“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” William Faulkner
Today I celebrate 20 years of writing Another View. 184 issues done; I hope a few more to go. (FIRST ISSUE: “Denver Public Schools:
attracting new students?” Sept. 28, 1998).
What might be of interest to those of you working in the education field
is a look at the topics that have been central for me. I worry about how ahistorical our education
efforts can be, the near-amnesia among policymakers and advocates regarding
what we said or did only a few years ago.
(See the “new vision” for education in Colorado from the Education
Leadership Council.*) This is one reason
why, in a separate role, as the coordinator of the Colorado Education Policy
Fellowship Program, I try to provide new Fellows each year a short history of Colorado’s
education reform efforts. In many cases such
work began well before they arrived in Colorado—or, yikes, for a few, before
they arrived—period! (For example, I
highlight 1993 as a significant year for standards and charters, which for today’s
25-year-old teachers/reformers born WAY BACK THEN is not even a distant memory.)
As I look
back I can see where I have failed to address many key issues over these two
decades. You will be sure to note them. Nevertheless, as shorthand for a glance at
issues that felt important to one observer—and sometimes participant (I returned
to the classroom for over eight of these 20 years; I wrote less often during
that time)—this two-page review might have some value. I hope so.
**
“Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty
hulking giants?” from Don
Quixote
MANY MANY thanks to all of you who have read a good number of
these, to any of you who has taken the time to comment, to those of you who
have provided encouragement. (Above all
to my mom, my most faithful - and uncritical! – reader, as long as her health
allowed.) I came to Colorado in 1990. In those first few years I saw how often I
held a minority view on current trends and policies, so it felt natural, in
1998, when I began this newsletter, to title it Another View. (Other
possibilities: An Opposing View; A
Skeptic’s –or A Dyspeptic’s View; or – some would say – From a Pain in the Neck.)
A painting of Don Quixote sits
nearby in my study. There has been more
than a little “tilting at windmills” these past 20 years. I know some see my perspective as foolish and Another View as a vanity
publication. Undeterred, l like mounting
weary old Rocinante and charging ahead.
I swear I see real giants on the horizon.
And my response https://www.denverpost.com/2018/08/14/tuesday-aug-14-2018-letters-state-of-education-rockies-love-clean-campaigns/
MOST FREQUENT TOPICS
OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS
Autonomy, freedom, “local control,”
governance –23, 41, 51, 60, 99, 123, 124, 136, 139, 155, 181
Charters – 4, 5, 9,
16, 21, 34, 37, 44, 48, 57, 87, 99, 129, 155, 180, 181, 184
-
Online charters – 147, 148
Choice – 34, 134,
135, 155, 184
--
Teachers, teaching, hiring – 4, 18, 24,
45, 52, 65, 66, 74B, 102, 127, 145, 153, 163, 165
Teacher evaluation – 62, 68, 74A, 84,
113, 145, 147, 176
--
Accountability –
7, 30, 32, 136, 150, 154, 157
State tests - 2, 26, 35, 38, 61, 63, 152,
168
Standards – 2,
13, 20, 21, 30, 38, 47, 76, 87, 96, 105, 112, 118, 119, 130, 132, 142, 155
Reading – 10, 36,
38, 40, 45, 50, 82, 87, 94, 101, 144, 168, 170, 182
Writing – 39, 45,
58, 82, 87, 105, 168
Common Core on reading and/or writing –
82, 96, 105, 112, 155
Character and civic education – 12, 28,
36, 38, 45, 102, 103, 119, 169
--
Mission – 28, 38, 83, 103, 161, 171,
174, 180
Education and the
Economy – schools and training for the workplace – 91, 115, 156, series on
“The Business of Education - is Education,” 171-175
Liberal arts – 20, 25, 103, 130
--
Governors (Owens, Ritter,
Hickenlooper)–campaigns, priorities, positions – 3, 14, 19, 42, 67, 70, 72, 93,
115, 120, 124, three-part series on priorities for our next governor: 170, 176,
179, and 184
--
Low-performing
schools, turnaround efforts, School Improvement Grant – 6, 17, 55, 81, 86,
88, 89, 90, 92, 106, 111, 121, 128, 142, 157, 159, 167, 179
Aurora Public Schools, schools in APS –
88, 98, 109, 116, 128, 141, 177
Denver Public Schools – 1, 2, 6, 10,
13, 19, 29, 34, 44, 48, 134, 135, 145, 178
--
Graduation and remediation rates, college
readiness – 70, 79, 131, 152, 162, 183
Advanced Placement in low-performing
high schools, CEI, DPS – 95, 114, 126, 137
High schools – 35,
44, 59, 129
School size, class size – 9, 69, 73,
129
--
RACE TO THE TOP – 55, 63
--
Another View – Sept. 1998 – Sept. 2018
1998-2000
1.
