Category Archives: Politics

What Do You Read?

Posted on November 13, 2011 by sutterlearn

From time to time people ask me what I read to keep up with things from the classroom to the world.  Wide reading is a requirement at Sutterlearn.com and here are some of the sources I read regularly: Education Week … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Leadership, Politics, School Reform, Teachers, Technology | Leave a comment

The Marathon Metaphor Is A Lot of Simile

Posted on October 16, 2011 by sutterlearn

It was actually my wife’s goal to complete the Detroit Half Marathon today.  I just joined her for the time it provided us alone for early morning and sunny Sunday afternoon walks together as we trained.  As I ran, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Politics, Teachers | 1 Comment

RT3 Winners and Losers

Posted on September 25, 2011 by sutterlearn

I was recently reading an article about how states who won Race To The Top (RT3) funding awards from the federal government are now struggling to create appropriate models that evaluate teachers using 40% student achievement data and 60% observation … Continue reading →

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I Get Merit Pay!

Posted on April 1, 2011 by sutterlearn

For a while I’ve been in limbo about merit pay for teachers, or providing bonuses to enhance teacher salaries based on their professional performance or students’ achievement.  I thought I was leaning toward this being a good thing, given my … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Politics, School Reform, Students, Teachers | 1 Comment

Higher-Order Thinking

Posted on March 28, 2011 by sutterlearn

Stick with me on this, as it may be a little complicated and long, but one of the more profound realizations I’ve had since becoming enmeshed in public education! Around 1956 psychologist Benjamin Bloom unleashed his “taxonomy” of escalating thought-process … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Politics, School Reform, Teachers | 1 Comment

Playground Politics

Posted on March 20, 2011 by sutterlearn

Again it played out on television, this time with a backdrop of Libya.  It could have been Iraq or Afghanistan, perhaps even Vietnam years before.  Either way, we’ve seen it, teachers more than most.  The journalist is surrounded by adrenaline-pumped … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Parenting, Politics, Students, Teachers | 2 Comments

The Cuts Are Unavoidable, The Targets Are

Posted on March 14, 2011 by sutterlearn

This one will be short.  I understand where our new Governor, Rick Snyder, is coming from with his recent budget proposal for Michigan.  Some decisions have to be for the long-term.  I do not understand cutting a dime for early … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Super-Boogeyman: Still Scary, But Nothing New

Posted on March 13, 2011 by sutterlearn

A few months ago, I wrote a piece for a different blog about the documentary “Waiting for Superman” in which I forecasted how educators should see this movie upon its release to be part of the conversation that I felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Politics, School Reform, Students, Teachers | Leave a comment

Inputs to Outputs = Process

Posted on March 6, 2011 by sutterlearn

It is probably frivolous to create any extra ink about teachers’ rights or the plight this profession faces politically right now.  You would think there can’t be a rock large enough that someone living beneath still believes teachers make too … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Politics, School Reform | Leave a comment