Dear Colleagues: Next week, families and friends across Sacramento will gather at dinner tables to celebrate Thanksgiving. And although I like turkey and mashed potatoes as much as the next person, I have to say that the best part of Thanksgiving is, in fact, “giving thanks” – acknowledging with gratitude things that go right in life. There is something reassuring in affirming out loud that, despite our challenges, we have much to rejoice in. Come to think of it, this is a good message for all of us in education. Public schools have taken a thumping this year from movies like “Waiting for Superman” and from those justifiably worried about how well our educational system is preparing

Dear Colleagues: Recently, I attended a screening of a new documentary film that has sparked a conversation across the country about the challenges facing our public education system. I know what you’re thinking, but, no. This isn’t about “Waiting for Superman.”   The movie is called “Race to Nowhere,” and it brings up some important issues about kids and schools. Made by a parent, the film examines what we’re teaching our kids, how we’re teaching them and, perhaps most importantly, why we’re teaching them.   It begs the question: What’s the goal of a K-12 education?   Is the point of our work simply to prepare our children to memorize facts for those stressful days in May when the

Dear Mr. Mayor, I know that you have been busy with the election and all, and then the wedding plans, and  finding a place for Sacramento’s homeless, and keeping the Kings in town, the rail yard deal,etc. etc. etc. But Dude; you gotta proof read the emails your vast media machine puts out. They got some of it wrong. I did a quick Big Education Ape touchup: what do you think? your pal, Mike Correction: Vote for  Community! Dear Neighbor, This email isn't going to bore you with the standard "here's why Election Day is important to democracy" lecture. If you're reading this, you know Election Day matters. What you may not know is why Tuesday means so much down the ticket -- where the sch

COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF JONATHAN P RAYMOND Last week I had the opportunity to hear Hill Harper speak at an event. Mr. Harper (who attended our own John F. Kennedy High School) is a Brown University and Harvard University graduate, an actor on “CSI: NY” and founder of Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering kids. Hill’s message was that all of us in education need to do a better job of encouraging children to dream big. His point was that we often tell kids they can be anything they dream of being but ignore the fact that many students lack the ability to imagine a different future – much less try to attain it – because their worldview

My Dear Friend, Just yesterday I was at the White House East Room with the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to witness him signing the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The initiative calls for the expansion of educational opportunities, improvement of education outcomes, and the need to deliver a complete and competitive education for all Hispanics, the Initiative shall, consistent with law, promote, encourage, and undertake efforts designed to meet the goals and objectives set forth in the document signed by President Obama on the 19th day of October in the year 2010. The initiative also calls for us to work across communities in partnership