Denver Public Schools – attracting
new students?
2.
Has DPS established the right
targets to measure learning? (ITBS vs. standards)
3.
Post-election thoughts: I can see
clearer now? (after Owens’ election)
4.
Mile High Salute (to those who teach
in the inner city)
5.
Charter Schools–Making the Standards
their Own (project done with Colorado League of Charter Schools-CLCS)
6.
Reconstitution in DPS and across the
country
7.
Accountability – Can a school be accountable when the
district maintains control?
8.
National Charter Schools Conference
Comes to Denver
9.
School thoughts following the
Columbine tragedy
10.
DPS – Reading Scores,
Decentralization, and David and Goliath
11.
Charter Schools – Accountability and
Improvement – Are We Asking the Right Questions? (project done with CLCS)
12.
Character Education – Hard Work,
Important Work
13.
Candidates for the DPS School Board –
How many Denver students meet the standards?
14.
Comments on Gov. Owens’ Proposals to
Improve Public Education
15.
Inspiration from 20th Century Greats
(from Time magazine’s issue on
individuals who had the biggest impact on the 20th century)
16.
Charter Schools in Colorado
17.
Most of the Time, We Can (make a difference in the lives of students
in high-poverty schools)
18.
Questions – The importance of
questions – students, teachers, etc.
19.
4 pieces: A Nation at Risk? Owens, tenure. Dan Ritchie, D.U. Grading schools. Colorado Rockies, DPS.
20.
Standards, the Arts, Grading Schools
– and a Balanced Curriculum
21.
Education Reform – Defining Our
Terms – 4 components: #1 - Standards.)
22.
#2 - Choice
23.
#3 - Governance
24.
#4 - Professional Development for
Teachers
25.
A Good Education or What I Did on My
Summer Vacation (St. John’s College seminar)
26.
Why grading schools on CSAP scores
is inadequate
27.
How The Post & The News
cover K-12 public education
28.
Our Children, Our Youth – and a
Sense of Balance about School Reform
29.
DPS and the search for a new
superintendent – (after Chip Zullinger departed) – (Dec. 2000)
2001-2004
30.
Common Ground – A shared purpose: to
see Colorado students meet our standards
31.
Spending Amendment 23 Funds – Who
Decides?
32.
An Accountability Plan for Charter
Schools (project done with CLCS)
33.
The Learning Gap – in Colorado and
in Denver
34.
Choice in DPS – open enrollment, charters, vouchers – putting parents’ interests first
35.
CSAP and high schools – How to
respond to next week’s results
36.
Religion and Education, the Bible
and the Classroom
37.
Oxymoron: Mandatory Charters (Dec.
30, 2004)
2006-2007
38.
Our purpose as educators: success on
CSAPs just scratches the surface (Feb. 2006)
39.
Writing in Colorado schools – why
the decline, and what can we do to improve? (Aug. 2006)
40.
Core Knowledge Literature for Grades
7 & 8 (Aug. 2006)
41.
Freedom – Still Necessary (Oct.
2006)
42.
Campaigns and education reform –
speaking to the issues, or slamming your opponent? (Nov. 2006)
43.
Daniel Libeskind for Superintendent
of Schools? Yes – and No (Dec. 2006)
44.
Redesign for high schools – Examples
from charter schools (Jan. 2007)
45.
Teaching English and “Civic
Learning” – A unit of The African-American Experience - Six Writers (1860’s –
1960’s) – (Jan. 15, 2007)
46.
“Tough Choices or Tough Times” as a
guide for reform? No thank you. (Feb.
2007)
47.
Standards-Based Education Reform in
Colorado – Dead or Alive? (March 2007)
48.
A conversation on charter schools
(April 2007)
49.
A question for the community (June
2007) – “should this school district
exist?”
2008 - 2009
50.
“Relevance,” dropouts, and what we
ask students to read (June 2008)
51.
China and school districts – control
or freedom? (July 2008)
52.
What would make the biggest change
in education? Respect for teachers (Aug. 2008)
53.
School reform a civil rights issue?
If true, less happy talk, more constructive criticism (Dec. 2008)
54.
My classroom is not a Prius, and
innovation is not our goal (June 2009)
55.
Race to the Top – Item #4 –
Low-Performing Schools (June 2009)
56.
Staying Sober (July 3, 2009) – DPS –
“The best,” Hope vs. Hype, reality check
57.
Charters: No different from other
public schools? Really? (MacLaren School) (July 6, 2009)
58.
Four concerns about the DRAFT of the
new Writing Standards (July 17, 2009)
59.
