Academic Rants

--> The First 100 Days Part One-The Confidence Factor We have reached the magic number on how most modern presidents will be judged. The 100-day mark is a concept that is tied to the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt.   In his first one hundred days, Roosevelt tackled some of the most threatening problems in the history of America.   He acted to address the problems of the Great Depression and later World War II. Younger students typically learn that the nation rallied around Roosevelt and that his leadership brought America out of the darkness.   Students of history learn that it was far from simple and that Roosevelt faced numerous challenges from all spectrums of society and equally from members of his own party. Yet, we continue to stress the importance of the one hundred days even when situations are not as grave as they were in 1932.   I think it is unfortunate that Donald Trump is trying to claim this period as a referendum of his presiden...

“Are These Friends of Yours?”                         As we progress through the second month of the Trump presidency, the use of “confusing logic” and “alternate truths” have increased.   And, as this practice is used nearly every day, the role of the press is further weakened.   As the press responds with greater alarm, more of the Trump core are supporting the view that the press is the enemy of the state.             But in a democracy, the press has always been the voice of the people, especially the oppressed and downtrodden. So, what is going wrong and what went wrong?   Well, now the truth has been made unclear, and we now have different types of press.   In fact, there are at least three-a fact based content or traditional press, an entertainment press, and a contradictory press, and app...

  The Trump Administration and Education The National Agenda-The Overview             Every presidency ushers in change. In fact, presidents supporting educational reform are normal.   Since 2000, the national reform has included NCLB, ESSA, Common Core, and numerous national tests. However, because of the lack of depth provided by candidate Donald J. Trump, there is a greater sense of apprehension of the range of reforms that will be unleashed by this administration. So this commentary aims to synthesize the Trump Agenda and what needs to be done to protect the legacy of public education in America. Despite growing up in New York City, home of the nation’s largest public school system, Donald Trump never attended the city’s public schools.   He did not play a role in the city’s educational politics and his children never attended the city’s schools.   Nor did they attend public colleges or u...