“Yikes!” said Little Orphan Annie in excitement.
“Yikes!” says the Principal’s Office.
My recent column “Beating three common writing errors” drew more feedback than usual. It’s a pleasant surprise; as I’ve said repeatedly over the past six years, the value of writing good English has declined, but readers seem intrigued by the “writing quiz” feature that I sprinkle in several times a year. As a matter of fact, I have now added the “grammar policeman” to the rotation of features on my WCBS 880 spot “Eye on Education.”
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By Steve Kussin
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5/19/11
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We’ll return to the mini-series about the ups and downs of the teacher job market next week. But first, a preview of an upcoming program that is of interest to all this week: “Suicide is preventable.”
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people.Therefore, the leading cause of death among children and teens is preventable. That’s a fact—and yet we’re losing an increasing number of young people.
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By Steve Kussin
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5/12/11
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Second of two parts.
Last time I introduced the ups and downs in the teacher job market. Not long ago, I warned that a dangerous teacher shortage was on the horizon; now, we’re talking about cutbacks, layoffs, and the difficulty of getting a teaching job. What’s the story?
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By Steve Kussin
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5/6/11
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Randi Weingarten, former president of the United Federation of Teachers, now head of the American Federation of Teachers, recently delivered a speech titled, “Towards a True Development and Evaluation System.” She was being proactive by presenting her own plan in response to recent calls for revamping teacher assessment and tenure.
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By Steve Kussin
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3/17/11
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On April 19, 1969, members of Cornell University’s Afro-American Society occupied Willard Straight Hall on the Ithaca campus to protest a litany of perceived racial injustices after a cross was burned outside Wari House, a cooperative for African-American female students. During the occupation, AAS members smuggled in rifles and bandoliers of ammunition.
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By Scott Brinton
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3/2/11
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Last week we introduced the debate over social promotion: whether it is better to automatically advance students to the next grade or make them repeat a grade until they demonstrate the required academic proficiency.
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By Steve Kussin
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2/10/11
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One of the most heated debates in education revolves around the issue of social promotion versus grade retention. I’ll define the terms in a moment, but first let me present two scenarios that illustrate the strong arguments on both sides.
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By Steve Kussin
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2/4/11
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The Principal’s Office took a field trip on Nov. 23 to the Merrick Jewish Centre for a Jewish-Muslim dialogue between Rabbi Charles Klein and Imam Shamsi Ali of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York.
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Steve Kussin
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11/29/10
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With this week’s column, the Principal’s Office begins its sixth year. It’s time to look backward as well as forward. But first, a few thank yous are in order. Scott Brinton has not only been my editor, but has also become a friend and sounding board for new ideas. Executive Editor John O’Connell has always been a prime supporter and booster. And my gratitude to publishers Cliff and Stuart Richner who gave me the opportunity to join the Herald family.
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Steve Kussin
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10/15/10
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For the second straight week, I must postpone my annual anniversary column. As I’ve noted many times before, I have my columns mapped out for months ahead, but when a critical education topic pops up in the news, the schedule falls by the wayside.
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Steve Kussin
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10/5/10
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