Lately, there’s been a lot of rhetoric about education reform. But too many Americans believe that the word reform means that our schools are bad. In truth, there are many good things about our system of public education. But there are many things in education that do need to change. That’s why we need to focus on transformation rather than reform.

Americans love their teachers. This may surprise you given the current media storm surrounding public education. Yet 71 percent of Americans said, when asked in this year’s PDK/Gallup poll of the “Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools,” that they have trust and confidence in the men and women who teach in the public schools.

The McKinsey & Co. report, “Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-Third Graduates to Careers in Teaching,” is wrong. Fortunately, the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) presents a much better alternative: a forward-looking approach to attracting and retaining great educators that recognizes the intrinsic rewards great employees crave and deserve.

I watched the movie Waiting for Superman. It is a dramatic movie, and I like many in the audience, cried at the end.

If we’re talking about recruiting better teachers, why don’t we recognize that the place to start recruiting is high school?

I just finished an hour-long webinar (Kappan Conversations: Beyond the Printed Page) with Steve Wolk about his article in the April Kappan, “What Should Students Read?” In this exceptional article, Steve challenges schools and teachers to get out of the rut of teaching the same books year after year. By broadening the literature that students [...]

I rattled around the country quite a bit growing up — 18 moves and 10 schools in my first 18 years. And, no, neither of my parents was in the military! At a young age, I learned that different schools had different expectations for kids and different ways to teach those kids. I started learning [...]

The dean of a major college of education says “it is misguided to pay teachers more for earning a master’s degree.”

You must watch this inspiring three-minute video about becoming a teacher. I will send you a free DVD copy if you reply with your name and address. Bill Bushaw

This year’s PDK/Gallup poll of the “Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools” asked Americans the following question.  As you may know, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides increased funding to education. Which of the following areas in education do you believe should receive the most new funding? The number one choice expressed by Americans [...]