Reform

I can remember my college graduation like it was two months ago. Which, quite frankly, it was. I stood alongside my peers, anxiously anticipating walking across the commencement stage. The many families and friends in the audience cheered as my name was called, and the President of the College theatrically shook my hand in congratulations. A photographer took my picture as I proudly held my diploma. “It’s over!” I thought, “It’s finally over!”

edCircuit Opinion:
When I was younger, I often would gather with my neighborhood friends, head into the backyard, and spend hours digging a massive hole to China. We’d all attempt to use the shovels that were two times our size, all while fantasizing about what we’d do when we finally made it – or better yet if we hit the center of the earth! Many would not think twice about this scenario, and simply view it as kids being kids. But, child development researchers would analyze this situation much differently.

The word sabbatical brings to mind connotations of higher education. It’s unheard of for K-12 teachers to take time a one-year leave and dedicate themselves to research. Why is this not widely accepted? If teachers plan on remaining in their profession for an extended period, how will they build relevant knowledge and be better educators for their students?
Should teachers still learn? Scientific American understands the challenges of doing so. Teaching is a labor-intensive profession. It’s challenging to find access to innovative and informative workshops, and a new standard of professional development should be put into place.

edCircuit Opinion
The Scientific American article For Children With Autism, Multiple Languages May Be A Boon raises an important point about the impacts of language education on children with autism.  In the United States, bilingual families with children on the autism spectrum have traditionally been advised to raise those children speaking only English.  But according to new research, this advice “only intensifies the alienation experienced by these children” by isolating them from their families, who may not speak English at home.

As July comes to a close, thousands of families swarm to the nearest stores and begin to cross items off of their college checklist. For those who need reminding, no one college dorm room is alike. But, according to CENGAGE Learning’s 2015 Student Engagement Insights survey, many of these students have more in common than you think. When asked, “what are your goals after college?” 80% of college students responded that they want a “good job/better job”. Is this attainable for recent college grads?
Forbes warns that it may not be.

Fred Ende is the assistant director of curriculum and instructional services for Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, one of New York’s 37 regional education service agencies. Ende joined Dr. Berger at ASCD’s Annual Conference to discuss the evolution of professional development and his ASCD book, Professional Development That Sticks: How do I create meaningful learning experiences for educators?

John McLaughlin, Ph.D. joined me for coffee to discuss how some of us look at the history of education reform and the realities of where we are and the paths we are currently taking. McLaughlin had previously commented on an op-ed from Dick Yarbrough  Here are some of McLaughlin’s previous thoughts on the topic:

In this episode, John McLaughlin, Ph.D. discusses the timing of education as a recent talking point in the presidential race.

David Greene discusses how lifelong teachers must be allowed to continue to use our God-given abilities to think, reason, and create.