More on Bush’s War on Public Schools

by David Safier Mike Bryan suggested I expand on yesterday’s post about the Bush administration’s War on Public Schools, using some of the information I later added in the Comments section. OK, Mike, here it is. As I wrote yesterday, the War on Public Schools began during the Reagan years, accelerated during Bush I, and … Read more

White House Redefines “Failing School”

by David Safier Let’s check in and see how Bush’s War on Public Education is going. Based on the news that the White House has begun scaling back the rules on No Child Left Behind, I’m going to guess, it isn’t going much better than Bush’s War on Terrorism. Here’s a little history, if you … Read more

282 Jobs Eliminated from Tucson Schools?

by David Safier (TASL) No matter how you slice and dice the number, the possibility of cutting 282 positions from TUSD is terrible news. This isn’t about trimming fat. It’s about cutting into the live tissue and muscle of the school district. The final number of cuts probably won’t be that high. Typically, a District … Read more

New Federal Report on Teaching Math: Comments by Sheila Tobias

(Note: Sheila Tobias is an expert in the area of math education. Her comments are regarding a report from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. The report recommends a balance of teacher-directed instruction (teaching of skills, drills) and child-centered instruction (exploration, conceptual understanding). It emphasizes that each grade should teach fewer math concepts in greater depth, … Read more