The Boston Globe – Karyn Polito, Joseph P. Kennedy III and Jeffrey Leiden
“Despite an abundance of jobs in science, technology, engineering and math, just 1 in 6 high school seniors nationwide is interested in studying STEM in college. For Massachusetts — which has the most technology jobs per capita in the country — this creates both economic and societal challenges. ” (more)
The Atlanta Journal Constitution – Maureen Downey
“In its annual benchmark report on college readiness released today, the ACT found only 40 percent of 2018 graduates who took the test — including Georgia teens — posted scores indicating they were ready for first-year college algebra. The one-point decline in readiness from 2017 continues a downward trend; in 2012, 46 percent of test-takers earned scores that met or surpassed the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in math.” (more)
The UVU Review – Chun To Mok
“There are many benefits to learning a new language, including having more job opportunities or being able to better understand different cultures. However, there is no doubt that learning a foreign language takes time and effort.” (more)
E-School News – Laura Ascione
“Fun topics keep students engaged in learning, and what better way to pull students in than framing a lesson around Halloween? From vampires and ghost ships to bats and pumpkin facts, it’s easy to craft lessons for students in all grades. Elementary school students can learn about famous ghost stories and share their own spooky stories, and older students can learn about some of the real-life historical events and rumors behind some of today’s most loved scary tales.” (more)
E-School News – Pam Roggeman
“After 29 years in education, one thing remains the same: Every time I walk the halls during class in any school, I encounter what I call “the hallway kid.” This kid always manages to get out of class; whether he’s running an errand, going to the office, or heading to the restroom, this student finds a way to roam the halls.” (more)
The Philadelphia Inquirer – Kristen A. Graham
“The teaching profession is transforming, according to research released Tuesday: It is larger than ever, but more unstable; it’s attracting more educators of color than ever, but losing them at higher rates than white teachers. The Great Recession brought school layoffs, but that trend has reversed, and the number of teachers nationwide is increasing far faster than the rate of students, according to federal data. Between 1988 and 2016, the number of teachers nationwide increased by more than three times the number of students.” (more)
Study International – Staff Writer
“Within the global landscape, English has long been touted as the language of choice in business or popular culture. But trends suggest that Mandarin now rivals English as a universal language. China’s continued growth and its subsequent emergence as a global superpower has catapulted Mandarin even further as a lingua franca. As Chinese companies cater towards more than just local demands, they diversify. This is reflected in Chinese investment in many developing and developed nations.” (more)
Alter Net – Gareth Loudon
“In his famous Rede Lecture of 1959, chemist and novelist C P Snow spoke of the separation of science and the humanities, and the lack of respect and understanding that often exists between the fields. He argued that this was detrimental to the future success of the country as many creative breakthroughs come from the interaction between the two cultures. Snow put a large part of the blame on what he called “our fanatical belief in educational specialisation” and focusing on “producing a tiny elite educated in one academic skill”. Unfortunately, not much seems to have changed.” (more)
The U.S. News and World Report – Sintia Radu
“As the seventh International Day of the Girl is observed on Thursday, experts remind the public that providing a complete education for girls and women worldwide remains a challenge. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, girls are still more likely than boys to never enter into a school system, yet countries are committed to closing the gender gap by 2030 and also achieve universal completion of secondary education.” (more)
The 74 Million – Heejae Lim
“One in four children in the United States is born to an immigrant family, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and there will be 40 million children born to immigrant or underserved families by 2030. These children are becoming one of the fastest-growing student demographics, with states in the South and Southeast seeing the number of English learner students double year after year. Yet school systems, educators, and communities are not adequately prepared or resourced for this pace of change. Only about two-thirds of English learners graduate from high school, a rate nearly 20 percent lower than that of their English-speaking immigrant peers.” (more)
