Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/michael-diedrich/page/7/)
I was observed a lot during my two years of teaching. I was observed by principals, Q-COMP coaches, and TFA development staff. I was observed teaching well and teaching poorly. Too many teachers, however, go unobserved for too long. This is bad for them and bad for their students. Simply increasing the number of observations isn’t enough, though; the real key is using the right kind of observations. Continue Reading
Having produced a graph or two, I’m aware of the challenges that come with presenting data fairly. Choices need to be made about what type of graph to use, how to scale it, and so on. As such, I’ve grown sensitive to the choices others make in presenting graphs. Today I’m going to tackle a recent problematic example. Continue Reading
I got my start in education policy as a student activist. I testified at school board meetings in my hometown of Rochester, met with state legislators about funding equity, that sort of thing. An interest in education policy stayed with me through my time at UW-Madison. I didn’t want to be a career teacher, but I wanted to get classroom experience before pursuing anything else in policy or politics. Teach For America was a logical next step.
For as much as I criticize various education reform Continue Reading
“College and career ready.” That’s the mission of seemingly everyone in education these days. You hear it from the federal Department of Education, from the designers of the Common Core standards, from the various education reform advocacy groups, and so on. Continue Reading
Whenever I write about the dangers of growing student loan debt or the need to keep student interest rates low, I can usually count on someone showing up in comments to extol their personal story of working their way through college. Continue Reading
There’s a slow wave hitting Minnesota’s schools. Gradual, but inexorable, the share of our students coming from lower income backgrounds is growing. This has major repercussions for our schools and is something we need to do a better job preparing for and responding to.
Consider this:
In a couple weeks, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will hold a conference in Minneapolis. Continue Reading
I was driving from Roseville to St. Cloud a week and a half ago when the big thunderstorms hit. Twice, I got off the highway to park somewhere safe because I didn’t feel comfortable on the road. The following weekend I was heading down to Rochester and it was raining again. This time, the rain was less intense and I didn’t need to stop. Continue Reading
I am what is sometimes called a “reform skeptic.” What this means is that I tend to oppose certain proposals – generally having to do with the use of standardized tests and the way we evaluate, pay, and retain teachers – that are favored by a particular group of education reform advocates.Despite the fact that I have a broad record of support for many other reforms, it’s this particular narrow band of issues that apparently separates the true reformers from the skeptics. I’m generally at peace with this. Where I have a problem is when those of us who criticize the favored few positions are then labeled as not being “student-centered” enough. Instead, we are told, we are “adult-centered” or (gasp) “teacher-centered.”It’s right there in the name of Michelle Rhee’s group, Students First. Those of us who oppose Students First? Continue Reading