Could high schools be part of the high school dropout problem? (8/09)
60. Are we beginning to see
a connection between school autonomy and a better teaching staff? (9/09)
61.
The Colorado Growth Model - Let’s
interpret with care, lest we misread its “good news” (11/09)
62.
So “teacher evaluation” is broken – but
is it worth fixing? (12/09)
2010
63.
Colorado’s RTTT Goal – 85% proficient
and advanced by 2014 (July 2010)
64.
On Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System (July 18,
2010)
65.
A Guiding Principle – Know Your
Students Well (July 30, 2010)
66.
When I teach I am like… (analogies)-
(August 18, 2010)
67. Questions from an Independent voter – for
both parties (Sept. 14, 2010)
68. A skeptic on SB 191 takes a closer look
(Sept, 26, 2010)
69. Rethinking the large middle school in our
cities (Oct. 25, 2010)
70. A new governor, a new goal: a high school
diploma=college readiness (Nov. 4, 2010)
71.
Anger, blindness – and grading schools
(Nov. 21, 2010)
72.
Note to the Gov.-elect, Kurt Vonnegut’s
“son” – Hickenlooper (Dec. 4, 2010)
73. Class size, Arnie Duncan, Bill Gates – A lump
of coal (Dec. 17, 2010)
2011
74. To recruit and keep great teachers–
A-Teacher evaluation
B–Quality of Teachers (Jan. 4, 2011)
75.
Education reform versus unions? (Feb.
21, 2011)
76. Colorado scores
an F on our history standards (March 5, 2011)
77. Hope and
Positive Thinking – or Determination? (March 21, 2011)
78. Education as a
central issue in Denver’s mayoral campaign (May 31, 2011)
79. Graduation Rates
in Colorado for Hispanic Students – Not good enough (June 24, 2011)
80. An apology to
the class of 2013 (assuming we do not change) – (July 24, 2011)
81. $37 million to Colorado for Turnaround
Schools – How’s That Going? (Aug 5, 2011)
82. Implementing
Common Core State Standards in Language Arts (Aug. 27, 2011)
83. Mission control– Traditional school? Charter
school? Or Donkey? (Sept. 22, 2011)
84. The new quarterback and new teachers–and an
account from a teacher who just resigned (Nov. 9, 2011)
85. 2011 – A Look
Back – Joy and Sadness (Dec. 12, 2011)
2012
86. One last swing –
before another $10 million is misspent? The School Improvement Grant
to DPS and
Pueblo City 60 (Aug. 23, 2012)
87. READING - Two
voices: a Colorado superintendent and a school leader in Harlem (Sept. 4, 2012)
88. Aurora Central
High – The Case for State Intervention (Sept. 18, 2012)
89. $14.8 million over
three years for turnaround efforts at six DPS schools (Oct. 4, 2012)
90. On NOT TURNING
AROUND SCHOOLS – Too quick to celebrate
… (Oct. 29, 2012)
91. Education and the Economy–Today’s Students,
Tomorrow’s Workforce? (Nov. 6, 2012)
2013
92. Regional
Recovery District – low performing high schools (Jan. 7, 2013)
93. Governor
reads two reports (Jan. 17, 2013)
94. State
goals – reading, math (March 6, 2013)
95. AP in
DPS, low-income schools (March 28, 2013)
96. Common
Core implementation (April 4, 2013)
97. Hamlet,
Flawed Consultant (April 22, 2013)
98. Aurora,
trends, new superintendent (May 29, 2013)
99. Charters,
bureaucracy, “What a B____” (June 30, 2013)
100. Technology (July 24, 2013)
101. Recommended Reading for 9th grade
(August 20, 2013)
102. Looking back – were good schools and good
teachers so different from today?
Part
1: Anne of Avonlea – Nothing new under the sun (Sept. 10, 2013)
103. Part 2: Emma Willard – founded in 1814 (Oct. 8,
2013)
104.
Part 3: National
Education in The United States of America, written by a relative for Jefferson (Nov.
2013)
105. Writing, Voice, Standards (Dec. 2013)
106. Turnaround schools, principals, leadership,
succession – who will follow? (Dec. 2013)
2014
107. On Ravitch - The hoax behind “The Hoax in the
Privatization Movement” - (1/2014)
108. When educators misuse the language – an
embarrassment of riches
109. Why turnaround schools do not turn around –
case study: Aurora Central High School
110.
Who’s in charge? – Can the school board and district tell the principal: “It’s your ship”-
and mean it?
111. Schools, Baseball, and Turnarounds – From
Worst to First
112. Standards ARE NOT Curriculum–but if you look
at these six [impressive] excerpts (Common Core)
113. Uncomfortable Questions: Implementing SB 191 –
Year One
114. Questions continue on rationale for more AP
class in our lowest-performing high schools
115. Sorry, Governors(s), but the purpose of
education is not … a job (Gov. Hickenlooper)
116.
