Blog

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” is an apt introduction to a conversation about education. Right now, professional and collegial conversations, facilitated by social media, allow educators and education stakeholders to explore powerful possibilities for teaching and learning. We are educating students from all socio-economic strata more effectively. There is a global recognition that education is key to survival in the 21^st century. But, at the same time, increasingly misguided politics, media myth and frenzy, and economic crises have coalesced into a perfect storm of scapegoating, suspicion, and underfunded and confused policies to pummel the lifeblood out of a bastion of democracy: public education.

As an educator for over 15 years, I find it easy to get caught up in the storm that is our present; I am in a position which allows me a vantage point from which to watch the flood of mandates and unrealistic expectations overwhelm teachers across the country. But, this vantage also allows me to stand as witness to the amazing things that happen in spite of the flood. Educators unite in person and online to support each other and bring high quality education to our children. It is this quality education: positive, proactive, and possible –in spite of the threatening storm—that is the focus of this blog.

Since the late 1970’s Project CRISS (CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) has been an education initiative of and sustained by TEACHERS to ensure students learn how to be lifelong learners. Guided by small-scale action research in real classrooms and then validated by large scale research at sites across the United States, CRISS offers a philosophy of instruction and tools that facilitate learning that is positive, proactive, and possible.

As one of the primary authors and editors at CRISS, I offer this forum to all educators, regardless of your affiliation with Project CRISS, to explore what is working in education – and to celebrate what we have learned through our work with students and teachers in classrooms across the United States, Canada, and beyond. I welcome topics for discussion, success stories, and debate. I invite you to participate in dialogue that is positive, proactive, and possible. We’ll leave the storm outside.

Debra Franciosi