How Parents Can Support Special Education at Home

Introduction Supporting your child’s special education at home is one of the most powerful ways to improve their progress, confidence, and independence. While schools provide structured support, your home environment can reinforce learning, build critical life skills, and create a consistent path toward success. If you are a parent navigating special education, here’s a clear, […]
Secrecy killed the Common Core

An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12, available on Amazon. by Lonnie Palmer One of the many things that contributed to the turmoil during the initial rollout of the Common Core-based testing was the secrecy. Teachers were unable to review even sample tests, which contributed to teacher, student and parent fears. What exactly are […]
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 […]
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 […]