Author Archives: Will Fitzhugh

Reading Before Writing

Will Fitzhugh, The Concord Review8 September 2018 The extra-large ubiquitous Literacy Community is under siege from universal dissatisfaction with the Writing skills of both students and graduates, and this is a complaint of very long standing. The Community response is … Continue reading

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Rate Busters

Will FitzhughThe Concord Review1 September 2021 Back in the day, when Union contracts specified the number of widgets each worker was expected to produce during a shift, that number was called “the rate.” Anyone who produced more than that number … Continue reading

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Rare Books

There is a general consensus among EduPundits that teacher quality is more important than student academic work in producing student academic achievement. That is mistaken. There is a general consensus among Social Studies educators that High School students are incapable … Continue reading

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Academic Fitness

A few years ago I was at a conference of a few hundred History/Social Studies educators, consultants, etc. at the Center for the Study of the Senate in Boston. I was introduced, as The Concord Review and I had recently … Continue reading

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Students Last

Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review 6 April 2017 The great social psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan wrote that the principal problem with communication is that we think we express meaning to others, when in fact we evoke it. That is, what … Continue reading

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A New Core

The Concord Review December 2, 2016 Dinosaur scholars like Mark Bauerlein argue that the decline in the humanities in our universities is caused by their retreat from their own best works—literature departments no longer celebrate great literature, history departments no … Continue reading

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Hard Work by Students

In my ten years of HS teaching I saw good (hard-working, interested in learning) students do well with good teachers, and ALSO do pretty well with poor teachers… I saw poor (not working, not interested in learning) students do poorly … Continue reading

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Trickle Down Academic Elitism

When [mid-20th century] I was in a private school in Northern California, I won a “gold” medal for first place in a track meet of the Private School Conference of Northern California for the high jump [5’6”]—which I thought was … Continue reading

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PEER PRESSURE: Academic Incentives & Rewards for Secondary Students

  PEER PRESSURE Academic Incentives & Rewards for Secondary Students Heartland Institute Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review 2 July 2014     In their new book, Rewards: How to use rewards to help children learn—and why teachers don’t use them … Continue reading

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MEDIA BLACKOUT

Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review 8 February 2014     In the United States, our media are not allowed to report on or discuss exemplary student academic achievement at the high school level. For example, in the “Athens of America,” … Continue reading

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Brief sketch of the problem…

In the United States, we pay attention to and celebrate the work of HS athletes. We carefully ignore the exemplary academic work of diligent HS scholars–the results follow as you might expect—we get what we want. Will Fitzhugh ——————————— HIGH … Continue reading

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On Writing

“First, we stopped demanding that students read anything very challenging in school, and then we stopped holding our teachers or students accountable for the quality of student writing.” On Writing National Center on Education and the Economy By Marc Tucker … Continue reading

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WHEELBARROW

“Wheelbarrow” 13 December 2013 There is an old story about a worker, at one of the South African diamond mines, who would leave work once a week or so pushing a wheelbarrow full of sand. The guard would stop him … Continue reading

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Driven to Distraction

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION   Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review 7 February 2013   “We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.”—George Orwell      While we spend … Continue reading

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Major Players

Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review 3 September 2013     Who are the Most Important Players in U.S. education debates, and in our schools? Well, let’s see—there are EduPundits, legislators, governors, consultants, professional developers, publishers, the Department of Education, foundations, … Continue reading

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The College Puzzle

Stanford University The College Puzzle A College Success Blog by Dr. Michael E. Kirst Homework Insufficient In USA Secondary schools April 17th, 2013 Guest Blogger: Will Fitzhugh The most important variable in student academic achievement is, of course, student academic … Continue reading

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