The Blog
As a newspaper columnist, Nancy Devlin, Ph.D. has written over 700 articles on subjects related to education and parenting. Welcome to her Classroom!
The Aim of Education: Moral and Intellectual Autonomy
Once at a school conference, I asked the teacher is my son was empathetic. “If he sees a classmate in difficulty, does he try to help?” “Does he express concern if a classmate is hurt?” “If another child needs help … Continue reading
The Tyranny of the SAT
The Scholastic Appitude Test (SAT) produced by the Educational Testing Service measures verbal and mathematical abilities by means of multiple choice questions. Since most college admission offices use these scores to determine eligibility for admission, it is very important that … Continue reading
TEACHER TENURE
Teacher tenure laws are coming under close scrutiny, usually not in a pleasant way. One headline read: “When teachers should be expelled from class.” “New hope for getting ride of bad apples.” The assumption seems to be that tenure permits … Continue reading
Cooperative Learning Is the Cure For Bullying
Adults who model violent punitive behavior produce children who become bullies and who lack other techniques for solving problems. Don Olweus, a psychologist from Norway, studied 150,000 Norwegian and Swedish students and found that 8% of the children were bullies … Continue reading
Election Time — Educational Reform Time
Election time will be upon us. Many of the candidates try to make educational reform part of their platforms. Their dilemma is they do not know what to say. They know the problems, because their constituents tell them, but they … Continue reading
Attracting Competent People to the Teaching Profession
One of the problems involved in attracting competent people into education may be that it is the only profession which does not have “perks”. A perquisite, according to the dictionary, is a privilege or profit incidental to regular wages or … Continue reading
The Role of Administrators in Schools
I once heard of a Symphony Orchestra whose members hired the conductor themselves and kept him as their conductor as long as he helped them to produce outstanding music. If the conductor became unable to bring out the best the … Continue reading
Candidates and Education Reform
Election time will be upon us. Many of the candidates try to make educational reform part of their platforms. Their dilemma is they do not know what to say. They know the problems, because their constituents tell them, but they … Continue reading
How to Determine if Your Child May Have Difficulty Learning
Children who have different learning styles require programs which take into account these differences. Schools need to develop curricula for children who develop at different rates. There are some late blooming children who, if not allowed to develop at their … Continue reading
Who Decided?
Who decided that the concept of middle school for children from ten to fourteen was a good idea? At the very time when children are most insecure, they are forced to leave a familiar environment where they know the … Continue reading
