TeacherJay's EduBlog

I have long been skeptical of Mr. Joel I. Klein’s qualifications for his leadership of the New York City school system, and certainly of his motives in doing so.  In what seems to be a spreading epidemic, complete control of the school system was taken away from elected community school boards and usurped by Mayor [...]

…a story about a student I once taught to improve her writing skills and a question of whether or not this was truly a benefit for her…

I came across this video on Edutopia and just had to post it.  The video, Student Body: Classroom Exercise Makes Learning Lively demonstrates “four techniques for mental clarity” that can easily be taught to students.  Take a look:

We are seeing more and more schools cut recess and physical education from their curricula.  Such a [...]

I have reported on this concept before and thus do not wish to take too much space for it here, but to post the link to a NY Times article that is rehashing the issue, yet again.
Perhaps the best line from the article comes in the second paragraph, “many economists and businesspeople disagree [with [...]

I had long pictured working with DNA to be some abstract and complicated process that took place in far off labs by very experienced scientists.  Working with undergraduate students at Brooklyn College, though, they would tell me about their work with DNA and it seemed so common to them.
The other day I found the following [...]

Yesterday, Edutopia published an article on students who now have the opportunity to learn the Navajo language via the internet.  The story of a high-schooler looking for a scholarship and wanting to return to her familial roots frames the news of a course offering by The American Academy—an online high school accredited by NAAS.
When [...]

There are no more “gifted” students… at least not in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Officials at the school district of one of the most affluent suburbs in the nation have voted to drop the label that many parents have fought hard to get for their children.  This post takes a quick look at what gifted [...]

For those not familiar, the FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is required by practically all universities and other scholarship funders as well as student loan applications.  According to a recent article in the New York Times, some families have become so intimidated by the form, that they are hiring [...]

What do we do with high school and even elementary students who run into trouble with the law? Do we expel them?, send them to juvenile detention centers? Is there any obligation on the part of the schools to ensure the development of the whole child? Have schools lost their focus? This post looks at two recent crimes involving students and discusses how they should be treated upon their return to school.

In an Op/Ed in the New York Times published a week ago, contributors Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call go on the offensive against the Head Start program and what they see as a lack of progress. Without providing a clear argument as to what is causing the failings of the program they [...]

On Feb. 10, I watched President Obama speak in a town hall meeting in my home town (on TV, I wasn’t one of the few who could stand in line for 24 hours to get tickets) and my local newspaper reported on it.  People are out of work and many are losing their homes [...]

There has been some preliminary research done on how having a black president as a role model for African-Americans may be affecting their education, or at least the way in which they show it.  The phenomenon, nick-named “the Obama effect” may be evidence that African-American students are changing their perceptions of what it means to [...]

A new school opened this past fall aims to work with new students – students who are not only new to the United States and New York City, but who maybe new to school – period.  Named after the name of the island in New York Harbor known for the millions of immigrants that [...]

students appeared before a federal judge to provide testimony that they are still being cheated of an appropriate education … If there is to be a “change we can believe in”, my hope is that is will be to improve education for all students

The debate has come up again in Texas.  This is important for the entire nation because textbook publishers in their diligence to keep costs low and profits high refer to write only one version of the content and just make minor adaptations to fit each state’s curriculum guidelines.  Because of this, Texas, with its [...]

On January 9, the New York Times ran an article by Sara Rimer about immigrant students and their parents who are happier with their children in charter schools that cater to an international community.  The article takes a good look at why these schools are more comfortable places for recent immigrant students as they learn [...]

The State of Arizona has been ordered by a federal judge to increase funding of programs for English-Language Learners (ELLs) or else face fines up to $2 million per day.  Reported by Education Week, the case will soon be heard by the US Supreme Court.  The situation has gotten so complicated that even Ken W. [...]

While education may be dear to President Bush’s heart some questions still linger about this legislation. 1) Why does NCLB not fund schools to make necessary changes to personnel and curriculum? 2) Why are schools that show improvement still punished? 3) Why are “failing” schools closed and re-opened by private schools using public funds? 4) Why are there no consistent guidelines from between states, or even between districts on how to measure progress? 5) Why does the law equate testing with teaching? … this law was designed to punish our schools, not to improve them.

Yesterday was an exciting day for Sasha and Malia – Barack Obama’s young daughters.  Not only are they preparing to move to perhaps the most famous residence in the world, but they also started at a new school.  This post will not be about the girls as I take the same view as the major [...]