Jamey Dobbs's Page

On the surface it's about an extracurricular video class and how it motivates low income students, but 140 reader comments transform this into something much bigger. How are students engaged in learning? By families? By a special teacher, by the inspiration from the arts and extracurriculars? I'd love to hear comments.http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/one-class/

This message is from my husband Gary McCracken, Professor at UT

Why Student and Parents should care about the firing of UT's Chancellor Loren Crabtree by UT President John Petersen.

Most of what you're hearing about the controversy that led to Dr. Crabtrees's dismissal concerns "governance" and the role of the UT system in controlling athletics and what will happen to 200 acres of UT real estate on the lake. I believe that students and their parents should be concerned a… Continue

To All Parents in the Bearden and West High Areas, and the feeder schools, please forward widely:
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Our students need education in democracy! Help TN support civic ed!//

Tennessee Teachers Asked to Complete UT Survey on Civic Ed Instruction//

KNOXVILLE –- The University of Tennessee's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and political science department are trying to determine how and when civic education is taught in the state's elementary, middle and high schools.//

The Tennessee Commission on Civic Education -- headed by state Sen. Rosalind Ku…

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The Seattle chapter of Community and Parents for Public School (CPPS) asked their members to help design the questions for a survey of school board candidates, circulated to all candidates, and then posted the results online for voters. Sounds like a great idea to copy as we prepare for selection of the Superintendent candidates. Does anyone have other examples to share?

One of their earlier posts announces a survey from Seattle Public School… Continue