Blogs on Education Trends

If you've ever tried to pry a child away from some video game that seems to exert more influence over him than you could ever hope to, you might have asked yourself: Why can't we get a force this captivating in schools?

It's been a little over a week since I received an email with one of those subject headings you never want to see; "sad news," it began, followed by a name, "Tam Tran". Inside, was a link to an obituary for Tran and her friend and fellow activist, Cinthya Felix. They were killed on May 15th, in an early morning accident in Maine, when a pickup truck crossed the center divide and hit their car.

We knew Paula White, our guest blogger this week, would be amazing after reading her blog post called Do It From the Classroom. With equal parts fire and heart, Ms. White is not only passionate (and funny!), but she also has both feet firmly rooted in reality. We're proud to present her commentary on this week's topic, "How Can Teachers Have a Bigger Influence on Education Reform?"

Many would agree that Americans tend to view education as the pathway to success. In school we're taught rags-to-riches tales about individuals rising to the top as a result of their academic success, regardless of their race, income level, or gender. There's an inherent belief that our education system should create equal access to a quality education for all.

However, those aspirations don't match the reality. Many children, in fact, do not have equal access to quality education. These issues set the stage for this week's #edchat on Twitter.

Many educators argued in the chat that disparities in funding cause this inequality, while others argued that the true cause of inequality lies in the hands of administrators that filter innovative technologies/teaching methods that have the ability to combat funding deficits. Whatever your opinion may be, one has to ask the question: "As educators, should we engage in the politics of education to truly make a difference?"

We asked Tim Furman (@tbfurman), a tech specialist, who shook things up in #edchat to summarize.

--Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty) and Elana Leoni, Social Media Marketing Coordinator (@elanaleoni)