating something so often that people eventually come to believe it.
Walt Gardner, March 31, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion How to Talk to One's Children
Children from impoverished backgrounds enter kindergarten already three months behind the national average in reading and never catch up, according to Education Department data. That comes as no surprise because new research shows that brain development is affected by the interaction between parents and children from as early as birth ("Trying to Close a Knowledge Gap, Word by Word," The New York Times, Mar. 26).
Walt Gardner, March 28, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teaching as a Career Change
Mature career changers are an asset in the classroom because they've had their share of hard knocks.
Walt Gardner, March 26, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Questioning Parental Involvement
Attitudes about learning are caught - not taught.
Walt Gardner, March 24, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teach For America Finally Gets Real
There are no shortcuts to teaching effectiveness.
Walt Gardner, March 21, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Do Clothes Make the Teacher?
I'm not arguing that what teachers wear is more important than their knowledge and skills, but I think it's worthwhile considering whether their apparel is a factor in student learning.
Walt Gardner, March 19, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Why Go to College?
What's most important in finding a well-paying job today is one's major and the cachet of the college.
Walt Gardner, March 17, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Grading Standardized Test Essays
Is the ability to write anything substantial in 25 minutes realistic?
Walt Gardner, March 14, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Competency-Based Learning
Seat time is arguably the least defensible method of instruction because it is based on the assumption that all students need a stipulated number of hours of instruction to learn subject matter.
Walt Gardner, March 12, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Undermining Teacher Morale
Teachers still have no one in their corner when it comes to speaking out about unacceptable events at their school.
Walt Gardner, March 10, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion Actors Can Help Prepare Teachers
Using actors to play the role of students can help prepare future teachers before they step into an actual classroom.
Walt Gardner, March 7, 2014
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1 min read
Education Opinion The Louisiana Voucher Brouhaha
Conflicting claims about test scores in Louisiana voucher schools demand clarification.
Walt Gardner, March 5, 2014
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2 min read
Education Opinion Making a Mockery of Multiculturalism
Unless school officials can show that a clear and present danger to the safety of students exists, banning the display of the U.S. flag on Cinco de Mayo makes a travesty of multiculturalism.
Walt Gardner, March 3, 2014
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1 min read
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