Posts by Nancy Flanagan

That’s What We Do in Pre-K

I do know that responsibilities are not things into which one is commanded or shamed, rewarded or punished: that’s called obedience. Responsibility emerges only from the unalienable right to pursue happiness. I am the parent of a teenager now, not legally an adult, but no longer a child. I’ve noticed that the more rights she assumes, the more responsibly she behaves. That’s what we do in a democracy.

Read full article

Posted on Dec 26, 2011 - 02:27 PM by Nancy Flanagan

The Independent Project

The Independent Project is an alternative student driven school-within-a-school that was started at Monument Mountain Regional High School by a student. Research by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi on engagement suggested that if students have more control over what they are learning, they will be more engaged,
excited, and committed to their studies.

Read full article

Posted on Dec 15, 2011 - 01:47 PM by Nancy Flanagan

The Best and Worst Education News of 2011

Here’s my humble attempt to identify the best and the worst education news that occurred during the past 12 months. I hope you’ll take time to share your own choices in the comment section.

I’ll list the ones I think are the best first, followed by the worst. However, it’s too hard to rank them within those categories, so I’m not listing them in any order.

Read full article

Posted on Dec 13, 2011 - 06:25 PM by Nancy Flanagan

Mindsight—-and Education

Dr. Daniel Siegel explores the neural mechanisms beneath social and emotional intelligence and how these can be cultivated through reflective practices that focus on the inner nature of the mind. The necessity of three new “Rs” in education—reflection, relationships and resilience.

Read full article

Posted on Dec 06, 2011 - 01:14 PM by Nancy Flanagan

How College Prep is Killing High School

What is the purpose of high school? Over the past several years America seems to have arrived at a consensus: The overarching goal of high school is to prepare students for college. The current mantra is “college ready for all,” which means high school students need to be focusing on academic preparation and study skills. It(tm)s a rare issue that crosses party lines;both Republicans and Democrats can win points by pushing for a tougher, more competitive high school education.

Driven by this notion, states and districts around the country have raised high school graduation requirements by increasing the number and rigor of required academic courses and by adding exit exams. Massachusetts doesn’t let students graduate unless they can pass the MCAS exam in English, math, and one science or technology subject. Americans, anxious about their competitiveness, look around the world and worry that, if anything, we•€(tm)re not doing enough.

But as we push harder to create more demanding high schools that are more focused on college preparation, something is also going wrong.

Read full article

Posted on Nov 29, 2011 - 04:47 PM by Nancy Flanagan

Microsoft wins TEACH campaign from Education Department

A division of Bill Gates(tm) Microsoft is taking over from the Education Department a campaign called TEACH that is aimed at recruiting new teachers into the profession.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum last week in Washington D.C. that the division had won a competition to take over from the department the TEACH campaign and its website. The website provides free information for teachers and prospective teachers.

Duncan said that the Partners in Learning division will be the sole owner and operator” of the TEACH project, “improving and expanding the teacher recruitment campaign” as well as all related marketing efforts.

That the department would select Microsoft’s division is not especially surprising, given that Duncan and Gates walk and talk the same school reform line, sometimes sounding as if their speeches came from the same shop.

Read full article

Posted on Nov 23, 2011 - 12:03 PM by Nancy Flanagan