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 This blog is no longer being updated.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
What About Social Promotion?
With the end of the spring semester rapidly approaching, teachers once again will have to confront the issue of social promotion. For years, research seemed to be on the side of moving students to the next grade whether or not they mastered the material because it showed that holding students back is harmful.
Education
Opinion
The Latest on School Choice
On paper, the argument in favor of school choice is impeccable: Parents will be able to enroll their children in a school that best meets their needs and interests, bad schools will be forced to improve or close, and society will benefit from better educated graduates. But the reality is different.
Education
Opinion
Textbooks and Tests Share Ills
When the New York City Department of Education ordered test publishers it does business with to avoid 50 sensitive words and topics, it instantly became the butt of jokes. Realizing that the politically correct demand had gone too far, the city's chief academic officer revised the policy ("City Revokes Testing Word Ban," The New York Times, Apr. 2). But curiously nothing was said about the textbooks used in classrooms.
Education
Opinion
Vocational Education Needed Now More Than Ever
The monetary value of a bachelor's degree in the years ahead will not be as certain as it was in the past. Most of the 14 million new jobs that will be created in the next decade will be in fields that typically can be filled by those with an associate's degree. The trouble is that only about 25 percent of students enrolled in community colleges graduate. Equally disturbing is that too many post-secondary private vocational schools operate without state approval ("More Than 130 Vocational Schools Are Operating Without State Approval," The New York Times, Apr. 5).
Education
Opinion
Student Newspapers Still On Uncertain Ground
It wasn't too long ago that students newspapers were essentially considered house organs, and their staffs were little more than cheerleaders. I was reminded of how much things have changed after reading about events at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School ("TV reporter's worries leads [sic] to Bethesda school pulling student newspaper," The Washington Post, Mar. 26).
Education
Opinion
Holding Teachers to Higher Standard Than Officers
"A Few Good Men," the movie starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, was responsible for my assumption that officers in the military had to abide by the most stringent rules regarding their conduct. It prompted me to look up Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: "Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct." The conduct refers to behavior in an official capacity or to behavior in a private capacity that seriously compromises one's standing as an officer.
Education
Opinion
Should Home-Schoolers Be Eligible for High School Teams?
When parents decide to home-school their children, they do so because they find public schools lacking for one reason or another. Although religious reasons top the list, parents also have practical concerns about curriculums, textbooks, peer pressure and bullying. The appeal of the movement is seen in its growth from 850,000 students in 1999 to 1.5 million today, according to the Department of Education.
Education
Opinion
The Debate Over the Rating of "Bully"
The attention finally being paid to bullying in K-12 schools would seem to assure a wide audience for a documentary about the subject. But that hasn't been the case with "Bully," which received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America because of six "f" words. Despite the absurd rationale, there are groups that support the rating, including the Parents Television Council, a nonpartisan organization advocating responsible entertainment (" 'Bully' deserved an R," Los Angeles Times, Mar. 28).
Education
Opinion
Is California a Bellwether for School Support?
There's no guarantee that what takes place in California will be repeated elsewhere, but it's a mistake to dismiss events in the Golden State out of hand. A new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll serves as a case in point. Despite a series of reports about the persistent underperformance of public schools in the state, voters strongly support Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to increase the sales tax and raise levies on top earners in order to raise money for schools ("Strong majority backs Jerry Brown's tax-hike initiative," Los Angeles Times, Mar. 26).
Education
Opinion
No Surprise, Cheating Is Widespread
It's axiomatic that when the stakes are high enough in any field there will be cheating. But what is news is the extent of the problem in education. In the best tradition of investigative reporting, The Atlanta Journal Constitution found suspicious test scores in some 200 school districts across the nation ("Cheating our children: Suspicious school test scores across the nation," Mar. 24).
Education
Opinion
Are Schools Becoming a Service Industry?
The public loves ratings in all fields of human endeavor. Anyone doubting that needs to look at Consumer Reports, which has expanded its coverage over the years from products to services of every category. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if K-12 schools will soon be rated overwhelmingly on parental satisfaction. At least that's what I see forthcoming after reading "Hospitals Aren't Hotels" (The New York Times, Mar. 15).
Education
Opinion
Religious Fundamentalism and Public Schools
Although the presidential election is still seven months away, voters are already hearing arguments in support of allowing religion in public schools. "The labor behind the initiatives may be local, but the ideas, the money, and the legal firepower that make them possible are national," as Katherine Stewart makes clear in The Good News Club (Public Affairs, 2012).
Education
Opinion
Perform to Get a Teaching License
Ordinarily thought of as a way of evaluating teachers after they have been licensed, performance assessment will be used in Wisconsin to determine if teachers should be given a license in the first place ("New teachers getting ready to be graded on classroom work," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mar. 11).
Education
Opinion
Pay Teachers Like CEOs
Teachers are slated to be judged and rewarded in the next school year largely on how well their students perform on the basis of quantifiable outcomes. The usual rationale is that this strategy is how top executives in business are evaluated and compensated. If adopted, the corporate model will transform schools and allow the U.S. to compete in the global economy.