Teaching & Learning Blog

View From the Cheap Seats

Peter Greene, a veteran high school teacher and writer in Northwest Pennsylvania, authored the popular Curmudgucation blog and can be followed on Twitter at @palan57. The posts on this blog were exclusive to Education Week Teacher. This blog is no longer being updated.

Education Opinion Trapped in Failing Facilities
"Two hundred students are trapped in this failing facility. Trapped, I say. Trapped!! Luckily, we know what must be done."
Peter Greene, March 4, 2015
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3 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (March 1)
Common Core, truth, lies, belief and political expediency. It's been a very deep week at Curmudgucation.
Peter Greene, March 1, 2015
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teaching To The Test Is Not Teaching
"Teaching to the test" is an oft-repeated phrase these days. We discuss it a great deal in education because A) we're doing it more than ever and B) everyone knows we're not supposed to.
Peter Greene, February 25, 2015
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2 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (February 22)
Testing, testing, testing, and also, testing. Are we worried about anything else these days? Rowdy children in Newark! Oh, yeah. ESEA.
Peter Greene, February 22, 2015
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1 min read
Education Opinion Mentors Beat Policy
Relationships, not policy papers and legislative mandates, make the difference.
Peter Greene, February 19, 2015
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3 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (February 15)
This week Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio all made their special marks in the education reform biz. Also, testing is still an issue.
Peter Greene, February 15, 2015
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1 min read
Education Opinion Coke Provides Free Market Lesson for Education
Proponents of vouchers and choice systems never tire of touting the benefits of the free market. For them, the free market is like a colosseum in which gladiator products battle to become better, until the crown goes to those who are Most Excellent of All. It's a touchingly childlike belief; the free market will deliver excellence to customers just like Santa will deliver presents to good boys and girls.
Peter Greene, February 11, 2015
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2 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (February 8)
This week, more rumblings about ESEA, more sales pitching for testing, and more dwindling effectiveness for a $12 million wonder.
Peter Greene, February 8, 2015
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1 min read
Education Opinion The True Purpose of Charters?
Is the purpose of the current crop of charter schools to enhance public education-- or replace it?
Peter Greene, February 4, 2015
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5 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (February 1)
While the money has flowed to bolster PR for school choice and charters, I've been taking look at some of charterdom's less admirable side-effects. Plus, the biggest failure of the reformster movement.
Peter Greene, February 1, 2015
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1 min read
Education Opinion ESEA Hearing: What Wasn't Answered
There is no point in discussing what testing program best provides accountability if the tests do not actually measure any of the things we want schools to be accountable for.
Peter Greene, January 26, 2015
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4 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (January 25)
This week the Washington Post got moral, New Jersey charters got tough, and the Senate got busy.
Peter Greene, January 25, 2015
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2 min read
Education Opinion What Role Should the Feds Have in Public Education?
In the edubloggoverse, we've moved quickly from a consideration of a possible ESEA rewrite to the real issue that will lurk behind all the upcoming deliberations, negotiations, and arguments with your brother-in-law at family gatherings—just how much involvement should the federal government have in the world of public education?
Peter Greene, January 20, 2015
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5 min read
Education Opinion Curmudgucation Digest (January 18)
Over at my other blog, this week brought reactions to Arne Duncan's big-ish speech on ESEA, as well as some other folks with thoughts about what the rewrite of ESEA should look like-- including a complete AFT about-face.
Peter Greene, January 18, 2015
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2 min read
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