By Juhyung Harold Lee as a Viewpoint in SchoolBook, December 23 2011. Lee argues that coaching -- learning effective strategies from trusted former teachers -- is the key to improving teaching.
Op-Ed by David Brooks in the New York Times, October 31 2011. Brooks finds that the disparity between college grads and non-grads is much more glaring than that of the "1%" who are the focus of the Occupy Wall Street and similar movements. And he finds that this disparity is seen in small cities and towns all over America. Not only does he cite income disparity, but also family structure and things like health risks.
By Nadine Dolby, Commentary column, The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 9 2012. In this commentary piece, Dolby describes a panel in which she invited her undergraduate education students to meet with a panel of "real" parents in the hopes of getting some new perspectives on K-12 education. As a matter of course, she required them to refrain from using cell phones, texting or tweeting. And she observed that these students then had a great deal of trouble just listening. She argues that, in a democracy, it's not enough just to share your own opinions, you must also listen to those of others. She concludes, "Teaching our students how to truly listen may be the most important multicultural lesson of all."
By Mike Rose, and posted to his blog (Mike Rose's Blog) on August 13 2010; Rose published this piece as a commentary in the Chronicle of Higher Education; the original article is available (on the Chronicle site) is available by subscription only. In this piece, Rose proposes a National Center for the Study and Teaching of Basic Skills in order to elevate the importance of basic skills.