Get ready for a major dose of "change" this November. Picking a new president means that both Democrats and Republicans are promising to be the party of "change", from which, we can assume, new priorities in Federal education will flow.

The question is: What will the new priorities be?

Given that Washington lobbyists, bureaucrats and legislators are the chief sausage-makers, we should not expect too much. In fact, as the recent farm bill aptly demonstrates, rather than bold, nimble or innovative change in existing policy, what we are likely to get are small baby steps and a whole lot of staying the course--even when it is not working.

Here's a topic highly germane to classroom practice, particularly in Humanities.

So, you have a text that you want students to read. It's good and important content, likely the heart of what you want them to learn.

Yet, you come to class and you can tell, using your well-honed teacher's antennae, that almost no one has done the reading.

What went wrong?

Likely, everything. Starting from the fact that most kids have a ton of things vying for their attention on a daily basis. Whether it is working, sports, music, cell phones, instant messaging, videos, the internet, TV, partying or hanging out at the Mall, young people have more to do, more they want to do and less time than ever.