Author. Educator. Father. World Traveler. EdwardFBerger.com is where I share my insights into the world of education.
The second edition of Vital Lies will be available soon as a free download!
A wonderful tradition in my family is to write a letter to those we love on birthdays and other memorable occasions. This is a letter I sent to my mother on her birthday, August 7, 1979. We lost Mom on December 23, 1993, in her 86th year. We were going through some files and found this letter titled: A Portrait Of A Lady. I am…
Will our community be able to save our public schools? The election for a bond, and override funding is November 3. I could wait until the results are in, but here are the issues. Citizens be aware: The overwhelming majority of parents want their children in public schools. Not charter schools, partial schools, religious schools, or schools which keep out parents, destroy the joys of…
There are forces at work that are so destructive they can shatter the hopes and dreams of our citizens and splinter our communities. Our communities serve the needs of citizens via good schools, good medical facilities, good policing, good and great services in almost every area. However, there are forces of greed and power that have come back to haunt us from the Industrial Age…
Why us? Why attack education? Why hurt kids and deprive them of the tools they need to be productive citizens? Why attack educators and those who work to make America better? Why work to destroy a profession? Why split and destroy communities? Why hurt families? Why support corporations that force testing and curricula on states – for profit, not for kids? Due to our lack…
The powerful education reform movement is well underway. Taxpayers must be pleased with the progress so far. Legislators have turned the distribution of public tax dollars collected for public schools over to irresponsible hedge fund billionaires, profit-driven companies like Pearson PLC, foundations run by proven ‘winners’ like Eli Broad, Billy Gates, and the Waltons, and compromised public servants placed in the USDOE and the Departments…
Let’s agree to use simple terms to describe complex matters. Think of a sieve used for separating coarse, from fine parts of matter. Now imagine people who believe that running students through a sieve built of data will allow them to correct or remove unacceptable thinking – like getting rid of individuality, and those who think in ways that are not acceptable to those who…
According to researchers at the Harvard University, Edmond J. Safra Center For Ethics, I live in a State that is home to the most political corruption in America. I am 75-years old and have been an educator all my life. I have taught, mentored, pioneered, and researched. I am a leader in experiential education. I have been involved in Arizona education since 1991. What have…
The Obama administration, and especially Arne Duncan, dealt a blow to educators, parents and educated citizens when they sided with corporations like Pearson, and those who believe a punishing blow to teachers and public community schools will improve American education. The USDOE is now an agency without credibility, driven by ideologies that are not based in reality. For example, pushing the false belief that bad…
There are questions we don’t ask because…? Maybe we never thought about the possibilities and couldn’t form the question. Or, maybe we thought about the possibilities and decided that what we imagined couldn’t happen – even if the changes wrought would make a significant contribution. This is a true story, my story as a young educator who explored that space between Thinking About The Possibilities,…
The attempted destruction of America’s great education system was aided by the NEA and AFT. Teachers had many forces working against them. The failure of the organizations (unions/associations) that were created to represent teachers were a major reason self-appointed billionaires like Bill and Melinda Gates, Eli Broad, creeps working for GW Bush, and… were allowed to take over the USDOE and many state DOEs, and…