education
A place to hash out all opinions on education policy, charter schools, statewide testing, and what the political world is and isn't doing about it.
An Open Letter to the Picket Passerby
You are going about your day, taking the roads you normally take to get to the place you normally need to go and the job you need to work. Some of you are alone in your cars. Some of you have family members, friends, and children. If you’re anything like me, your commute is probably a blur. The scenery is always the same, the same buildings, the same scenery, and the same roadwork. But this past weekend, it’s been different. There are lines of people, groups of them, outside of regular buildings and outside the schools with signs and different noise makers. And you have a choice on how you respond.
By Courtney Lynn8 years ago in The Swamp
Mountain Mama Your Children Are Crying
“Almost Heaven, West Virginia…” those words incite a sense of pride in me. The pride that comes with waking up in Morgantown on the dawn of a brisk fall Saturday. The pride that comes with sitting at my great-grandmother’s sick bed and listening to her talk about growing up in a coal camp. It’s watching We Are Marshall on the big screen with my mother, who I was lucky enough to watch graduate with her Master’s Degree in special education from that school. It’s my father recounting stories of his grandfather who died in a coal mining accident, saving two others and risking his life. It’s the way my grandmother pronounces wash with an "r" between the "a" and the "s."
By Courtney Lynn8 years ago in The Swamp
Political "Education" of the Young
Should teachers be allowed to politically educate our children? This essay results from reading a post on Facebook. A post was questioning why do some on the Left continue to apparently ignore the millions killed in Russia and China during the imposition of one party “communist” government make the case for communism or insist upon applying a ridiculous veneer of objectivity when discussing its history? They quite rightly wouldn’t do this with the horror that was fascism or apartheid South Africa. And yet to wave a hammer and sickle flag at a rally is to celebrate a record of bloodshed and misery.
By Peter Rose8 years ago in The Swamp
Mind The Gap: Education & Employment Outcomes
Earlier this month, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner was quoted as having said that “white working-class boys are being left behind because of the 'negative impact' of a focus on ethnic minorities and women.” That’s not what she actually meant, but her clumsy wording did make it seem as though she was blaming affirmative action for the poor educational outcomes of indigenous British boys. What she says she actually meant is that immigrant families send stronger messages about the importance of education to their children, and white working-class families tend not to. Therefore a cultural change is necessary because white British boys have not been specifically targeted for additional support in the same way that ethnic minorities and female students have (which has generated improvements, demonstrating that the measures work and should be continued). She wasn’t saying that if we help people with one characteristic, we’re taking assistance away from another group; more that we need to focus on changing perceptions and attitudes so that British boys don’t sabotage their futures through lack of aspirations. But that doesn’t make as punchy a headline, so the Telegraph went for something that pushed the right-wing buttons instead.
By Katy Preen8 years ago in The Swamp
Tone Deaf Post — Betsy Devos
Today the US Department of Education tweeted about Nancy Devos’ trip to Wyoming to celebrate the “Rethink School Initiative.” Devos visited the school on the Wind River Reservation today. The Department of Education’s tweet included a picture quoting a Native American Proverb that said, “You already possess everything necessary to become great.”
By Cody Perry8 years ago in The Swamp
The Miseducation of (Black) America
I was always well aware of the accomplishments of the Black people of the great African civilizations, now long since forgotten, through my own research outside of the classroom. What is troubling to me, though, is that I wasn't always aware of the Black people who built my country: the United States. When a nation goes out of its way to purposely "miseducate" you, that's when you know that nation has no regard for your well-being and, more than that, straight up dislikes you—hates you even.
By Dre Joseph8 years ago in The Swamp
We Need a New Black Education System Nationwide
This is why Black people need our own school system. State-funded, that is to say, White-owned and managed, public or private schools in Black neighborhoods have been a COLOSSAL failure for so long it's not even funny.
By Dre Joseph8 years ago in The Swamp
Education Reimagined
Education Reimagined is a book that was self-published to tackle the issues facing the U.S. education system. The book takes a student's perspective to inform and give students a voice to speak up and speak out against the bureaucracy of the system and the U.S. government. The book looks at nine major issues facing the U.S. education system in part one of the book and lastly looks to the future of the system. The second part of the book is narratives from students that volunteered to write for the book. It allows students to freely speak on an issue they care about and share their personal story regarding the topic they choose to write about. Lastly, it ends with the students giving a solution to the problem they discuss and how to go about changing or fixing the issue.
By Maruf Hossain9 years ago in The Swamp
Silent Moments
The birds swooped down; that very morning, the day was like any other day. I woke up to my annoying alarm clock telling me to get ready for my day, I didn't really want to but it was so sunny, warm and the skies were blue. What could go wrong on 7th July 2005? Nothing, right? I was just an average 14-year-old going to school like everyone else in London; that day me and my friends decided to go and get the underground trains like we normally do in the morning if we were running late for the bus.
By Lizzy Arrow9 years ago in The Swamp
Gove You Have No Clue!
I rarely nowadays get my ideas from my Twitter feed but this week I've got 3 for you; but today I'm taking you through the whole Gove and education thing, which is pretty confusing I do have to say. I'm pretty sure I'm confused as well. So I'll try to explain what I think he might be talking about. I did try to find the article but couldn't find it; however, I do have a snippet of a tweet from Mirror Politics, which is all that matters to me in this blog.
By Lizzy Arrow9 years ago in The Swamp
A Journey Through Mexico City
Colonialism is the immovable stain on the fabric of humanity. A nation free from its grasp may strive to erase its dark past, yet its indelible marks remain on the land and its people. Survival of the fittest, they brand it, the strong devouring the weak has become the blueprint for mass murder, providing ample justification for military occupation, the raping and pillaging of lands, the dehumanization of a people ultimately stripping an entire nation of its identity. Those that opt to defend and protect their homeland face imprisonment and death. The skewed and twisted ideologies borne out of greed, racism and a flawed theology inspire men to lay waste to whole communities. Only when submission is seen as the only viable option is hegemony allowed to run its course, convincing a nation that their actions are morally justified, its people now contained inside the walls of their invisible prison, enjoying faux freedoms. Despite the efforts to take control of an occupied land and its indigenous people, resistance remains and victory is measured in terms of independence. And yet, as much as any oppressed nation feels a sense of liberation, the shackles of influence left behind are harder to remove.
By Jermaine Lebert9 years ago in The Swamp
