A Lesson for the Rich from one of their own

In the Fall of 2021 multi-billionaire Mackenzie Scott, former wife of Jeff Bezos, made headlines in her quest to give away $6 billion. Her philanthropy has entered the news cycle again in a discussion as she donated another $2.74 billion to 286 organizations I applaud Mackenzie Scott not because of the amount of money, but

Big solutions are better than tinkering in education

In the past few weeks states and cities have started reporting budget surpluses. From Arkansas to Greenville to Texas, the coffers are full. Perhaps the biggest winner for the past year is California with a surplus of $75.7 billion. Already there is discussion as to what to do with the excess funds. When large sums

The Fear of “Indoctrination” in Education

There is a slew of legislation rolling out in state legislatures aimed at reducing “indoctrination” in education. Topics cited by legislators as dangerous in schools includes everything from critical race theory to the reality of pollution in the ocean. From Tennessee to Arizona to North Carolina, our lawmakers are concerned about education as a tool

What I don’t like about nonprofits

Nonprofits do some of the most important work in the United States.  I regularly read reporting from nonprofits such as EdSource, NPE, and Pew Research.  I give to nonprofits that support education research, preservation of nature, run aquariums and more.  Nonprofits provide essential services, education, and entertainment. The vast majority of the nonprofits have an

Ethnic Studies does not mean anti-White

In March the California State Board of Education unanimously approved a 900 page Ethnic Studies curriculum to help teachers educate students about groups that are different than them. The curriculum is voluntary and was developed over a multiple year effort and with thousands of public comments. The resulting curriculum is the fourth draft. The curriculum

Seeing the Disparity in Opportunity

As I walk through the Upper East Side of New York in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, I see kids everywhere. The playground at the back of the public elementary school is filled with screams and laughter. In the north end of Central Park, there are classes having PE or lunch. Some

Not my school

There is a curious loyalty that we universally have to our family, our team, our school. It makes sense. We want to be positive about communities in which we are involved. There is a pride in being part of a place. We invest in our school. It is the one we know. It is the

Biden’s tone deaf declaration of mandatory testing

In Mountain View, California, the public high schools are going back to in-person learning this week for the first time in over a year. They are doing a trial run where students who opted-in will attend two periods each afternoon except Wednesdays. For reasons that escape this writer, they have not had any live instruction

Think big for Fall 2021

To say it has been a rough year plus for students, parents, and teachers would be an understatement. Schools opened and closed. Some kids lived on Zoom while others were sent homework packets. Women left the workforce in great numbers to help support their now at home full-time children. Teachers left the profession at a

Moving forward: Challenges in Education

For the better part of a year, the vast majority of education news has related to the pandemic: what schools are and aren’t doing, anger from parents, battles between teachers and policymakers, the effect on students and more. Researchers are accumulating an impressive amount of data which will be analyzed for decades to come. All