End Totalitarian Teaching (Part 3 of 7)

This article is the third in a seven-part series that implores teachers to abandon their attachment to outdated, oppressive, and arbitrary control issues, in the name of harboring a more positive, fostering learning environment.  Each part of the series focuses on a different aspect of control.  Part 3 focuses on the aspect of enforcing dress code.

End Totalitarian Teaching (Part 2 of 7)

This article is the second in a seven-part series that implores teachers to abandon their attachment to outdated, oppressive, and arbitrary control issues, in the name of harboring a more positive, fostering learning environment.  Each part of the series focuses on a different aspect of control.  Part 2 focuses on the aspect of prohibiting and confiscating non-violent toys.

End Totalitarian Teaching (Part 1 of 7)

This article is the first in a seven-part series that implores teachers to abandon their attachment to outdated, oppressive, and arbitrary control issues, in the name of harboring a more positive, fostering learning environment.  Each part of the series focuses on a different aspect of control.  Part 1 introduces the general problem and focuses on the aspect of classroom rules.

The Demerits of Merit Pay

This article argues that merit pay can only be detrimental to the educational system, on the basis that “merit” cannot be adequately or fairly measured, and that creating competition among teachers will destroy the collaborative atmosphere among colleagues and will promote dishonest behavior among teachers.

Not Everyone Is an Alpha… And That’s Okay

This article asserts that our society is weakened by the insistence on focusing exclusively on academic skills — particularly English language arts and mathematics — while increasingly ignoring the tremendous importance of cultivating students’ potential in the arts, athletics, electives, and vocational fields.

One Fell Swoop

This article criticizes the February 23, 2010 decision of the Central Falls School District Board of Education to fire the entire teaching staff of Central Falls High School, Rhode Island.  The article emphasizes the idea that secondary teachers cannot be held entirely accountable for student performance, owing to a great variety of influences on student development before their high school experience, and reinforces the idea that the existing educational system does not adequately prepare many students for state tests, which are a poor measure of student learning anyway.

Pass the Cheese, Please

This article criticizes the merit of the California High School Exit Exam based on the extremely low expectations it sets for students.

Inefficacies of the California Social Science Standards and a Proposal for Change (Part 3 of 3)

This article is a transcription of the third and final chapter of my Master’s Thesis from December 2009.  In this chapter, I propose an action-plan for completely overhauling the California Social Studies Standards and the system of high-stakes testing designed to test their efficacy.

Inefficacies of the California Social Science Standards and a Proposal for Change (Part 2 of 3)

This article is a transcription of the second chapter of my Master’s Thesis from December 2009.  In this chapter, I summarize the contemporary scholarly dialogues on the California Social Studies Standards.  I then contribute to the dialogues by describing the weaknesses inherent in the standard, which make the subject difficult for students to learn, thereby resulting in low scores on high-stakes tests.

Inefficacies of the California Social Science Standards and a Proposal for Change (Part 1 of 3)

This article is a transcription of the first chapter of my Master’s Thesis from December 2009.  In this chapter, I introduce the research I conducted regarding weaknesses in the California Social Studies Standards, and I articulate my intent to demonstrate why a complete overhaul of the K-12 standards is necessary to improve student interest, retention, and test scores.