Editor’s note: redefinED continues its journey through the archives, reviving on Saturdays interesting posts on various topics that deserve a second look. In March, we’ll feature pieces on school accountability, beginning with this one that shines a light on War on Poverty liberals who supported private school vouchers in the[Read More…]
General
School Wars: Return of the Nerdi
Hello again Florida. I’m glad to be “back” although still from a distance – a distance I hope that will continue to have a utility. I’ll get to that in a bit. I’ve taken on a role as Editor of redefinED and I have been asked to introduce myself, which[Read More…]
New look coming Monday for redefinED!
Eight years is an eternity for a blog. And hoo boy, was redefinED beginning to show its age! So we’ve given ourselves a makeover. ???? We trust you’ll like the new look we’re unveiling Monday. It’s cleaner, crisper, more colorful. It’s also more functional, with a design that showcases multiple[Read More…]
Moving on
Today is my last day editing this blog. After 23 years as a Floridian, six years chronicling the politics and policy of the public education system that educated me, and four and half years writing in this space, I’m moving on to start a new chapter alongside my fiancee, who teaches[Read More…]
RedefinED is looking for a new editor
As readers will learn in more detail on Friday, redefinED editor Travis Pillow, an education journalist extraordinaire, is leaving Florida and this blog to set up shop in another hotbed of educational innovation – New Orleans. (Okay, so there’s also an amazing woman, who happens to be an enormously talented[Read More…]
Charter school couldn’t change Zoe’s past, but it changed her future
Zoe Jenkins hasn’t seen her mother or father in person in years. But a few months ago, she saw her father on TV. On a crime show. The 18-year-old was watching “Live PD,” a popular A&E program that follows police officers from around the country, often during nighttime patrols. This[Read More…]
Top teacher: Education can be a tool for social justice
AUSTIN, Tex. – Sydney Chaffee has taught her students about apartheid in South Africa. But students simply do not take notes and answer questions. They probe deep questions about morality and justice. “My students draw comparisons between South African kids’ activities and their own power and promise as young people,”[Read More…]
This California district has the mastery-based learning approach some Florida schools want
A school district in Central California is making the kind of changes some Florida schools hope to make – if the law would allow them. The Lindsay Unified School District has made changes allowing students to advance at their own pace. They can choose what areas they want to focus[Read More…]