ASKING QUESTIONS, EXPLORING OPTIONS, CHANGING THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

Ed News

Occupy Education: Good Luck Finding a Room.

One cannot attempt to stay abreast of current issues without colliding with the most recent field report from a public park or city square.  The Occupy movement has become a significant part of the American discourse.  Its constituents proffer a barrage of valid observations on a breadth of inequities in American society, but a cogent set of grievances or demands have yet to be articulated. 

Douglas Rushkoff of CNN tries to assuage a bit of the angst many experience with regard to a lack of consensus within the movement by explaining, “We are witnessing America’s first true Internet-era movement, which doesn’t take its cue from a charismatic leader, express itself in bumper-sticker length goals, and understand itself as having a particular endpoint…This is not a movement with a traditional narrative arc.  As a product of the decentralized networked-era culture, it is less about victory than sustainability.  It is not about one-pointedness, but inclusion and groping toward consensus.  It is not a book; it is like the internet.”  Though there might not be a central message, a few recurring themes seem consistent with regard to education.

(more…)

Making a Difference

Bottoms Up: Utilizing Social Action to Inspire at the Source

There is really no avoiding the grandiose, often idealistic, language associated with the connected fields of education and social action.  I do not believe these lofty aims are simply the machinations of politicians and fundraisers; rather (for the most part), they are the noble intentions of individuals exercising in a post-industrial construct.  I have fallen prey to my own lofty, heroic ideals on numerous occasions, and can still sense their siren’s call when standing in front of a classroom full of students, or auditorium full of educators.  Unlike many who proffer plans on how to “change the world,” I have had the beautifully brutal experience of seeing my most well-intentioned plans crumble in a red cloud of African dust.

After living with a group of orphans in Thoera, Mozambique, a tiny village near the Zambezi River, I found myself in the most epic heroic narrative of my life. (more…)

Innovation, Making a Difference

Cognitive Sprawl: A learning landscape of expansion without intention

This is my maiden entry in the Rice blogosphere, but I have stalked the REEP Blog for a couple months now.  My name is Kap McWhorter and I have sojourned in education for the better part of the last decade.  I have held administration and teaching positions in both private and public schools.  I have been everything from the Campus Pastor/High School Religion teacher at a small private school to my current position with Humble ISD as Small Learning Communities Coordinator.  Smattered amidst these varied experiences are extended periods of work in the non-profit sector and global relief organizations.  These seemingly incongruous experiences have found harmony in my current work in directing Finding Heroes, a non-profit organization committed to providing meaningful learning experiences by connecting students and educators to the needs of their local and global communities. (more…)