Teaching & Learning Blog

Living in Dialogue

Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high-needs middle school. A National Board-certified teacher, he now leads workshops with teachers on Project Based Learning. He is the co-founder of the Network for Public Education. With education at a crossroads, in this blog he invited you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: education reform.

Federal Opinion Is a High Stakes Moratorium Worth Embracing?
As a thought experiment, what would it look like if the Gates Foundation truly was attending to the research and evidence that is showing how damaging the new Common Core tests and high stakes accountability systems are?
Anthony Cody, June 21, 2014
6 min read
Standards Opinion John Thompson: Time for a Truce in the Battle Over Education?
I believe we must fight competition-driven, test-driven reform with all our power, but we must also be willing to offer and/or accept an olive branch.
Anthony Cody, June 20, 2014
7 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion Adam Bessie: Retiring the "Bad Teacher" Boogeyman
In essence, the "bad teacher" is a not just a basic strawman, but a hologram, an insubstantial projection of whoever you want him to be, whatever you - or your child - perceives him to be.
Anthony Cody, June 16, 2014
8 min read
Law & Courts Opinion Vergara Decision Feeds Testing and Teacher Turnover
The Vergara decision feeds into our societal obsession with test scores, and propels us towards schools with even less stability, and higher turnover.
Anthony Cody, June 14, 2014
7 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Opinion From Common Core, to Vergara, to VAM, Gates Foundation Fingerprints Everywhere
Someone in the mainstream media finally asked Bill Gates straight out what his role was regarding Common Core. What a concept!
Anthony Cody, June 11, 2014
6 min read
Families & the Community Opinion Paul Thomas: The Problem Isn't Just Common Core, but the Entire Reform Agenda
A call for national standards is a political veneer, a tragic waste of time and energy that would be better spent addressing real needs in the lives of children
Anthony Cody, June 9, 2014
3 min read
Early Childhood Opinion Can California Offer a New Model for Accountability? Or Are We Still Chasing Test Scores?
We who are opposed to "high stakes tests" are opposed not only to the most vicious uses of those tests, to close schools and fire teachers. We are opposed to the practice of making standardized tests central to the educational process in our schools.
Anthony Cody, June 7, 2014
10 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Opinion John Thompson: Corporate Reformers' "Race to the Moon" Low on Fuel
It is up to the Gates Foundation to decide whether it defends its quest for a better bottle rocket to drive school reform, or to heed the research of independent scholars.
Anthony Cody, June 5, 2014
6 min read
Budget & Finance Opinion Book Review: Mercedes Schneider's "A Chronicle of Echoes" Offers Tools for Defense Against Corporate Reform
Fans of Harry Potter will recall the most valuable class at Hogwarts: "Defense Against the Dark Arts." With her new book, "A Chronicle of Echoes," Mercedes Schneider has provided those of us working to defend public education with a work that could be called "Defense Against Corporate Reform."
Anthony Cody, June 2, 2014
3 min read
Teacher Preparation Opinion How Will Market Forces Transform Teacher Preparation?
We need the process of becoming a teacher to be well-designed and structured, so credential candidates participate in solid courses focused on pedagogy and human development, as well as other aspects of teaching.
Anthony Cody, May 29, 2014
7 min read
Early Childhood Opinion John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark?
Booker created a confidential draft plan to "make Newark the charter school capital of the nation." Because it would be driven by philanthropic donors, no openness would be required.
Anthony Cody, May 28, 2014
5 min read
Teacher Preparation Opinion Teacher Education Leaders Speak Out: Tim Slekar: Educators Must Be Advocates For the Needs of Our Students
There might be individual institutions and faculty pushing back but there is a need to organize these institutions and faculty. And this will be the challenge--how to organize the teacher education profession.
Anthony Cody, May 27, 2014
7 min read
Teacher Preparation Opinion Teacher Education Leader Francisco Rios: edTPA Leads Schools to Teach to the Test
The most frustrating aspect of these new faster, easier but not always cheaper approaches to teacher education is that they seem to be freed from many of the regulations that are now being required of traditional teacher education programs in colleges of education.
Anthony Cody, May 26, 2014
6 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Teacher Education Leaders Speak Out: Kevin Kumashiro on Teacher Preparation, edTPA and Reform
This week, I am sharing interviews with several leaders of schools of education around the country, who have thoughts about these issues and more. First up is Kevin Kumashiro, Dean of the University of San Francisco's School of Education.
Anthony Cody, May 25, 2014
9 min read