A few news and notes related to Democratic Education:
- Parker Palmer, the wise teacher and author of many books on education and living including The Courage to Teach and Let Your Life Speak, was on Bill Moyers Journal this past Friday, February 20. The conversation is one not to miss, touching on the tension between what is and what might be, the potential for social change movements, and what we can teach to bring about what might be. You can watch a view of the conversation and read a transcript here on the Bill Moyers’ website. (Thanks to David Leo-Nyquist for alerting me and others to this interview).
- The Gotham Schools blog, a prolific blog largely about education in New York City, reported on a research study that showed that rating a school with a D or F (all schools in NYC are now given such a mark, based largely on test scores) was correlated with fewer projects and essays after the rating was assigned and a greater emphasis on direct instruction. The scary thing, as Gotham Schools reports, is that the authors of the study support this change.
- On the Change.org Education Blog, Clay Burrell has written a great deal about Bill Gates’ recent appearance at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) gathering. Check out the video of Gates’ talk, as well as Clay’s insightful commentary. His most recent response also discusses how Nicholas Kristof has joined the Gates bandwagon, both talking about the necessity of “good teachers” and asserting that we can improve schools mainly through better teaching. Clay echoes some of my own thoughts, questioning this notion of “good” in teaching and whether test score results ought to be the determinant of a good teacher (and therefore what is “good” in learning).
- Finally, the New York City Student Union is holding a Student Government panel this Thursday, February 26 at 5pm at the UFT building (50 Broadway between Exchange and Morris in downtown Manhattan), to “develop connections between existing student governments and collaboratively create a basis of what a successful student government is and how it is run in different institutions.” This is a great student organization, come and check it out. Read more here.