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 What a terrific piece in New York Magazine by Justin Davidson. A must read, with lots to consider around the issue of "bequeathing musical taste." Justin sees this as a parent's job, which is true, of course. However, for the many parents who work two jobs or who are simply not up to that particular job, it falls to the public (and private) schools to provide what Justin … [Read more...] about Daddy, don’t you have some baby music?

I am a little bit behind in my posts, as I am on vacation this week. Actually, it's a "stay-cation," as I am just hanging around home, going to local beaches, etc.Testing, testing, testing. It's practically all you hear about thanks to the school reform zeitgeist. We are hearing a lot about how effective the testing is, and of course, all the prep time for the tests doesn't … [Read more...] about The Culture of Testing Doesn’t Make the Grade

There's an article in today's Washington Post that is a must read for a number of reasons. First, you've got a mayor and schools superintendent who have made a public commitment backed by dollars (really!), to place music, art, and physical education teachers in every DC public school. A study comes out saying that this is going to result in "teacher shortages, large class … [Read more...] about DC Schools: VERY Interesting developments…

The New York City school district is unlike any in the nation in two distinct ways: there is no real school board here (I often tell people we have a "fake school board--they laugh...), as the mayor has complete control of the schools; and the sheer number and frequency of reforms instituted by the city since 2003 would be hard to imagine anywhere else. That being said, bits … [Read more...] about The Truth Squad: Coming to A School District Near You?