“For Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, it’s not enough that the Philadelphia School District offers free breakfast to every single child in every single city school. Now, principals must coax the students into eating it.
Under a new district policy, principals will be held accountable for the number of student breakfasts eaten in each school. District officials reason [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Inquirer Articles’
October 13, 2009
Breakfast shouldn’t be on the principals
May 12, 2009
Readers cynical about forcing seniors to apply to college
by Christopher Paslay
Yesterday, I published a commentary in the Inquirer headlined Seniors need a backup. The article had two main points: that graduating seniors should have a contingency plan in place in case things don’t work out as anticipated after high school; and that schools should do more to help students take advantage of the [...]
May 11, 2009
Seniors need a backup
“For years, I’ve argued that high school seniors – especially in Philadelphia – should be required to pursue higher-education options. Doing so could be a component of senior projects that are already required.
The new requirement would be simple: Every single graduating senior must successfully apply to a community or four-year college, or to a trade [...]
April 4, 2009
Philadelphia teachers are making a difference, despite bad press
by Christopher Paslay
Philadelphia public schools and their teachers have been getting quite the media exposure this week. On March 31st, the Inquirer ran a story headlined, “Group urges improved teacher quality in Philadelphia”.
The gist of the story was that as a whole, the Philadelphia School District lacks “quality” educators, and that too many of [...]
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 [...]
February 5, 2009
African American literature must be taught with great care
by Christopher Paslay
NOTE: This article was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on February 22, 2006.
The students I teach are growing up in a world where race seem less of a pressing issue than ever before. Billionaires can be black (BET founder Robert Johnson), rappers can be white (Eminem), and top golfers can be a little [...]
November 23, 2008
Bring Tracking Back to Classes
by Christopher Paslay
Ask any professor of education about differentiated instruction and they’ll tell you it’s the hottest thing since Joe the Plumber. For those not up to date with current education jargon, allow me to give a textbook definition of differentiated instruction:
“To differentiate instruction is to recognize students varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in [...]
October 28, 2008
Schools Reflect Communities
“If parents and students don’t get actively involved, how will extending the school day improve academic achievement? If education isn’t made a priority in children’s homes, what will requiring more professional development for teachers accomplish?”
To respond to today’s Inquirer commentary, “Schools reflect communities,” click the comment button below.
Thanks for visiting.
October 13, 2008
Better Way to Police Teens
Note: This commentary was originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on January 25, 2008. I’m reprinting it here on Chalk and Talk as a means to try to ease tensions between teens and police in light of the incident at Sayre High School last week.
by Christopher Paslay
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover once said that justice [...]
