What to tell the children about all the lies?
As parents and teachers, we all try very hard to have our kids tell us the truth. We know, if they don’t, we simply can’t trust them and that leads to…
The Real Failure in American Education
The real failure of American Education has little to do with minor changes in Math or Reading scores. Our greatest educational failure is not correctly anticipating the Information Age and…
The Insidious Erosion of Trust
As published in the Omaha World Herald - Community Voices - November 21, 2021 About 1996, when I was in my second year in heading the Iowa Department of Education,…
More Infants and Children Die in the U.S. than in Other “Developed” Countries. Where is the Outrage?
It is appalling that 23,000 infants died in the United States in 2014 (and likely similar numbers in the years since). Those deaths compute to an infant mortality rate of…
Do Something to Protect Students!
As educators, we are expected to provide leadership for students. By virtue of licensure and community expectations, we are held to a higher standard of moral, ethical, and behavioral leadership. But on…
Invisible Victories in Education
Most educators are keenly aware of the public and highly visible markers for education performance. We certainly are used to hearing about the performance of various groups of students on state…
Why Can’t Business and Education Really Collaborate?
A few years ago, I participated in a community group that was meeting with a candidate hoping to be the superintendent of a 50,000-student school district. Since most in the community…
New and Powerful Approach for Education Advocacy
Chief State School Officers and city superintendents often feel out gunned when advocating for children in the money driven world of political lobbying. Of the $3.45 billion spent lobbying in the…
Where Have All the Teachers Gone?
Almost anyone familiar with international education comparisons knows that teachers in the United States do not enjoy the same status as teachers in other industrialized nations. This lack of status and…
Roll Back the Federal Role in Education – Roll It Way Back!
In 1867, the original US Department of Education was created “to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the states establish effective school systems”.[1] I suggest that we go…