Presidential campaign

We Don’t Need More Civic Ed

Eduflack American history, civics, Presidential campaign, reform

“But if we are going to learn – really learn – from recent civic activism and involvement, it is that civic education has spotlighted the glaring educational shortcomings that ensure that same education has lasting, meaningful impact in our communities. It has shown us the need to more deeply invest in the knowledge necessary to transform such action into long-term community action.”

Over at Project Forever Free, where I explore how the events of the last year demonstrate we don’t need additional civic education in the schools. Instead, we need history, SEL, literature, and liberal studies so that civic learning has real meaning.

Teaching Trump

Eduflack American history, BAM, civics, Presidential campaign, reform, TrumpED

The last few weeks of the Trump Administration will likely be how President Trump is remembered and how his legacy is taught in classrooms decades for now. Or so I opine on the final episode of the TrumpEd show on the BAM Radio Network.

Give it a listen over at: https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/opinion-teaching-the-legacy-of-the-trump-administration-its-complicated/

Learning from the 1776 Commission

Eduflack American history, civics, equity, Presidential campaign, race, reform

As one of his first orders of business, President Joe Biden officially disbanded the 1776 Commission established by Donald Trump last year, killing the group days after it released its report on the founding of the United States of America.

Over at The 74 Million, dear ol’ Eduflack has an essay about the Commission’s report and what we can, and should, learn from it.

As I write:

“The American record — whether it be measured by the 402 years since 1619 or the 245 years since 1776 — is hopeful and ugly, inspiring and debilitating, a shining beacon and an unshakable dark cloud. More simply, American history is incredibly messy and contradictory; how we teach it even more so.”

The full piece is worth a read. You can find it here: https://www.the74million.org/article/riccards-the-1776-report-is-a-political-document-not-a-curriculum-but-it-has-something-to-teach-us/

It Is Time for an American History Ed Czar

Eduflack American history, Cardona, civics, Presidential campaign, reform, teachers

“Look at 2020 to understand how important a history education czar is to improving K-12 and post-secondary education.

“We’ve witnessed history happening before our eyes, from how the world addressed a global health pandemic to how our nation addressed the call of Black Lives Matter. We’ve seen the first woman and woman of color elected to the second-highest office. And we’ve watched this wondering that no matter how significant, how history-making, how will we effectively teach about 2020 in the future?”

From dear ol’ Eduflack’s latest in the Stamford (CT) Advocate, calling for the Biden Administration to establish an American history education czar.

A New EdSec

Eduflack BAM, Cardona, DeVos, Presidential campaign, reform, TrumpED

In selecting Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona as his Secretary of Education, President-Elect Joe Biden may very well have selected the right candidate for the times and the various demands on federal education.

Over at the BAM! Radio Network, we discuss the nomination abs what it can and should mean for the future. Give it a listen here — https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/the-right-stuff-and-the-right-choice-to-lead-the-department-of-education/.

Campaigning is the Easy Part …

Eduflack American history, BAM, civics, Presidential campaign, reform, TrumpED

It’s very easy to focus civic engagement and civic education on voting. As such, we could take real satisfaction that the hard work is over, what with the 2020 elections behind us.

But the real work is must beginning. Now educators must focus on what comes next and who best to keep students engaged.

We explore the topic on TrumpEd for the BAM! Radio Network. Give it a listen here – https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/the-election-is-the-easy-part-the-challenge-is-what-comes-next/

Casting a Wide Net for EdSec

Eduflack AFT, DeVos, NEA, Presidential campaign, reform, teachers

“Safe choices like Eskelsen Garcia, Hrabowski, or even U.S. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott of Virginia would all be solid nominees and cabinet secretaries in the Biden Administration. But what if we tabled the safe, solid considerations for a moment and began to consider the bold, the innovative, and the atypical. At such a time of change and uncertainty in both our nation and our educational systems, considering the alternatives may be just what our schools, our educators, and our learners need.”

From Eduflack’s latest on Medium (and also published on Project Forever Free and The Education Post)

Voting Is The Easy Part …

Eduflack American history, BAM, civics, Presidential campaign, TrumpED

Election Day 2020 is officially over. Now, all that is left is the counting and the waiting. We are doing, barring the unforeseen, with the speeches, the commercials, the emails, the texts, the fundraising, and the angst that comes with an election year.

So as we wait for the remainder of ballots to be counted, it is essential that we teach that voting is the bare minimum we should expect from our citizenry. True civic education only began yesterday. Now the hard work must continue.

I discuss it further on the latest episode of TrumpEd on the BAM! Radio Network. Give it a listen!  

The Election Is the Easy Part: The Challenge Is What Comes Next

What We Have Is a Failure to Communicate Civics

Eduflack American history, BAM, civics, Presidential campaign, reform, Science, TrumpED

In recent years, we’ve seen that “civic education” is the new hot topic in public ed. With politically diverse states from Massachusetts to Florida now requiring civics instruction, many are seeing civics as the new STEM.

But with all of the talk about civics, and all of the dollars spent by philanthropy on civic education, we are seeing very little when it comes to concrete actions and measurable outcomes. Not only do we not know how to measure progress, but we likely see funder interest in the subject shrinking if the 2020 elections turn out a certain way. After all, then the voters may have addressed the need themselves.

Why are we struggling so with this supposedly important topic? One major reason may be our collective inability to define what civic education actually is. To some, it is government and politics. To others, civic activism. And to others, a watered-down version of history light.

Over on the BAM! Radio Network, we discuss the topic and how we need a common understanding if we are to take the subject seriously. Give it a listen here – https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/are-we-paying-enough-attention-to-civic-education-should-we-care/.

Train Wreck as Teachable Moment

Eduflack American history, BAM, civics, Media, Presidential campaign, reform, Social media, teachers, TrumpED

After a week, are we ready to accept that the first presidential debate can indeed be a teachable moment in our classrooms?

On the latest for BAM Radio Network, I explain how the performance was both the personification of our social media world AND a chance to teach how our society just doesn’t agree on basic issues (and that that is OK).

Give it a listen!

https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/time-to-teach-students-and-ourselves-to-accept-that-everyone-doesnt-agree-with-us/