How the “Learning Disability” Label Impacts Public Schools – The Politics of Education K-12
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12” by Lonnie Palmer The Rise of Special Education as an Industry Shortly after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was implemented, public schools across the United States experienced a significant increase in special education services. Principals and teachers, seeking to serve severely disabled students, formed consortiums […]
How Special Education Affects Public Schools – The Politics of Education K-12
An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12. by Lonnie Palmer The Rise of Special Education After PL 94-142 Special education in public schools has evolved significantly since the late 1970s, following the introduction of PL 94-142 and the new category of “learning disabled.” Initially intended to support students with genuine learning challenges, the category […]
Special Education: Good Intentions, Bad Results in Public Schools
An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12, available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer Shortly after I started my career as an educator, the federal government enacted Public Law 94-142[i], the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, which became widely known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA for short. The law was created […]
School Board Leadership: Why Politicians Shouldn’t Run Schools
An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12, available on Amazon by Lonnie Palmer School board leadership often determines the success or failure of a public school district. Yet too often, politics and personal agendas overtake sound leadership, creating dysfunction that hurts students, teachers, and communities. In New York State and many other states, turnout […]
Should we abandon bubble sheet assessments?
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12,” available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer Authentic assessment in education is crucial for building confident, capable students beyond test scores. Yet in a world obsessed with standardized testing, we risk missing what truly matters in learning. The bubble sheet test proponents frequently miss a key point in […]
How Poverty Shapes School Performance in America
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12” on Amazon. Buy Book by Lonnie Palmer Real estate agents – and anyone in the Albany, NY, area — will tell you Loudonville Elementary School, which is adjacent to Arbor Hill Elementary (one of the schools in the Albany School District where I was superintendent) is one […]
The Truth About Testing: Authentic Assessments in Public Schools
An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12, available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer Jim McMahon, a rookie English teacher in upstate New York, took a risk. Instead of relying on weekly spelling tests and bubble sheet drills, he had his “school group” students those with weaker academic skills and frequent discipline issues perform a […]
Another of China’s Five-Year Great Leaps Forward
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12,” available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer On June 1, 2013, I started a one-year stint as interim school superintendent for Berne-Knox-Westerlo (BKW) Central School District located 25 miles southeast of Albany, New York. The first item on my list of things to do during that school year […]
It’s the health insurance, stupid
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12” chapter: Where has all the money gone? by Lonnie Palmer When I started my first job as school superintendent in Albany, NY, in 1997, I quickly learned how teacher health insurance costs schools millions, draining budgets and complicating contract negotiations. I like many rookies who gained their […]
Why Education Spending Keeps Rising Without Results
An excerpt from “The Politics of Education K-12,” available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer Almost every time I told someone I was writing a book about education they asked the same question: Where has all the money gone? The American public knows we’re spending more on education than we have in the past. They also […]