Current News

The Museum of Teaching and Learning hosted a reception and grand opening of “Memories of Mexican Schools” at the Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles. “Memories of Mexican Schools” is the first installation of “A Class Action: Mendez v. Westminster and the Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation.”  Memories will remain at the Museum of Tolerance for six months and is now open to the public.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Aguirre was the guest speaker of the night.  He said the Mendez case brought people of Mexican, Japanese, African, Jewish and European descent together to help 5,000 Mexican American children in Orange County. Candidate for County Supervisor and Former Mayor of La Habra, Rosie Espinoza was present to show her support. Liebe Geft, Director of the Museum of Tolerance, noted that 50% of Hispanic Americans do not graduate from high school and that the exhibit is already having an impact on visiting students.  This exhibit shows children that when people work hard and come together change is possible.  Fullerton College musicians serenaded the crowd with America the Beautiful in Spanish and de Colores, a traditional folk-song. The reception ended with a multicolored ribbon symbolizing all the people involved with the Mendez case being cut by Founding Director of MOTAL Dr. Greta Nagel, Frederick P. Aguirre, Curator of “A Class Action Ray Rast, Liebe Geft and Education Director for the College of Educationational Studies at Chapman University, Dr. Mike Madrid. 

Visitors will discover the impact of closing “Mexican schools” and how it led to desegregated schools for all. The exhibit features five interactive listening stations telling the stories of Orange County residents who attended segregated schools. 

SAVE THE DATE

What: The Museum of Teaching and Learning's Annual Gala to raise money for the Junior Docents program and A Class Action: Mendez v. Westminster and the Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation.

When: September 18, 2010 at 5:30pm

Where: Fullerton Marriot at California State University

This year's theme is the Fabulous Forties!! Costumes or business attire recommended. Individual tickets are $80 and a table of 10 is $750 before September 1st. Tickets will go on sale in June, so check back soon and save the date!

Junior Docents Program

Junior docents are high school volunteers trained to lead interactive tours of "A Class Action" for 4th graders and encourage learning through before and after exhibit visits.  They develop skills in leadership, time management, and public speaking while at the same time making a significant contribution to the community.

These are the current Junior Docents from Century High School:

Angel Molina

Wendy Martinez

Josafat Gonzalez

Mariela Garcia

Jason Lieu

Johnston Educator Named National Teacher of the Year

Johnston High School English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling was named today as national teacher of the year.
President Barack Obama will announce Wessling as the recipient in a special ceremony on Thursday at the White House. Wessling is in Washington, D.C., this week for a gala celebration with state teachers of the year from across the country. Her family, along with Johnston Superintendent Clay Guthmiller and Johnston High School Principal Bruce Hukee, also will attend Thursday's ceremony. School board president Tracey Orman said she was proud of Wessling and honored on behalf of the district.
“The things I’ve heard and learned about Sarah this year is the caring she has for her students and the extra mile she goes for them,” Orman said. “We are so proud and honored she did this in our district.”
Wessling was named Iowa's teacher of the year at the beginning of the current school year and has been traveling the state as an education ambassador. As a national honoree, she will spend the next year traveling nationally and nternationally as a spokeswoman for education.
Johnston school officials plan to host an assembly for students at 2:15 p.m. May 6 at the high school, followed by a community reception at 4:30 p.m. that day.
Wessling, 35, edged out other finalists from California, Florida and Michigan to receive the honor. Her colleagues at Johnston High School flocked to the Internet this morning to watch an interview with Wessling on CNN after the award was made public.
“Our system almost went down because everybody got on to watch,” said Jim Casey, associate superintendent for human resources. “Everybody is very excited. Sarah represents the profession and our district in an exemplary manner and we are very proud of her.”

The National Teacher of the Year Program is run by the Council of Chief State School Officers, which honors 50 state recipients and selects one winner for the Anthony J. Mullen National Teacher of the Year award.

The Big Idea -- it's bad education policy

One simple solution for our schools? A captivating promise, but a false one.

By Diane Ravitch

There have been two features that regularly mark the history of U.S. public schools. Over the last century, our education system has been regularly captivated by a Big Idea -- a savant or an organization that promised a simple solution to the problems of our schools. The second is that there are no simple solutions, no miracle cures to those problems.

Education is a slow, arduous process that requires the work of willing students, dedicated teachers and supportive families, as well as a coherent curriculum.

As an education historian, I have often warned against the seductive lure of grand ideas to reform education. Our national infatuation with education fads and reforms distracts us from the steady work that must be done.

Our era is no different. We now face a wave of education reforms based on the belief that school choice, test-driven accountability and the resulting competition will dramatically improve student achievement.

Once again, I find myself sounding the alarm that the latest vision of education reform is deeply flawed. But this time my warning carries a personal rebuke. For much of the last two decades, I was among those who jumped aboard the choice and accountability bandwagon. Choice and accountability, I believed, would offer a chance for poor children to escape failing schools. Testing and accountability, I thought, would cast sunshine on low-performing schools and lead to improvement. It all seemed to make sense, even if there was little empirical evidence, just promise and hope.

Today there is empirical evidence, and it shows clearly that choice, competition and accountability as education reform levers are not working. But with confidence bordering on recklessness, the Obama administration is plunging ahead, pushing an aggressive program of school reform -- codified in its signature Race to the Top program -- that relies on the power of incentives and competition. This approach may well make schools worse, not better.

Those who do not follow education closely may be tempted to think that, at long last, we're finally turning the corner. What could be wrong with promoting charter schools to compete with public schools? Why shouldn't we demand accountability from educators and use test scores to reward our best teachers and identify those who should find another job?

Follow the Museum of Teaching and Learning on Twitter and/or become a fan on Facebook. The Museum of Teaching and Learning is now on www.idealist.org.