Reporting” on Aurora Public Schools:
Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves-Awaiting
Evidence of Progress
117. Denialism – accountability and leadership (8/2014)
118. BALANCE – pt 1 – Let them talk - speaking, listening standards, inquiry,
discussion
119. BALANCE – pt 2 – Civic Education – Let’s make sure we offer a well-rounded,
rich curriculum …
120. Politics and education – An independent voter on the gubernatorial campaign (10/2014)
121. More federal dollars to Colorado for the
School Improvement Grant? (But have we
earned it?)
123. Redefining “local control” in 2015 – A hopeful
look forward (12/2014)
2015
124. Governance of K-12 Public Education in
Colorado – What’s wrong with
this picture?
125. Summary and Highlights from Report on K-12
Education in Colorado
126. AP Results – What the Colorado Education Initiative
won’t tell you
127. Hire your faculty this spring – not next
summer
128. Paris Elementary School (APS)
– 2012-2014 - a narrative
129. Evidence of success from
the charter world – smaller high schools
130. The
basis of a well-rounded liberal arts education for K-12: Colorado’s Academic
Standards
131. Higher graduation rates? A word of caution before we celebrate
132. Include World War II in our state's history
standards
134. School Choice in Denver – much good news, but is it too difficult?
135. School Choice in Denver – when marketing becomes half-truths
136. "Local control" not enough; the
state still has a key role in accountability
137. AP RESULTS - What the Colorado Education
Initiative won’t tell you - … but DPS will
138. For Seabiscuit, as you enter 9th grade
140. A
matter of trust: if the truth hurts, exaggerations hurt more
2016
141. Sherlock Holmes for Superintendent –
Curiosity and Aurora Public Schools
142. Brief for Commissioner- SIG and the bottom 5%
143. A knock on 21st century skills –
the latest cockamamie buzzword
144. Fulfilling the Colorado READ Act – A steep
climb ahead
145. Teacher Leadership & Collaboration: DPS
develops a better way to evaluate teachers
146. Glad/Jealous - Comparing Colorado with other
states (from Washington, D.C.)
147. A plug for student surveys in teacher
evaluations –even when they hurt
148. Part 1 – Are online charter schools working?
149. Part 2 - Online charter schools – HOPE/COVA
150. Adams14 School District, New Superintendent -
Year 5 on clock
151. One person’s listening tour – from that
“other” Colorado
152. Colorado: ACT results invite questions – grad
rates = college ready?
153. After three years of teaching – insights,
frustrations, and questions about the “profession”
154. Public Education in Colorado - Still
Accountable? To Whom? (SB 163)
155. Good news: Colorado
has moved away from a “one-size-fits-all” system
2017
156.
2071
– Department of Workforce Development – A History (a satire)
157. On closing schools – Swallow hard and admit
it: yes, even educators can fail
158. Attendance & Absences – if 90% of life is
showing up …
159. When “on the clock,” Innovation Status to the
rescue! – On what basis?
160. Glad/Jealous - Second annual report from
Washington, D.C. – Priorities for our
next governor?
161. Schools with a mission - What if all public schools were asked to define what they are about?
162. Higher graduation rates in Colorado – fake
news
163. After three years of teaching – over and out
– Tears, progress, departure
164. K-12 public education in Colorado - Are we
making progress? How to measure?
165. The privilege of being a teacher – To care – why we will not be made redundant
by A.I.
166. Don’t study distracted - Put the smart-phone away and focus
167. Even LESS evidence now to grant innovation
status to low-performing schools
168. ELA scores hide gap: time for the truth on
reading and writing scores
169. Recommended for non-partisan class
discussions on citizenship: Animal Farm
170. Priorities
for our next governor: #1 - How well can they read?
2018
#171 - #175 - A series under the heading: The business of education – is education
171. 2017 gave us plenty of evidence: mission of
public education is changing
172. Business takes control of the agenda
173. Our needy businesses call on education: Help! Workers needed!
174.
A new mission for community colleges: to
meet the needs of business
175.
CareerWise Colorado, apprenticeships,
and Gov. Hickenlooper
176. Priority
#2 for next governor: Teaching - what if a key “reform,” SB 191, undermines
trust?
177. APS school board still not being told student
achievement data in ACTION Zone
178. The potential for networks – when their
network actually means something
180. Mission statements from 10
high-performing schools – education for LIFE
181. The yearning for independence – districts,
schools, & the American Revolution
182. Schools and the English classroom: depression
& suicide
183. Remediation rates suggest our graduation rates
will soon fall
184. An Independent voter’s caution to candidate
Stapleton: school choice is not a silver bullet
