Nancy E. Bailey's Blog, page 17

Will America Invest in Public School Buildings, Finally?

How will the Biden administration manage a public school facelift? Is $100 billion enough? Will communities see a windfall of funding dedicated to this purpose? Will corporate partnerships help? Will Americans see it as an equity issue? Covid-19 showed Americans the importance of public schools, but they still might not understand the crumbling conditions found […]

Acceleration: The Meaning Behind the Buzzword

Acceleration is the new pandemic buzzword brought to you by pro-privatization school reformers. Students may have missed some in-person schooling, even though most learned remotely or in person. Still, the frenzy surrounding learning loss is mounting. The pandemic has given rise to a new way to reframe the old learning gap talk, with new terminology, […]

President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Should Include Teachers! Here’s Why

It’s good that President Biden is focusing on updating school buildings in his infrastructure plan. But there’s another crisis his administration should address. America needs a national movement to get well-prepared teachers into our public school classrooms. The teaching profession has been in crisis mode for years. Much of this crisis has been generated by […]

Why Do So Many Children Have Dyslexia? What is it Exactly?

Many parents and educators raise concerns about dyslexia, and some are pushing for state laws for students with dyslexia in schools. But why do so many children have dyslexia? What is it exactly? What causes it? Prevalence LD Online states that a staggering 5 to 15 percent of Americans—14.5 to 43.5 million children and adults—have […]

Covid-19 School Contradictions, Confusion, and Mistrust

Covid-19 is a strange phenomenon without any proven how-to guides. Recommendations and contradictions surrounding Covid-19 and schools have raised uncertainty. When there’s a lack of clarity, people become suspicious of what they’re told, and they wonder what and who to believe. Parents and Teachers Can’t Agree Many parents believe schools are safe, few children get […]

Kindergarten Learning Loss Message Is HORRIFYING for Children!

No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, high-stakes testing, Common Core, and other bad school reform measures are coming together with Covid-19 to destroy the futures of America’s youngest learners! They include the same equity and disparity talk used to ramp up the above harmful policies. Those changes to schools, all that rigor talk, […]

Questions About The AFT and NEA’s “Learning After Covid Vision”

Teachers are the most important individuals in a child’s schooling, and during the pandemic, they have gone above and beyond to reach out to students. AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA’s Becky Pringle are to be commended for speaking out about Covid-19 in support of student and teacher safety. The teachers’ unions have been criticized […]

Education Secretary Cardona, End Third Grade Retention and High-Stakes Standardized Testing!

The Biden administration chose a real educator to be education secretary. Now Dr. Cardona should move to end third-grade retention, a procedure that would be especially cruel administered with this pandemic. Many alternative plans are available to help children do better in school that won’t involve the humiliation of retention. Cardona should withhold federal funds […]

Tutors Replacing Teachers: A Failed Privatization Plot Returns

The pandemic showed that for students to get quality instruction, especially poor children of color, America must invest in real teachers, smaller class sizes, and better working conditions, including improved school facilities. So why is the focus on tutors? “Accelerated high-dosage” tutoring. We have been here before. With No Child Left Behind, tutoring didn’t work […]

Why Teachers Might Still Not Believe It’s Safe to Return to In-Person School

Anger about schools not reopening is directed at teachers and their unions. Sometimes it’s made to sound like they’re the problem and not Covid-19! Many public schools have opened their buildings, and teachers never quit working during the pandemic. Teachers aren’t epidemiologists, they aren’t statisticians. They want to rely on information and recommendations concerning Covid-19. […]