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 This blog is no longer being updated.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 Frenzy Over Elite College Admissions
The fall semester is just a few weeks old, but already the craziness to get into marquee-name schools is in full bloom. I was reminded of this after reading questions submitted by readers to Janet Rapelye, the dean of admissions at Princeton University ("Guidance Office | Ask Princeton's Dean About College Admissions," The New York Times, Sept. 19). There is a sense of desperation that I have never seen before and that I cannot understand.
Walt Gardner, September 24, 2012
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Education Opinion How Good Are Exam Schools?
At a time when seldom is heard an encouraging word about education in this country, exam schools stand out. These are public schools that are characterized by their highly selective admissions policies and their outstanding academic results ("Exam Schools from the Inside," Education Next, Fall 2012; "Young, Gifted and Neglected," The New York Times, Sep. 18).
Walt Gardner, September 21, 2012
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Education Opinion Where Does Free Speech for Students End?
Now that the fall semester has begun, schools will be faced with deciding where to draw the line on their students' right of free speech on the Internet. I'm not talking now about student-on-student cyberbullying, which is outlawed by nearly every state. Instead I'm referring to postings that slander teachers.
Walt Gardner, September 19, 2012
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2 min read
Education Opinion Due Process at Charter Schools
One of the advantages of charter schools in the minds of their supporters is the absence in most cases of teachers unions. Without them, principals have far more freedom to fire those who are ineffective. But there is a price to be paid, as was seen at Philadelphia's Delaware Valley Charter High School on May 31 ("Philadelphia Charter School Teachers - And Their Union - Stand Up to Management," In These Times, Aug. 2).
Walt Gardner, September 17, 2012
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Education Opinion When Teachers Strike
During the 28 years that I taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I participated in three strikes. No one who hasn't taught can understand how truly conflicted teachers are about striking. Despite what many commentators have opined, teachers feel guilty about abandoning their students and going on the picket line. That's because they never chose teaching in search of fame, fortune or power. They did so because they believed that they could make a small difference in the lives of young people. I realize that's a platitude, but it cannot be denied. So when teachers go out on strike, they are forced to admit that they are to some degree hypocrites.
Walt Gardner, September 14, 2012
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Education Opinion Giving Non-Cognitive Outcomes Their Due
It sometimes takes a celebrated author to bring to the public's attention an issue that teachers have long known. I have reference now to Paul Tough's new book How Children Succeed. His thesis is that non-cognitive skills matter more than cognitive abilities in determining how a young person's life will turn out. Tough acknowledges that skills and knowledge (cognition) are important, but he believes that "persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence" (non-cognition) have been given short shrift ("Opting Out of the 'Rug Rat Race,' " The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 8).
Walt Gardner, September 12, 2012
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Education Opinion Which Side Is Right About Evaluating Teachers?
Now that the fall semester is underway, it won't be long before teachers are evaluated about their instructional effectiveness. In years past, the process applied largely to new teachers who did not yet have tenure. But most states today require that even veteran teachers be evaluated. High on the list of strategies for this purpose is the value-added model. Two papers published by prestigious organizations two years apart almost to the day present contrasting views about this controversial metric.
Walt Gardner, September 10, 2012
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Education Opinion Rethinking Teacher Preparation
Although alternative routes to teacher licensing now exist, the overwhelming majority of candidates still enters the classroom through traditional channels. The problem is that so much of what they are taught is based on theory by professors who themselves have not taught in a public school for decades. As a result, departments and schools of education overall are rightly held in low esteem.
Walt Gardner, September 7, 2012
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Education Opinion Why Treat Jocks and Nerds Differently?
The start of the fall semester is a propitious time to examine the claims made by school officials across the country about the importance of academics. Despite their insistence, athletics continue to receive far too much attention in my opinion. I'm not talking about physical education, which I think is vital, but about interscholastic sports ("Classes come first, but schools must add more physical activity," The Boston Globe, Oct. 2, 2011).
Walt Gardner, September 5, 2012
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2 min read
Education Opinion IRS Could Cripple Charter Schools
Teachers who opt to teach in charter schools think they understand the changes and challenges they will face as a result of their decision. But I doubt anything prepares them for a proposal that the Internal Revenue Service quietly released late last year ("Charter school teachers fear IRS rules change," The Washington Times, Feb. 12). If the change goes into effect, it would make more than 93 percent of teachers in the 5,600 charter schools operating in 40 states ineligible for state retirement plans.
Walt Gardner, September 3, 2012
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Education Opinion A Strange Way to Evaluate Learning
I thought at first that the essay by Adam F. Falk, the president of Williams College, was a satire ("In Defense of the Living, Breathing Professor," The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 29). But then I realized that he was dead serious. Referring to the ability of students "to write effectively, argue persuasively, solve problems creatively, adapt and learn independently," he maintains that "by far, the factor that correlates most highly with gains in these skills is the amount of personal contact a student has with professors."
Walt Gardner, August 31, 2012
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Education Opinion The Corporate Invasion of Schools
When I warned before that public schools are succumbing to sales pitches made by corporations, I was taken to task by a handful of readers for exaggerating the magnitude of the problem ("Be Wary of Corporate Inroads Into Education," Dec. 17, 2010; "Are Public Schools Supermarkets?" May 6, 2011). Perhaps the latest evidence will help change their minds ("Pearson's plan to control education, Report to the B.C. Teachers' Federation," Jun. 30).
Walt Gardner, August 29, 2012
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Education Opinion Voucher Usage and College Enrollment
The voucher wars will undoubtedly heat up once again as a result of a new study finding that black students in New York City who used a voucher lottery to attend private schools were 24 percent more likely to enroll in college than black students who didn't win a voucher lottery.
Walt Gardner, August 27, 2012
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teacher Tenure Overhaul
For too long, tenure was virtually automatic for teachers. But that is no longer the case, as news from several states shows. I support efforts to ensure that tenure is granted only to teachers who have demonstrated that they are effective in the classroom - not merely to those who have worked a stipulated number of years. But what are the criteria that will be used in making the determination?
Walt Gardner, August 24, 2012
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3 min read
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