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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Will the Humanities Survive?
I'd like to see the average annual income of humanities majors compared with that of plumbers, electricians and auto mechanics.
Walt Gardner, June 12, 2013
•
2 min read
Education Opinion The Potential of Adaptive Learning
Technology allows instruction to be differentiated in ways that teachers only used to be able to dream about.
Walt Gardner, June 10, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion New Education Bills Warrant Consideration
Testing is the third rail of education reform.
Walt Gardner, June 7, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Reading Is Harder to Teach Than Math
Teaching reading requires understanding cultural, social and historical factors.
Walt Gardner, June 5, 2013
•
2 min read
Education Opinion Atmosphere Affects Learning
Next to the quality of teachers, the greatest in-school factor for learning is the physical atmosphere.
Walt Gardner, June 3, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Performance Assessment Is Best
What students do with knowledge is more important than possession of knowledge.
Walt Gardner, May 31, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Longer School Day and Year
A longer school day and school year are counterproductive to learning.
Walt Gardner, May 29, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion The Itchy Parent Trigger Finger
If the purpose of the Parent Trigger Law is to help parents get a better education for their children, it needs to be rewritten.
Walt Gardner, May 27, 2013
•
2 min read
Education Opinion The Meaning of Neighborhood Schools
Although schools may not always measure up academically, they meet a distinct need not measured by standardized tests.
Walt Gardner, May 24, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Buying School Reform
When it comes to influencing the outcome of elections, teachers unions take a back seat to no one.
Walt Gardner, May 22, 2013
•
2 min read
Education Opinion Bill Gates's School Panopticon, Part 2
Teaching is far more complex than non-teachers can possibly comprehend.
Walt Gardner, May 20, 2013
•
3 min read
Education Opinion How to Handle Disruptive Students
Practices that try to repair the harm caused by student misbehavior are more promising than punishment.
Walt Gardner, May 17, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Weighing Student Criticism of Teachers
If a student disagrees with a teacher's instructional strategy, he should write an anonymous note outlining his concerns.
Walt Gardner, May 15, 2013
•
1 min read
Education Opinion Rethinking College as an Investment
There is a lifetime earnings premium of more than $620,000 between highly and minimally selective colleges.
Walt Gardner, May 13, 2013
•
1 min read
Load More ▼