This past December I set off on an exciting adventure to launch a Local Education Fund (LEF) in Newark, New Jersey. An initiative of the Public Education Network that began some 15 years ago, today there are over 80 Local Education Funds in 32 states working to help transform education in order to increase student achievement, mostly in urban areas. The Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE) and New York’s New Visions for New Schools are two examples of very successful LEFs in the region. That Newark has not had an LEF speaks to the need for an organization that can partner with the district to help remove obstacles to education improvement efforts.
With a remarkable Board of Directors that comprises many of Newark’s and the State of... |
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Archdiocese of Newark: Catholic School Principals' Conference Address
September 23, 2010
At the request of several attendees, below you will find the written portion of my address to Catholic School principals at a recent conference held in West Orange, New Jersey. Please note that the actual delivery included additional comments, enhancements, and personal stories that were appropriate for the audience, and are best presented and considered in context.
Thank you Monsignor. I wish that Sister Ann John was present today to hear that introduction. In... |
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Ambiguity, Craftsmanship, and the Art and Science of Teaching
One observation about teaching is that it does not take a lot of effort or skill to be “OK” at it, but that it takes enormous skill and sustained effort to be really good.
Instructional techniques are cheap. It is so seductive to give both novice and experienced teachers bagfuls of them because their immediate applicability feels so satisfying. “Use this ‘whip-around’ as a way to have students report out on what they have done in class.” “Make sure they give you an... |
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I admit that I have advised young teacher candidates to answer “rubrics” during interviews, regardless of the question. I am joking of course, but what makes it funny is that simply saying “rubrics” ( or “critical thinking” 10 years ago) and expecting to get a positive response is not far from reality. Our profession loves to latch on to words or ideas, without really understanding the contextual understanding of a concept, strategy, model, method or... |
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Real Fiscal Conservatives Support Efficient and Effective Schools
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In “Natural Capitalism,” Amory Lovins espouses a view of what it means to be a “fiscal conservative” that is different from contemporary interpretations of capitalist behavior and attitudes. He maintains that traditional capitalism or “natural” capitalism is conservative and that the behaviors that led to the collapse of bedrock financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns are radical in nature and far afield of the set of principles that historically and... |
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