EducationNews.org

by John Jensen, Ph.D.               A few years back when I was working with middle school students, I asked 60 of them if a learning contest would motivate them to study harder. In the design I explained, 1) their sustained mas...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.              I want to share with you two letters.  I wrote one after receiving a note from Dave, and the other after hearing Dave’s response to my draft of the first.    Dear Board Members (1),&#...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.              Several decades ago when differences between right and left brain thinking were first explored, a story was told to illustrate.             During World War II, sunken warships obstr...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.              There are at least two good reasons for doing research about educational methods. One is for adults to decide whether or not to employ a particular strategy or condition. The other is to motivate st...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.               It occurred to me this morning that many things are utterly plain about education that simply aren’t being done.  They are plain at the level that a flat tire rocks the car.  If you’re p...

by Joe NathanMike Rose writes about Anthony with honor and humility. Anthony is one of the many students we learn about in Rose’s remarkable, eloquent, brief book, “Why School?”Rose is a 40-year teacher who has won several national awards. But ...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.              The only lever I have over this student before me is what I ask him to do with his attention.  Since I’m not going to lay hands on him to push or pull him one way or another, my words are my sole...

                                                        by                                                Ron IsaacThree of the most incongruous...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.             A narrative, the story a group tells itself about what it’s doing, guides those in it to cooperate toward its purpose. Out of the 360 degrees of the compass toward which we could set sail, our n...

John  Jensen, Ph.D.             Today I do something that works better in the classroom and think “Why doesn’t everyone do this? The kids learn so much faster.”           Then I step back and look objectively ...

by John Jensen, Ph.D.   (Applicants for a Superintendent’s position are welcome to adapt or copy the following free of charge.)   Dear Board Members,             During the interview process, your questions...

When Congress takes up reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, whether in 2010 or later, the results will define the nation's education policy for years to come. One of the challenges is reconciling sharp differences about how ...

By John Jensen, Ph.D. Imagine you’re a sports promoter. You stage races, but your runners keep falling down.            Attempting to apply cause and effect, you change the track from dirt to gravel but the problem continues. Y...

Teacher Incentive Plan a Bust  Who needs incentives?  Since when is it necessary to provide teachers with incentives to teach? I’ve had experience in the two worlds of business and education. In business, I was director of informat...

Seminal moment arrives in the ‘boy troubles’ debate  U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, referring to what I’ve been writing about — along with parallel reporting by U.S. News & World Report — launches an investigation into col...