With all of the time, effort and money being poured into teacher evaluation systems, the outcomes of students from underrepresented populations have not changed enough to see that what we are doing is working. Only 61 percent of English learners, the fastest growing group in the U.S., are graduating and …
A Middleweb Blog by Kevin Hodgson Like many educators, I find the first days of school are a time to get to know my students through community-building activities. I am always curious about family connections, yet never feel as if I do nearly enough to forge partnerships with families, beyond the …
by Debbie Zacarian & Michael Silverstone How do two separate people from different places and with different roles actually go about writing one sentence let alone a book? Our answer takes some explaining as it reflects what we believe is needed in education, now. Partnerships are key The process of …
The film, Spare Parts, was released last month. It’s based on the true story (and book) about 4 undocumented Latino high school students who formed a robotics team that beat MIT engineering students in a contest. Their personal stories as well as the more recent questions, responses and comments heard at President’s Obama’s …
Many are using social networking to get word out that the US Departments of Education and Justice recently released guidance and tools about teaching English learners. The two agencies remind us all that ELs should “have equal access to a high quality education and the opportunity to achieve their full …
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently reemphasized the importance of the annual testing requirement. One of the key reasons he’s advocating for them is that they provide information about what’s working and what’s not. A coalition of civil rights groups also support annual testing for the same reason– as a means to “target …
Many educational scholars and practitioners, including me, have written extensively about teaching students from underserved populations. The focus of this work has included students living in poverty, from diverse cultural and racial experiences, and who are English learners. These are made more relevant by an ever-increasing population of students and families …
A half a century ago, President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty and launched several initiatives intended to battle the ravages of a chronic and persistent problem. Among these was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It required that any institution receiving federal funding could not deny anyone …
As we embark on a new school year, it’s important to look backward to think forward. An important area to examine is the changing landscape of our nation’s schools. Looking back at the nation’s students provides us with helpful information. Figure 1 provides a snapshot of the 2010-2011 school year. …
In 2002, one of the ballot questions put to Massachusetts’ voters was titled English for the children. In part, it proposed that all students be taught entirely in English. The ballot sounded good to many, after all, who would not want children to learn English? Two-thirds of the state voted for it. Unfortunately, …
