The Stories of Peoples
Posted June 11, 2012.
I find the United States Census fascinating. It has less to do with the numbers and more to do with storytelling. We’re all familiar with the basic trends. The U.S. population has been migrating south and west; we are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse; the general population is aging; and family structures are changing […]
The Problem is Choice
Posted June 7, 2012.
Societies around the world are facing big choices these days. They involve questions of freedom and determinism, cause and effect, morality and logic. The problem is choice. Yet, no choice we face comes without a cost.
We Work for Our Successors
Posted May 22, 2012.
Coming to peace with the past and carefully planning for the future leads us to the realization that every day we work for our successors. It’s true in our professional work, our volunteer and community service, our participation in communities of faith and even in our families.
Don’t Crop the Picture
Posted May 8, 2012.
I took this amazing mental photograph of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1983. Though I didn’t have a camera to record it, the image stays with me. The trouble is my mental imprint is not exactly what most would admire.
The Amazing Gift of Service Learning
Posted April 19, 2012.
College students are devoted to service in great numbers. This is encouraging to educators who understand the power of service in the learning context. The challenge ahead is to encourage and enable students to move beyond the programs and structures of schools and colleges as they graduate, and make service a lifetime commitment.
Education for Democracy: Restoring Optimism
Posted March 30, 2012.
A mythology has grown up around international standardized test scores for math and reading. It’s an appealing historic narrative for Americans – one laced with nostalgia for the “halcyon days” of education. A time when we were number one in the world in education as measured by student performance on these tests. The problem – it’s not true.
Education for Democracy: Does One-Size-Fit-All?
Posted March 15, 2012.
Education in the U.S. is a system of incredible scope and complexity. We have been trying to bake the “one-size-fits-all” education reform solution for nearly 50 years. Sometimes I wonder if there is a standard recipe used by state and federal governments for this purpose.
Education for Democracy: Trapped in the Hall of Mirrors
Posted February 29, 2012.
Wandering through the funhouse at the carnival eventually leads us to the hall of mirrors. We see images that are all based in reality. Yet, the images multiply, making it difficult to find the actual source. What we see is often distorted, not providing an authentic view. Eventually the mirrors become obstacles in our path as what appears to be the way out of the funhouse is just another reflection of non-reality.
Education for Democracy: What’s In It For Me?
Posted February 14, 2012.
We have a lot to consider about education in this country as our public policy choices have yielded less than stellar results for nearly 40 years. That’s a long time to be failing. At times like this I go back to a rather basic question: What are we trying to achieve?
Education for Democracy: Back to the Future
Posted February 1, 2012.
The curse of every generation is a loss of memory. The committee reports, task force results and plans of the past are too often overtaken by events and gradually drift from our collective consciousness. We look at the circumstances of today without any appreciation for the origins of what surrounds us.