Folks have been debating how to teach reading at least since 1985.  At that time, the issue was framed as top-down vs. bottom-up.      This makes the debate seem “tidy,” just two sides with clear delineation.   You were FOR phonics (bottom up) or you were FOR textual understanding (top down), but you couldn’t be for both.  In truth, there were no teachers then or now who don’t value both, who don’t tailor their teaching to the instructional moment of their students, individually and collectively.    Well, we’re at the reading wars again, but the slogan n ..read more

Today we don’t talk enough about John Dewey’s call to educational equity and its impact on democracy.  Instead, small groups of parents (most notably Moms for Liberty) are prompting battles in local school boards to ban books, to fight racially inclusive curriculum, and to limit the rights and constrain the very existence of transgender and questioning youth.     But some other parents – the majority it seems -- are fighting back to say clearly that these are not concerns they care about.   What DO they care about?  If this episode’s guests are taken seriously, familie ..read more

Have you ever taken the time to really listen to teachers talk about their work, about their joys and frustrations, and about how they grow as they work together?   This episode is an opportunity to do just that.   Bailey teachers talk about their experience and offer wisdom for all of us as they do so.      00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel  01:25 Introduction to Professional Development? The Bailey Experience Stengel  03:55 Bailey’s Team Structure as the Engine of Professional Development  Stengel, Keisha Harding, Bailey ..read more

The Pandemic is endemic, or nearly so.  We’re still getting sick at all the wrong times, but the impact on most who actually test positive for COVID-19 are annoying rather than debilitating.  But the pandemic left us with a huge educational hangover, and the headlines really are screaming at us.  As always, our interest is in the experience of those who are on the ground.     00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 01:25   Introduction to Autonomy (a tour through the headlines from Chicago and Denver) Stengel, Camilla Modesitt, Director o ..read more

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Mid-pandemic, the wish educators most often expressed was that the COVID 19 Pandemic would provide an opportunity for an educational reset, that educators (not politicians) might once again set the agenda.      What actually happened, of course, is not that. The first episode of Season 2 of Chasing Bailey will be released on October 1st.  ..read more

The new school year is underway, and we are getting ready for the second season of Chasing Bailey.    The first episode of the new season will drop October 1st.   Plan to join us as we take a look at what schools can and should be doing post-pandemic.  Later episodes will look at principal’s autonomy, teacher shortages, professional development, and what parents really want from schools.   We’ll hear from familiar Bailey characters and then bring other educators into the conversation.       If you want to be part of our conversations, if your school ..read more

September 16, 2023 Chasing Bailey Bonus Back-to-School Commentary:  Let Teachers Teach!   In this bonus back-to-school episode of Chasing Bailey, we listen as our commentator, Dr. Barbara Stengel, reads “An experienced educator’s plea: Let teachers teach!”  This is a short essay Barb was asked to write for the Lancaster Newpapers Sunday edition as school was beginning in August.   The theme of the piece evokes several Chasing Bailey themes (as will be obvious to regular listeners).   00:00  Introduction:  How this Essay Came to Be  Barbara Stengel   ..read more

  It’s been a minute since our last episode … sorry to keep you waiting to hear just why Bailey on Greenwood Avenue was shut down, but I couldn’t explain how Bailey closed without the help of Principal Christian Sawyer and Dr. Alan Coverstone who was the Director of the iZone in MNPS and the administrator who got the ball rolling for the Bailey transformation – and those two guys are tough to pin down.   Once we got to talking, I was fascinated by the way Christian and Alan reflected on their experience with Bailey, taking responsibility, not blaming anybody else, but still speaking ..read more