Monthly Archives: May 2009

Graduation day note to adults: Get involved

Last night I attended the inaugural 8th grade graduation of West Denver Prep (on whose board I serve).  This was an enthralling and uplifting event, with a poignant and vibrant address by Paul Lopez (Denver City Council District 3), and remarkable advice from the teacher selected to address … Continue reading

Posted in Charter Schools, Engagement | Leave a comment

How to win friends and influence people

Cue the education truism that when adults fight, children lose: 342 Boulder Valley teachers stage ‘sickout’ Administrators had to scramble to find substitute teachers today after 342 teachers called in sick. The “sickout” came amid contract negotiations between the teachers and … Continue reading

Posted in Teacher Unions | Leave a comment

Sports Break: skills vs. effective (revisited)

The Denver Nuggets won their first playoff series for the first time since tight shorts; are up 3-0 in the current series, and Charles Barkley has them picked as the team to beat: The reason? You know the reason. We’re talking … Continue reading

Posted in Teacher Evaluations, Whimsy | Leave a comment

Union fissures in negotiations

In Washington DC, the current union negotiation with the district is showing cracks within the union itself: Contract talks between the District government and the Washington Teachers’ Union, now in their 18th month and under a mediator, are escalating tensions within the … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Teacher Unions | Leave a comment

Teacher Identifier bill going through

It’s on the way to the gov. And it passed the State House unanimously. I’ll confess: I love data.  Despite all the fuss on ProComp being “groundbreaking,” it was (and remains) data-lite. I still think the most important development in … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Teacher Evaluations | Leave a comment