School is too easy, students report.
Greg Toppo of USA Today reports a new think tank study finds millions of America’s students feel unchallenged by their curriculum. The report may serve to speed discussion about academic standards, as well as the future of public education. School is too easy, students report By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY July 10, 2012 Millions of kids simply don’t find school very challenging, a new analysis of federal survey data suggests. The report could spark a debate about whether new academic standards being piloted nationwide might make a difference. The findings, out today from the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank that champions “progressive ideas,” analyze three years of questionnaires from the Department of
Business Week Reveals Why Common Core Disdains Fiction in 2000
The author, a retired educator, takes a look at where public education is heading. Those who care about teaching and learning — as well as those who care about democracy and the nature of the American republic — will appreciate the perspectives. Business Week Reveals Why Common Core Disdains Fiction in 2000 by Susan Ohanian And the little very very very very very very very old man smiled, and looking at the faerie he said: ‘Why?’ —e. e. cummings, The Old Man Who Said Why This is the kind of writing primary graders savor. I speak from first-hand, on-the-spot observation here. Of course, teacher experience, knowledge, and intuition count for nothing. Education policy makers are deaf to my expertise.
Applying oneself to writing a memorable, original college admission essay
The Detroit Free Press details the importance of writing. A great admission essay can mean all the difference for the college-bound. “…as colleges are inundated with applications from smart students, and as they move toward holistic admissions policies in an attempt to ensure a well-rounded student population, the application essay or personal statement has become a bigger part of the equation…” For the full story, please…
Are Standardized Tests for the Arts Even Possible?
By Dana Goldstein Posted Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at 7:05 AM ET Slate.com No More Ditching Gym Class The next wave of standardized testing is here, measuring your kids in art, music, and phys ed. Is that even possible? The National Endowment for the Arts recently published a paper reporting that it could find only 30 high-quality arts assessments in use across the country Photograph by Ryan Mcvay/Lifesize. In November 2010, I visited Harrison District 2, a low-income, largely Latino school district in Colorado Springs. As part of a plan to evaluate and pay all teachers according to how well they “grow” student achievement, the district had just rolled out its first-ever testing program in
Study Shows High-Fructose Diet Sabotages Learning, Memory
Medical News Today 17 May 2012 Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals: Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make you stupid. A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning – and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology has published the findings. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science.
Study Finds Teens At-Risk of Drug Abuse Show Unique Brain Networks
Laurie Tarkan reports differences in the networks of brain cells may explain why some teenagers are more susceptible to impulsive risk-taking behavior like smoking or experimenting with drugs, according to a new study. The study also found that separate neural networks are involved with the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These ADHD networks are distinct from those associated with early drug use.
