Category: News

Testing boundaries

Last week I attended a meeting sponsored by the NYS Alliance for Public Education. The forum discussed current controversies and issues in public education including the Common Core Learning Standards, teacher evaluations, Governor Cuomo's 2015 Education Budget and the NYS assessments given to elementary students in grades 3-8. My interest in attending the meeting was … Continue reading Testing boundaries →

Cuomo: failing to understand the problem

Governor Cuomo  has released a report which concludes that many of New York State's public schools are failing.  As I skimmed the lengthy document online, I noticed a consistency which, to me, was critical in understanding why these schools are struggling.  With only two exceptions (Amsterdam and Buffalo's South Park),  the schools which have been deemed failing are attempting … Continue reading Cuomo: failing to understand the problem →

The State of our State makes me angry

I'm angry that Sheldon Silver was given the courtesy of sitting in a position of prestige at this week's State of the State address when the state's teachers are not invited to sit at the table and truly participate in education reform and improvement. I'm angry that Sheldon Silver, along with the governor and other … Continue reading The State of our State makes me angry →

The Golden Globes in 3 Takes

Take 1 – Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are fearless. The collective gasp when they ran their Bill Cosby bit was definitely an indication that they caused some discomfort in the audience. Unlike the rest of Hollywood, Tina and Amy weren't letting Cosby get away with anything. Take 2 – Nothing worked harder during last … Continue reading The Golden Globes in 3 Takes →

“No” doesn’t mean I don’t love you (at least not in my house)

While it may be early in the new year, I think we have a real contender for most ridiculous statement of 2015. Did you see the article in Saturday's NYT about the day spas for children which are popping up around the country? Well, I'm not even going to address that topic because folks are … Continue reading “No” doesn’t mean I don’t love you (at least not in my house) →

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I'm afraid of the impression we're making, we Americans, as I browse my favorite dirty little secret website, the Daily Mail UK, and read the post titles about America's Thanksgiving holiday. Titles with words like shopping and bargains and outrage. Sigh. This is what we're telling the world that we're about? This is how we … Continue reading Thoughts on Thanksgiving →