BustED Pencils Trending News: Teacher Licenses Under Attack.

Let’s be very clear. There is NO teacher shortage. There is a teacher Exodus. Loosening, tinkering, and doing away with teacher licenses will do NOTHING except kill the profession of teaching and dramatically increase systemic inequity. It is happening all across the country. Policy makers, pundits and idiots keep screaming teacher shortage.  And, in the… Read more »

Speaking of Revolution.

Last week I was following a few Facebook strands.  As I often do, when I find a quote that sparks me to think, I like to repost it to my Facebook page.  Typically I get a decent amount of “likes” with the occasional comment.  However, when I took Alison Hawyer McDowell’s quote below I had… Read more »

Teacher Shortage as “Shock Doctrine” Part II

Since writing a letter to my teacher education colleagues and then posting it to my blog some things have happened.  I shared it with some legislators.  One remarked, “he’s right but….” Great. I’m right. But that’s not enough to stop the crazy train? That tells me that this issue will only get legs when public school… Read more »

Teacher Shortage as “Shock Doctrine”

Below is a letter that has been revised.  However, the message is appropriate for any supporter of public schools, professional teachers, and equity for all children. The original letter was sent to the state wide leaders of teacher education in Wisconsin.  The letter was written because of my adamant disapproval of toying with teacher licenses even… Read more »

The Business of School Choice

What the Proponents Say  The idea of school choice rests on the premise that students can receive a better education if their parents have the opportunity to choose a school that is the best fit for their child. This sounds like common sense and rather benign, especially if the local schools are run down and… Read more »

BustED Pencils Trending News: Hold the Rigor and Pass the Play.

So called “kindergarten readiness” has transformed American early childhood education into  a disaster zone where “rigor” and “academics” rule the day. Why? Because as a nation we’re delusional at best and intentional at worst.  Delusional because we actually think that “rigor” prepares the mushy minds of toddlers for academic success at some future—yet to be… Read more »

Maintaining the Achievement Gap by Threatening Opt Out.

Let’s make this quick.  At this point it is no mystery that high stakes testing does nothing to reduce the achievement gap (30 + plus years of trying).  In fact, the reality is that the achievement gap is maintained by the constant insistence of using test based accountability.  Yes, accountability is responsible for maintaining the… Read more »

BustED Pencils Trending News: Where Have All the Teachers Gone?

It’s not a shortage! It’s not a human capital issue! It’s a mass EXODUS! Change the narrative. 30 years of war against teachers and the casualties are now insurmountable. THAT IS NOT A SHORTAGE! It’s a warning that public schools are close to being privatized and our most vulnerable children will be thrown to a… Read more »

BustED Pencils Trending News: DeVos Dump.

Here it is in the middle of March and Betsy DeVos has been on the job for about two months.  Some questioned whether a woman with no real work experience let alone experience working in the education field could actually handle the responsibilities that come with being the Secretary of Education. Question: Is Betsy DeVos… Read more »

Opt Out Reminder: It’s Still a Powerful Act of Civil Disobedience.

Guest Post: Anne Burn Thomas, Ph.D. SUNY Cortland. Why I’m opting out of the state assessments. In the past few months, the idea of resisting as protest to a range of policies and ideas has populated headlines, Twitter streams, and even in-person conversations. One of the ways that I’m resisting destructive changes to a vital… Read more »