Run, Don't Walk, to the Kappan
Run, don't walk, to the February edition of the Phi Delta Kappan. First, there is a truly gripping interview (PDF) with Kevin Jennings, who directs the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education. Jennings describes how his childhood experiences with bullying in school have shaped his life's work.
He also calls for "standards around school climate" as well as "a data system so parents know what kind of environment a kid will encounter in a school":
But I do know that what gets measured is what gets done. Over time, it will force this issue onto the agenda. There will always be a role for grassroots activism. What the government can do is to push those ideas along a little faster.
I’m hearing loud and clear from people at the grassroots that they need help with this issue. We can’t just crank out standardized tests and expect that will make our schools better. We have to look at everything that a child needs to succeed.
If they’re sitting in the classroom and they’re hungry, they’re not going to learn. If they’re sitting in that classroom and they’re terrified about what will happen when they try to walk home that afternoon, they’re not going to learn.
This month's Kappan also includes a piece on the initiative to develop a common core of state K-12 standards in mathematics and English language arts. (We at the Alliance have gone on the record to support this initiative.) In the Kappan article, Vicki Phillips and Carina Wong of the Gates Foundation give one of the most detailed reviews of the project you'll find anywhere.
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A Village Route to Early Childhood Education
In the 1990s, we at Davenport Community Schools noticed a trend: Children were coming to kindergarten unprepared to learn. A troublingly low number of our district’s children (more than half of whom receive free or reduced price lunch) had preschool experience. Recognizing the importance of early childhood education in ensuring students are ready to succeed in school and life, we developed the Children’s Village, which includes formal preschool classes and all-day, year-round programming serving children from six weeks to five years old. Today, when a Children’s Village student arrives for the first day of kindergarten, the teacher can say, “This child is ready to learn.”
With early childhood education, students learn more, teachers accomplish more and taxpayers get more for their education tax dollar. But it takes all our students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents and partners to make the Children’s Villages a success. Indeed, it really does take a village to ensure quality early childhood education. Read more
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Congrats to Joan Richardson
Congrats to Joan Richardson who took over the editorship of the KAPPAN last year, after turning the Journal of Staff Development into a top-notch ed magazine. Her background as a newspaper education editor and prize-winning ed reporter has served her well.
Thanks, John. I agree. Joan
Thanks, John. I agree. Joan has done a wonderful job with a wonderful journal.