On Saturday, June 2, the New York State Education Department imposed a new teacher evaluation system on New York City teachers. The controversial system evaluates teachers using multiple kinds of data, including principal observations and student test scores. Other school districts in New York had already adopted their own forms of the plan…
Leader of Teacher Cheating Ring Sentenced to Seven Years
Clarence D. Mumford, Sr., the leader of a teacher cheating ring designed to help educators pass on certification exams, has received a seven year prison sentence. As part of the cheating ring, Mumford had prospective teachers in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee pay him to have other individuals sit for their certification exams. In the 15 years Mumford ran the cheating ring, he collected over $120,000.
From 1995 to 2009, Mumford’s cheating ring went undetected. As part of the scheme, he altered driver’s licenses to allow his test-takers to sit for exams in other states. In exchange for paying Mumford thousands of dollars, aspiring teachers were supposed to receive a passing score on the certification exam — which were taken by Mumford’s test…
Want to Effectively Prevent and Reduce Bullying? Promote 21st Century Learning
Jim Dillon has been an educator for over 35 years, including 20 years as a school administrator. While he was the principal of Lynnwood Elementary in New York, he developed the Peaceful School Bus Program, designed to prevent and reduce bullying, and subsequently published The Peaceful School Bus (Hazelden, 2008). The program is now being implemented in schools across the country. He is the author of No Place for Bullying: Leadership for schools that care for every student (Corwin, 2013). Jim is currently an educational consultant for Measurement Incorporated. He makes presentations and conducts workshops on a variety of educational topics, including instruction, classroom management, leadership, and supervision. Jim has presented at many local, state and national conferences. …
Book Review: “How to Find Fulfilling Work” by Roman Krznaric
Meaningful work that provides a deep sense of purpose and fully utilizes an individual’s talents has become a key component of a satisfying life. Unfortunately, so many career options are available that finding one that is personally fulfilling can be an elusive goal. This concise little book provides a roadmap for achieving that goal.
How to Find Fulfilling Work includes anecdotal case studies that show how people have organized their lives around fulfilling work. There are also exercises and quizzes designed to help readers define and reach career goals. What sets this book apart is its use of philosophy, literature and history to create a wider fram…
Book Review: “How to Change the World” by John-Paul Flintoff
Don't be dissuaded by this book's ambitious title. It's not about leading a revolution or coming up with a groundbreaking invention. Instead, author John-Paul Flintoff promotes the idea that history is created, according to Tolstoy, by "an infinitely large number of infinitesimally small actions."
Flintoff believes that we all have the power to change the world around us. He uses interviews and anecdotes from everyday life as well as examples from history and literature to provide fresh insights into the nature of change. In addition to Tolstoy, Flintoff draws on the work of Iris Murdoch, Gandhi, Hume, Socrates, Dale Carnegie and other great thinkers to illustrate his points. Ra…
Chicago Closes 49 Schools
In an attempt to address their budget deficit, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close 49 schools in the district. The vote to close the 48 elementary schools and one high school took place after numerous protests from concerned individuals. Since March, when the decision to close 53 Chicago schools was first announced, over 34,000 individuals have attended public hearings to express their outrage, but in the end, 49 of the 53 schools made it to the chopping block. Since 2003, the Chicago school district, the third largest in the United States, has lost nearly 145,000 students, leaving many of the schools to be cut only half full. By closing the schools and transferring to students to other schools, the district has the potential to save…