EricHoefler.com

I See a Glimmer

Saturday, March 14, 2009

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Yesterday, I lamented another piece of fuzzy-headed writing about education from a major news source. Today, I want to add that the comments, at least, give me hope. Most of them take Brooks to task in one way or another. And even better, the comments chosen in the “Editor’s Selections” list all point to the [...]

Rat on a Wheel

Friday, March 13, 2009

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I can identify at least two reasons my educational blogging has dwindled so dramatically in the last year: (big obvious one) I left the classroom and (increasingly more obvious one) the arguments around education reform make me tired. I feel like there’s very little that hasn’t already been said, and ignored, by someone, somewhere. Take this [...]

Do Unions Really Think This?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

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I guess I just didn’t realize that teacher unions think the educational system is mostly OK and just want “a whole lot more money … and a whole lot less accountability.” I can at least say that I don’t know any teachers who would agree.

Fewer Know-It-Alls

Monday, December 15, 2008

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In a post ostensibly about the Michelle Rhee article in Time, Chris Lehmann drops a quote that reaches well beyond Rhee and the pages of that magazine: We need fewer know-it-alls in education today. We need thoughtful, humble people who are willing to acknowledge their uncertainty and still do what they believe to be right. I find [...]

The World (of English) According to Me – Pt. 1

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

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[I realize this post is long. If you'd rather read this post as black text on white background, you can use the "Print This" link to view the post in that format without actually having to print.] In an earlier post, Humanities and the DY/DAN Method, I linked to Dan Meyer’s blog and his take on [...]

I'm Not in the 408

Thursday, May 22, 2008

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So TMAO’s post about his decision to leave teaching has made some waves on various blogs. I’d like to offer some personal perspectives (which he’s not asking for), but I’m not interested in second-guessing his reasons. I’m pulling some quotes from his post as a jumping-off point to respond to a few of his comments [...]

Fourteen Percent

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

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Mike Petrilli, in a recent post on the Flypaper blog, comments on a study in Philadelphia that measured the impact of a “healthy-eating” initiative in schools. Petrilli’s argument is that, since the study found that school intervention in students’ diets measurably decreased the incidence of obesity in those students, schools can have a “big [...]

Debate, Pop Culture, and Assessment

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

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I’ve been reading the “Bridging Differences” blog for a few months now and love it. These are two really smart, well-informed, thoughtful, and passionate educators engaged in one of the best examples of extended civil debate I’ve found online … and the hyperbole is justified. A few days ago, Deborah Meier posted “Let’s Play with [...]

Freakonomics Quorum on Testing

Friday, December 21, 2007

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The Freakonomics Blog (hosted by the New York Times) held a quorum on standardized testing and posted the contributions yesterday. The questions were: Should there be less standardized testing in the current school system, or more? Should all schools, including colleges, institute exit exams? Of the five responses, W. James Popham and Thomas Toch had the [...]

Educational Policy Recap

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

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Education Sector has posted the text of a presentation1 delivered by co-founder and co-director Thomas Toch. In it, Toch gives a brief but helpful recap of recent educational policy struggles, defines three main areas of tension, and suggests the likely outcome of each: National vs. local authority in school reform; verdict: national standards are inevitable Low-performing [...]

Remembering a Great Speech

Saturday, October 27, 2007

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While preparing for my next class session, I re-read John Taylor Gatto’s 1990 “New York City Teacher of the Year” acceptance speech. It’s worth re-reading regularly. It angers, frustrates, depresses, and inspires me. It scares me, too … scared for myself, for our students, for our future. I think we [...]

Who’s Afraid of Merit-Based Pay?

Thursday, October 25, 2007

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Doug Noon is talking about reform and merit-based pay on his blog today. I’ve been exchanging a few brief comments with TMAO about merit-based pay in connection with NCLB. I found the Eduwonkette post that Doug referenced to be helpful in thinking about this issue. The discussion in comparison with other professions [...]