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Black Boys in Crisis: The Intersection of Poverty and Education

In this series, appropriately titled “Black Boys in Crisis,” I highlight the problems facing black boys in education today, as well as provide clear steps that will lead us out of the crisis.  My understanding of the black male crisis is deeply personal. In the articles in this series, I will tell a few stories from my past that illustrate what life is like for the average black male growing up in America. At the elementary school, I attended, most of the students came from families with incomes at or below the poverty line. Our neighborhoods provided us with few …

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Black Boys in Crisis: “Black People Can’t Be Doctors”

In this series, appropriately titled “Black Boys in Crisis,” I highlight the problems facing black boys in education today, as well as provide clear steps that will lead us out of the crisis. When I was in elementary school (the mid-1980’s) one of my teachers periodically brought professionals from the area to our class to talk about their careers. On one occasion, she brought in a black male doctor from a local hospital. He spoke for about fifteen minutes and then opened up the floor for questions. One of my friends (also a black male) raised his hand. “Are you …

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The A-Z of Education: Assessment and Evaluation

In this series, I hope to guide you in acquiring the vocabulary that you need to know to be considered a competent education professional. In this article, we will discuss education vocabulary centered on assessment and evaluation. Achievement Tests are tests used to measure knowledge in specific areas: mathematics, chemistry, social studies, etc. Alternate Choice Tests are the most common form of objective tests. They include variations of the popular true or false format (yes/no, agree/disagree, etc.). Assessment refers to the methods used to measure or gather information about what students have learned. This may be done formally, by requiring …

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5 Things That Educators Should Know About the Philosophy of Education

The word philosophy is derived from two Greek words. The first word, philo, means “love.” The second, sophy, means “wisdom.” Literally, then, philosophy means “love of wisdom” (Power, 1982).  Each individual has an attitude toward life, children, politics, learning, and previous personal experiences that informs and shapes their set of beliefs. Although you may not be conscious of it, this set of beliefs, or personal philosophy, informs how you live, work, and interact with others. What you believe is directly reflected in both your teaching and learning processes. This article explores the various philosophical views influence the teaching profession. It …

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The A-Z of Education: Preparing for Your First Year of Teaching

In this series, I hope to guide you in acquiring the vocabulary that you need to know to be considered a competent education professional. In this article, we will discuss education vocabulary centered on preparing for the first year of teaching. Click here to view all of the articles in this series. Active teachers are teachers who proactively seek to make advancements and improvements in all areas of education. Activities are practical tasks given to students to perform in order to learn a concept. Block schedule is a method of daily scheduling that allows students to change between fewer classes …

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The Edvocate’s List of 20 Must-Follow K-12 Teacher Twitter Feeds

To say that teachers are busy would be an understatement! Besides the act of teaching, you spend hours every day and on the weekend on lesson planning and grading. But it’s also important for teachers to keep learning, and the best way to do that is from other teachers. Thanks to modern technology, it’s now easy to connect with inspirational teachers and to learn from them. We’ve curated this list of educational Twitter feeds to help you stay up-to-date on new technology, burgeoning trends, and or even just a daily dose of motivation. We have considered the following qualities in …

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Disengaged Students, Part 3: The Role of Nationalism

In this 20-part series, I explore the root causes and effects of academic disengagement in K-12 learners and explore the factors driving American society ever closer to being a nation that lacks intellectualism, or the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The 20th century saw the rise of a new sort of anti-intellectualism in America, one stemming from a nationalist perspective. The idea that love of country trumped all other ideas and ideals was popularized during both World Wars, and exacerbated by the Communist paranoia and McCarthyism in the decades that followed. Speaking out against war or showing sympathy with …

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How companies learn what children secretly want

Faith Boninger, University of Colorado and Alex Molnar, University of Colorado If you have children, you are likely to worry about their safety – you show them safe places in your neighborhood and you teach them to watch out for lurking dangers. But you may not be aware of some online dangers to which they are exposed through their schools. There is a good chance that people and organizations you don’t know are collecting information about them while they are doing their schoolwork. And they may be using this information for purposes that you know nothing about. In the U.S. …

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Disengaged Students, Part 2: The Anti-Intellectualism of Thomas Jefferson

In this 20-part series, I explore the root causes and effects of academic disengagement in K-12 learners and explore the factors driving American society ever closer to being a nation that lacks intellectualism, or the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. It is easy to blame the rise of anti-intellectualism on the vagaries of the digital age, but in fact anti-intellectualism has been present in America from the beginning of our national history, and its roots lie in other civilizations. The Roman Republic had anti-intellectual overtones, particularly when it came to assimilation of new cultures. Roman culture was seen as …

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Black Boys in Crisis: Why Aren’t They Reading?

pass or fail

In this series, appropriately titled “Black Boys in Crisis,” I highlight the problems facing black boys in education today, as well as provide clear steps that will lead us out of the crisis. Though people outside the “Black boy” demographic like to think that American K-12 schools, workplaces and courthouses are pillars of fairness, those within the grouping know better. Study after study, research report after research report, and statistic after statistic all point to a crisis among the young, Black boys of the nation – beginning in homes, stretching to K-12 educational experiences, and leading straight to the cycle …

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