Ecology of Education

Below is the idea I submitted for NBC’s Education Nation Town Hall. Though it was not picked (perhaps because of my critique of their program), I believe there is great potential in combating the apathy and boredom that leads to student disengagement and higher dropout rates through relevant programs in concept development and application. Submitted [...]

Master of Myth: What Arne Duncan Says and Does The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. —John F. Kennedy U.S. Secretary of Education has been called the most powerful education secretary in history. With billions of dollars [...]

Yong Zhao, like Daniel Pink, makes a compelling case for re-imagining our school system in the age of globalization. With our current overemphasis on knowledge transmission, we run the risk of sacrificing innovation, all in the pursuit of scores. Zhao provided a glance at some international education reforms that move toward what our policy seems [...]

(You can read Part 1 here) In such an integrated world, where the reverberations of problems and solutions ripple far beyond their localized sources, we must learn to think in terms of systems (called systems thinking), to see beyond compartmentalized events, and work with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures toward common goals. That’s a [...]

I marvel at my phone.  It surfs the internet, finds my e-mail, lets me twitter, takes calls, and gets along well with my computer.  It’s a calendar, a stopwatch, a newspaper, and a means of distracting my daughter when she needs distracting.  It’s the height of integration (for now).  So many systems amalgamated. So many [...]

Powerful and relevant statistical comparisons for everyone (especially educators) that may help everyone (especially Americans) gain a global perspective on emerging trends.  Thanks to @chadratliff and @Aldridgeduff for sending it out across twitterville.