Thanks to all for a wonderful evening with Fr. Greg

Fr. Greg Boyle did his thing last night, and we did ours. G, speaking without notes, held a crowd of 400 spellbound as he moved from outrageously funny stories about his beloved Homies to quiet moments of homily: you are exactly what God had in mind when he made you. An extraordinary man with an […]

Tickets Selling for Fr. Greg Boyle Speech and Book Reading to Benefit Homeboy Industries

Tickets are selling fast for the Fr. Greg Boyle speech and book reading at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21. at the United Church of Christ in Claremont, 322 W. Harrison. (Update: There will be tickets available at the door.) The UCC in Claremont is co-sponsoring the event along with a group of volunteers, The Claremont […]

September 21: Hold the Date. Fr. Greg Boyle to Speak in Claremont

Knowing that Homeboy Industries is in dire financial condition, some of its friends in town are sponsoring a fundraiser/book reading with Fr. Greg Boyle on September 21. Fr. Greg founded Homeboy in 1986, and it has become both an extraordinary ministry and a national model of gang intervention. As their logo says, “Nothing Stops a […]

Missing the Point on Cortines

The Los Angeles Times editorial about Ray Cortines missed the point big time. I’ve written a Huffington Post piece that I think gets things into the right perspective. Comments welcome here or on especially on the Huff Post site. Meanwhile, happy to be back from vacation. Many thanks to Kamil and Meral Ozerk for […]

Action on the Parent Movement for Commercial Property Taxes

Since I wrote about Jennifer Bestor and her research into inequities in commercial property rates in Menlo Park, I’ve read about additional activities in Silicon Valley. John Fensterwald writes about parent activists in Cupertino and elsewhere in the Bay Area. Read Here. This thing may have legs.

Turning Around Troubled Schools

Markham Middle School in Los Angeles has become the poster child for the systemic failure to turn around troubled schools. In 1997, Markham was on the bottom of the heap in 1997 when the average student scored in the 16th percentile in math and the 12th in reading. Since then, the Los Angeles Unified School […]

Some Lincoln Republicans Meet The ‘Do It’ Democrats

Yesterday, I wrote in the Huffington Post about a delightful woman in Menlo Park who has taken to tilting at windmills. In all other respects, Jennifer Bestor seems quite sane, but she felt called to take on the tax inequity caused by the way Proposition 13 treats commercial property. Unlike houses, businesses don’t sell that […]

A Grand Mother’s Day

We visited Charles and Tracy over Mother’s Day and were treated to their legendary hospitality. Walked into Laguna Beach to the Big Fish Restaurant for delicious raw, and a little cooked, fish. Stopped into the Royal Hawaiian for an after dinner drink and a look at the Lakers finish over Utah. Grand. But also look […]

“Learning from L.A.” Recognized as Publication of Year

The American Education Research Association interest group on District Research and Reform has named Learning from L.A.: Institutional Change in Public Education as its publication of the year. This is a great and congenial group that has the wisdom of beginning its business meeting with good wine and cheese followed by a first-rate discussion of […]

A Feel Good Look at Learning’s Future

I have written warmly about Scotland’s national education intranet service, Glow, and at the end of the piece asked, “why can’t this be done here?” In part, I am finding that it can…and is. The Los Angeles Unified School District has an ambitious technology plan, has spend a bundle on infrastructure, and green shoots of […]

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'On California' at EdWeek.org

I have concluded my opinion blog on the Golden State's politics and education policies at EdWeek.org. An archive of the 281 posts can be reached by clicking HERE

Learning 2.0

Learning 2.0 is the next full scale version of public education, one that builds on the capacity of the Internet age.

The five elements of Learning 2.0 are explained by clicking HERE:

Mixing acquisition of knowledge and practice, head and hands.
An individual education plan for everyone.
Understanding that students are the real workers in the education system.
Unbundle teaching, testing, and mentoring.
Add collaboration and solving tough, ambiguous problems to the list of basic skills.

Recent Projects

Teacher Work and Teacher Unions
‘Learning from L.A.: Institutional Change in American Public Education’
Teacher-Run Schools

Currently Reading

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.'

Mindworkers

Charlet T. Kerchner / MindWorkers