Teaching & Learning Blog

Teacher in a Strange Land

From January 2010 to September 2018, Nancy Flanagan, an education writer and consultant focusing on teacher leadership, wrote about the inconsistencies and inspirations, the incomprehensible, immoral and imaginative, in American education. She spent 30 years in a K-12 music classroom in Hartland, Mich., and was named Michigan Teacher of the Year in 1993. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: teacher leaders.

Education Opinion Common Core Standards: A Thought Experiment
The Common Core Everything will eventually prove to be the rising tide that lifts all boats. Right?
Nancy Flanagan, April 29, 2011
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6 min read
Education Opinion Take Me to Your Leader
Wendy Kopp asks: What's the single greatest constraint to systemic school reform? It's not what you think.
Nancy Flanagan, April 26, 2011
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3 min read
Education Opinion Remembering Columbine. Still.
Why annually revisit one of the most ghastly school shooting incidents in history? Because taking schools for granted is our habit.
Nancy Flanagan, April 21, 2011
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4 min read
Education Opinion The 18th of April
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood--and we chose easily measured standardized test questions.
Nancy Flanagan, April 18, 2011
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1 min read
Education Opinion Six Sigma Schooling
Six Sigma. Key to improving schools?
Nancy Flanagan, April 16, 2011
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4 min read
Education Opinion Reclaiming "Reform"
Hello. My name is Nancy and I'm an education reformer. Really.
Nancy Flanagan, April 13, 2011
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2 min read
Education Opinion Consuming Our Teachers
There's a market for deep-dive, passion-based, exploratory learning, but it's out of reach for most ed-consumers.
Nancy Flanagan, April 11, 2011
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3 min read
Education Opinion Mr. Rogers Meets Charles Dickens
"Oftentimes it happens, we live our lives in chains. And never even know we have the key."
Nancy Flanagan, April 7, 2011
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4 min read
Education Opinion April Fool
Was Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett trying to butter his teachers up before slamming them? We won't be fooled again.
Nancy Flanagan, April 5, 2011
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2 min read
School & District Management Opinion Blame, Economics and "Notable Exceptions"
Why does Michelle Rhee get to be the notable exception to full accountability?
Nancy Flanagan, March 31, 2011
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1 min read
Education Opinion Something-Preneur
Maybe it's my natural inclination to be suspicious of anything "market-based." But I'm just not sure what good it will do for schools and kids to unleash a multitude of "teacherpreneurs" on America.
Nancy Flanagan, March 28, 2011
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3 min read
Education Opinion Unions, Pt. II: Class Act
Unions. They're about banding together to leverage greater control over our work. The issues are about power and money--but also about social class divisions.
Nancy Flanagan, March 25, 2011
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3 min read
Education Opinion Stickin' to the Union: Why Teachers Like Me Support Unions
We organize--because without allied strength, we have even less control over the difficult professional work, for which we must accept accountability.
Nancy Flanagan, March 21, 2011
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3 min read
Education Opinion The Pink Slip Club
If school reformers really wanted the best possible teachers in every classroom, they'd select and prepare them carefully, support them diligently and fight to retain them.
Nancy Flanagan, March 19, 2011
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1 min read
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