Dr. Doug Green

Great Video by Yong Zhao

Douglas Green — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:01:22 +0000

Youg is the author of a recent book, Catching-Up or Leading the Way, that takes NCLB to task for its emphasis on standardized testing that has been a problem for China for the last 1,400 years. Thanks to the people at The NewLearning Institute, you can now watch a ten minute video in which Yong explains the essence of his vision regarding education and standardized tests. If you want to get a group of educators or parents talking, just show this at a meeting. You should also consider purchasing Yong’s book.

Click here for Yong Zhao’s 10 minute video.
Click here for my summary of Yong’s Book.

Social Pollination – Great tips for managing your social media effort

Douglas Green — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:55:04 +0000

Monica O’Brien’s book gives the big picture along with abundant detail on how to manage the social media feed for an organization or an individual. While it is written with businesses in mind, it certainly applies to educators and schools as well. My summary focusses on the concepts. If you want the detail, buy the book. Someone in your organization should have it.

Click here to see my summary Social Pollination.

Yo Congress: Focus on Poverty

Douglas Green — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:04:29 +0000

Current NCLB rules require schools to show progress for each of five approved ethnic groups in addition to kids who are poor regardless of ethnic group. I see these groups as somewhat arbitrary and I believe that keeping track of groups serves no real purpose and complicates our efforts. I believe that poverty is the one thing we should focus on. I hope you agree that the slideshow linked below helps make this case. It may take a minute or two to download as it is mostly pictures.

Click here to see my Diversity Slideshow .

All Hands On Deck – Culture Trumps Strategy

Douglas Green — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:53:50 +0000

This book by Joe Tye uses a fictional format to explain why organizational culture is so important and how you can get the people you lead to help you create the kind of culture you want. My summary deals with the key concepts, but you need the book to access the compelling story and valuable appendix. This would be a good read for your entire team to discuss.

Click here to see my summary of All Hands On Deck.

The Web Means the End of Forgetting

Douglas Green — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:40:52 +0000

If you have ever posted something about yourself and wished you hadn’t, you should be interested in this article by Jeffery Rozen from the July 25, 2010 New York Times Sunday Magazine. He starts with the story of a student who was denied her teaching certificate thanks to a posting on MySpace, and goes on to cover many legal and technological aspects of this topic. If you find my summary interesting, check out the article.

Click here for the article.

How to Tell Liars From Statisticians – Book Summary

Douglas Green — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:05:23 +0000

Although this book by Robert Hooke was written in 1983, it is still applicable today. It can help you avoid being persuaded against your will if you only look at the numbers spouted by the data pushers with a critical eye. This book and my summary were written for people who don’t especially like numbers, as well as those who do.

Click here to see my summary of How to Tell a Liar from a Statistician.

How to stop a bully

Douglas Green — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:11:29 +0000

The July 23, 2010 op-ed page in the New York Times offers an article from two professors at Williams College in Massachusetts (Engel and Sandstrom). They cite a new state law and the fact that many other states are taking similar measures. Their research finds that in order to combat bullying, schools need to make it an essential part of the curriculum. They tell us we need to teach kids to be “good to each other” without giving them rational for doing so. I believe that bullies ultimately suffer for their behavior and that being kind is in one’s own self interest. Yes, it is selfish to be kind to others. What goes around, comes around. This goes against the idea of being good for goodness sake, which is the sense I get from this article. Let me know what you think.

Here is the link to this article.

A Canary in the Obama Coal Mine

Douglas Green — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:18:56 +0000

The July 19, 2010 edition of the New York Times, features an article that tells the story of a Vermont principal who has been canned due to poor performance on standardized tests by students fresh off the boat from Africa. So if you have a hard working, respected female principal putting in 80-hour work weeks to help refugees from central Africa who score low because they can only randomly fill in bubbles on tests that drive federal funding, you have to dump her in order to still qualify for stimulus money. At the same time, principals in suburban districts full of smart white and Asian kids can mail it in. Take away – Life is officially unfair. This is a must read.

Click here for the New York Times article on this subject.

How to Manage a Millennial – Book Summary

Douglas Green — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:21:08 +0000

This book by Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, & Craig Rusch is subtitled Discover The Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce. It draws on their extensive research to explain why members of the Millennial generation, (aka Gen Y) born between 1978 and 1996, behave they way they do. It also shares the secrets of effective Millennial manages. This book is important to educators, parents, and leaders in all walks of life.

Click here to see my summary of How to Manage a Millennial.

Dr. Doug from Europe on Soccer/Football

Douglas Green — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:24:10 +0000

Hello from Glasgow, Scotland. While traveling in Sweden, England, and Scotland I got to watch a lot of the World Cup Soccer. As an American sports fan, I found a number of things that troubled me about they way this sport is officiated. Here is what I hope you will find to be a humorous take on the sport. Anyone familiar with the writing of syndicated humorist Dave Barry from the Miami Herald might recognize the writing style. (Next book summary soon)

Click here to see my take on soccer/football.