Sunday, December 2, 2012
Or, how one editor gets out of her town and finds there's a wider world out there.
I got out of East Greenwich three times last week and returned each time with a yearning to tell new stories. I write this essay partly to hold my feet to that fire. That's because, in this job, it is WAY too easy to be waylaid by the next meeting, accident, store opening – as worthy as they might be – passing up stories that address bigger, more complex issues. Last Monday, I attended a meeting of the Department of Education's Race to the Top steering committee at the Rhode Island Foundation in Providence. Though the meeting was open to the public, I think I was the only reporter there. I got to see Dept. of Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, just returned from a three-month medical leave because of surgery to remove a brain tumor. But…
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Instead of a "race to the top," Bob Houghtaling argues for a more inclusive model.
Just the other day I was able to catch Ben-Hur (winner of 10 Academy Awards) on television. I hadn’t seen the movie in ages and it reminded me of the time my father took me to see it. I was six and fell asleep. The part of the film that always comes to mind is the famous chariot race. It’s as exciting today as it was so many years ago. While watching Judah Ben-Hur circle the dirt track I began thinking about another race — Race to the Top. How I got from Ancient Rome to today’s educational system is anyone’s guess. But, it got me to cogitate about how racing is a competitive thing. There are winners, losers and bumps along the way. I began wondering why the term “Race To The Top” was chosen as the motto to better the education of young …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Five things you need to know about East Greenwich today, Dec 13.
"Moms Helping Moms”: The East Greenwich Strategic Support Mentoring Program presents a program for moms (and dads) about the isolation of new parenthood, post-partum depression, resources for parents and more. Light refreshments will be served. At Meadowbrook Farms Elementary School from 1 to 3 p.m. Race to the Top meeting: Education Commissioner Deborah Gist will be meeting with school officials from around the state today from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Airport Hotel, 1850 Post Rd., Warwick. RIDE will present information about ongoing work under the Race to the Top grant and a panel of educators will discuss the implementation of educator evaluations across the state. Main Street Association meeting: The panel will be discussing …
Judy Stenberg
7:52 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Re: teaching coaches. I wonder if this would be necessary if current teachers had the kind of preparation and training that I had back in the early 60's. Judy Stenberg more ›