Category Archives: Resources

The Scripted Prescription: A Cure for Childhood

In the Spring, 2008 issue of Rethinking Schools, I read a wonderful article by Peter Campbell, an educator who writes a blog called transformeducation.blogspot.com. His article vividly describes how time in pre-kindergarten classes is now spent on worksheets and traditional academics at the expense of play: My daughter came home the other day in anContinue reading “The Scripted Prescription: A Cure for Childhood”

What to Do About Reading (cont’d)

In this blog, and in every media interview, I often lament that students don’t read for pleasure. If you’re also interested in this topic, I suggest you read The Book Whisperer, a blog in Teacher Magazine by Donalyn Miller, who writes about how to inspire and motivate student readers. Here’s an excerpt from a recentContinue reading “What to Do About Reading (cont’d)”

Finland’s Students Do Little Homework and Perform Best in International Tests

In Finland, schools starts at the age of 7, high school students spend less than 1/2 hour a night on homework, and very little time is spent on standardized test preparation. This Wall Street Journal article titled “What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?” takes a closer look at schools in Finland to show how theirContinue reading “Finland’s Students Do Little Homework and Perform Best in International Tests”

Tune in on Thursday to All Day Web-a-Thon on School Reform

The American Sports Institute is creating a new, ground-breaking, wellness-based school (The Arete School) in Marin County, California, and, to support its efforts, there will be an all-day streaming telethon on the internet on Thursday, February 28. The event will feature leading sports figures and educators discussing topics ranging from school reform to the keysContinue reading “Tune in on Thursday to All Day Web-a-Thon on School Reform”

From My Mailbox: Portland School Cannot Take Away Recess for Failure to do Homework

I recently heard from the father of a 7th-grader in Portland, Oregon, who told me that he and his wife allow their son “to set his own priorities and to decide for himself whether he wants to do his homework. A couple of the teachers in the school took offense by this approach and exercisedContinue reading “From My Mailbox: Portland School Cannot Take Away Recess for Failure to do Homework”

Canadian Study: Homework Has No Value

Researchers in Canada just released the results of the first study ever on homework and concluded that homework has no value through 6th grade. “”For elementary school, especially for the primary grades, I am down on homework entirely,” said Linda Cameron, one of the authors of the study and a former kindergarten teacher. According toContinue reading “Canadian Study: Homework Has No Value”

Study: New Middle-School Teachers Woefully Unprepared to Teach Math

A study released in December concludes that soon-to-be middle school math teachers in the U.S. are ill prepared for the task. “Our future teachers are getting weak training mathematically and are just not prepared to teach the demanding mathematics curriculum we need for middle schools if we hope to compete internationally,” said William H. Schmidt,Continue reading “Study: New Middle-School Teachers Woefully Unprepared to Teach Math”

Teacher Magazine: What to Do About Reading

Here’s an interesting conversation in Teacher Magazine among members of the national Teacher Leaders Network about why students aren’t reading very much or very well. To me, the issue is simple. If students were encouraged to read for pleasure, were allowed to choose their own reading material, and reading weren’t turned into a chore byContinue reading “Teacher Magazine: What to Do About Reading”