by Christopher Paslay
In their recent editorial, School Breakfast Program, the Inquirer uses clever wording to once again suggest that Philadelphia public schools are failing to serve students free breakfast.
“Philadelphia principals are left to develop feeding programs as they see fit,” the Inquirer writes. “Many are unwilling to restructure the school day to serve breakfast.”
This [...]
Entries from March 2009
March 28, 2009
Inquirer editorial disparages principals, twists facts about breakfast program
March 25, 2009
Shaking-up the SRC: What makes a good leader?
by Christopher Paslay
According to a story in today’s Inquirer, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission is “headed for a major shake-up”. Sources state that Robert L. Archie Jr., a partner at the Duane Morris law firm, is set to replace current SRC Chairperson Sandra Dungee Glenn, and that there will be at least three new appointees [...]
March 18, 2009
New study finds charter school students may not be learning more
by Christopher Paslay
A new study released today by the RAND Corporation provides interesting information regarding charter schools. According to a recent article published on Education Week’s website, “. . . researchers still found it difficult to determine whether charter school students on the whole were learning more, as measured by their test scores, than they [...]
March 16, 2009
Inquirer editorial bashes Philadelphia public school teachers
by Christopher Paslay
Leave it to newspapers and politicians to oversimplify the problem with public education in America. The root causes of failing schools are much more complex than bad teachers and a lack of charters, as the Inquirer states in their recent editorial.
For starters, cell phones are destroying attention spans and producing a generation of [...]
March 12, 2009
The Notebook responds to Chalk and Talk article
by Christopher Paslay
On March 3rd, I posted an article here on Chalk and Talk headlined Do Phila. teachers really view minority children as criminals? In the article I criticized the Philadelphia Public School Notebook for running an objectionable editorial (Changing the odds) that suggested Philadelphia public school teachers were racist and afraid of the communities [...]
March 10, 2009
Bad evaluations don’t always equal bad teachers
by Susan Cohen Smith
Whenever President Obama opines, “Bad teachers need to be fired after being given the opportunity to train effectively,” I am troubled by the vagueness of his statement. Specifically, who should decide when a teacher is bad? What standards are to be used in making that decision? How is the “effective training” opportunity [...]
March 7, 2009
Computers distract from craft of writing
Note: This article originally appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on June 8th, 2006.
by Christopher Paslay
Although technology has brought many advancements in education, computers are beginning to have a negative impact on students’ writing skills.
Years ago, before programs such as WordPerfect and Microsoft Office, teenagers actually needed a pen and paper to [...]
March 3, 2009
Eye on The Notebook: Do Phila. teachers really view minority children as criminals?
by Christopher Paslay
In their recent editorial, “Changing the odds,” the Notebook discusses ways the Philadelphia School District can close the achievement gap between white and minority students. In addition to having engaging teaching staffs and building strong bonds between schools and surrounding communities, the Notebook talks about overcoming racism.
Perhaps the hardest barriers to overcome [...]
March 1, 2009
Paul Vallas reincarnated?
by Susan Cohen Smith
On a sweltering September day in 2002, mad dogs and school teachers sat out in the midday sun, awaiting the arrival of Starship Vallas to descend on our wretched souls and breathe new life into the beleaguered Philadelphia public school system.
Paul Vallas sailed into the School District of Philadelphia promising sweeping reforms [...]
