Mindworkers

Charlet T. Kerchner / MindWorkers

‘California The Great Exception’ at Education Week

Education Week has published an opinion piece about California that I think sets the tone for substantive discussions about the direction of public education in the United States.  The state, pointedly, is not following Arne Duncan’s lead, but it is not following Diane Ravitch either.  It’s headed in a third, or is it a fourth, way. […]

‘On the Road’ with the Common Core

I’m headed out on what I am calling the Common Core Road Trip, to see what schools in California are doing with the prescription to teach to “fewer and deeper” standards.  Over the next weeks and months, I’ll be traveling the state, and telling the stories of how the 30,000-foot glossy promises of increased student […]

The DMV and Expensive French Shoes: Who Treads Better?

I’ve had a close encounter with the California DMV.  The dreaded Division of Motor Vehicles required that I take the exam before it would renew my driver’s license.  Since I had not taken the written driver’s test for nearly 40 years, the experience filled me with much trepidation, and put me in a room with […]

The Conversation I didn’t Have with Barack Obama

12/31/13 Kailua, Hawaii: I’ve been working on an Obama sighting for several days now.  He’s vacationing here, and we jog on the same beach…just not at the same time.  But a rum-punch inspired dream conjured up this conversation: CTK:  Nice day, Mr. President. BHO: Chuck!  Fancy meeting you here. CTK: Just vacationing with my family. […]

Reporting on Common Core starts in Pomona with candid talk between labor and management

  I spent two days this week with the teachers and administrators of the Pomona Unified School District as they sought to find a way forward in implementing the Common Core. Associated Pomona Teachers took seriously the requirement in California law that school districts were supposed to “consult” over implementing the new standards and testing […]

Big Money and the School Board: An Annotation of a “L.A. Times” Op-Ed

[This story has also been posted at Ed Source.] The Los Angeles Times Monday printed an op-ed piece I wrote about last week’s school board election, where a coalition of deep pockets givers spurred by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spent over $63 per vote.  It was not only big money but also money badly spent.  (Read […]

Further Thoughts About Teacher-Run Schools

The discussion about teacher-run schools prompts me to jot a bit about why I am fascinated by this small, iconoclastic form of organization. I am, first of all, simply charmed by the schools I visited.  They are interesting places full of interesting people—both faculty and students.  There is a vibe and intensity to being there.  […]

Pictures Added to the Gallery; Take A Look

There are new pictures in the gallery, including the image shown here of Death Valley in the early morning.  I had rolled out of bed at Stovepipe Wells before dawn in order to capture the rising sun over the desert.  This, with a little enhancement, is one of the results. In addition, there are the […]

Jumping from One Reform Horse to Another

I penned this last week in advance of the trigger budget cuts that are likely to hit the Los Angeles Unified School District later this week.  Some Christmas present, kids. In a new labor agreement that embraces local school autonomy, Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent John Deasy has jumped from one school reform horse […]

CAVA: Learning at Home, Not Home Schooling

The California Virtual Academy has grown to become a mid-sized school district, enrolling more than 10,700 students who study at home.  But CAVA officials are quick to disclaim that the organization is in the home schooling business.  As traditionally understood, home schooling is a vehicle for parents to gain virtually complete control over what and […]

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About

Charles Taylor Kerchner is an Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow at Claremont Graduate University. My daily musings appear in the blog. The archives of my EdWeek blog are available via link under the 'On California' head. Some of my photography can be seen by clicking on 'Gallery.' And numerous links to academic work and other research and commentary can be found by clicking on 'Projects.'

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