Even when you know something is coming, reading it in black and white  somehow makes it more real. It wasn’t until I read an email to all staff recently that I realized it was actually happening: one of my mentors, colleagues and friends was retiring from NJSBA.  I didn’t expect to feel emotional over her retirement, but I did.

Sometimes in life you are blessed to work with someone who is not only intelligent, talented, and hard-working, but someone who is such a positive personality that they are always a joy to work with. They are the kind of person who, if you have a problem with them, you better take a good hard look at yourself because everyone knows that they are not the problem. You are blessed to have worked with them because during that time they helped you make you a better professional.

I have been privileged over the past 14 years to work with Joanne Borin. I would like to take the time out from discussing the educational issues of the day (the world won’t end if we wait a week to talk about tenure reform, teacher evaluations or school funding ) to talk about someone who has been one of the most positive influences for me at NJSBA. (more…)

We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace.

Walter Lippman

The first casualty when war comes is Truth

                        U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson, 1917

 One of the most important things in understanding the elements of a public policy debate is the context in which the debate is being held.  In New Jersey the public education debate is akin to a war between two superpowers, the NJEA and the Governor.  Understanding this context will help observers who are not in either camp maneuver effectively through the conflict.  Let me explain.

In New Jersey public education is being discussed like never before. Everything is on the table, including items like teacher tenure, teacher evaluations, school choice, charter schools and, of course, school funding. Many of these issues affect the work conditions of public employees, who will not easily yield ground on such matters when they do not trust in the motives of the people leading the reform movement. They believe the motive of the reformers is not educational improvement, but breaking the unions and privatizing public education.

On the other side, (more…)

I could sense my cynicism growing and I could feel my optimism shrinking.  The more I watched, reported on, and analyzed the education reform debate, the less enthralled I became with the education war that is raging in New Jersey and across the nation.  The more the two sides argued about helping students and vied to prove that their side is more “about kids” than the other side, the more distant they seem to get from the students we all profess we want to help.

Let’s be honest: When politicians from any party show up to a school with the media and talk about education policy, they like having students as a backdrop. When activists bring students to protests, they too like having the kids as backdrops. We all do. After all, we know that it is all about the kids, right?  It can also be a great experience for the kids to participate in a democracy by seeing an elected official speak and answer questions or to take part in a protest.

While I agree that we should encourage our kids to get involved in democracy and in our government, I don’t think that we should fool ourselves. No matter which side we are on, when we use kids, it’s not only about the kids.  It is also about the adults wanting the backdrop of kids in order to make their arguments and efforts more effective.

Sometimes we also forget the realities of education when we debate our educational theories. It is also important to realize that our educational theories are just that – theories, and most theories have some flaws. No one can claim to have all the answers in education, although in a debate, sometimes it sounds like each side thinks it does.

So all of these ideas were percolating in my mind and I was feeling rather bored and discouraged with the public discourse. But one day last week, (more…)