Jul 21, 2018
The Burleson Star – Bethann Coldiron
“Without languages, it would be really difficult for people to communicate with each other. But with an estimated 6,909 distinct languages in the world, why is it that in the United States, the only language that most Americans know is English? Texas, of course, is in the minority here as there is a heavy Hispanic population in the state. According to a U.S. Census count, more than a third of the state’s residents speak another language at home – of which 85 percent speak Spanish.” (more)
Jul 21, 2018
NPR – Emily Cardinali
“Fake news. Record-low voting turnout. Frequent and false claims from elected officials. Vitriol in many corners of political debate. These are symptoms we hear of all the time that our democracy is not so healthy. And those factors might be why many states are turning to the traditional — and obvious — place where people learn how government is supposed to work: schools. More than half of the states in their last legislative sessions — 27 to be exact — have considered bills or other proposals to expand the teaching of civics.” (more)
Jul 21, 2018
Ed Source – Solomon Moore
“The large number of California students who attended for-profit colleges at the time of their closure suggests many more may be eligible for student loan debt relief than have applied under the federal government’s current policy, an EdSource analysis shows. The process for student borrowers to cancel their federal education loan debts was created amid a series of lawsuits against Corinthian Colleges Inc. that forced the California-based for-profit college chain into bankruptcy and closure in 2015.” (more)
Jul 21, 2018
The Christian Science Monitor – Sally Ho
“Sesame Street is taking its beloved, critically acclaimed brand of educational television into the highly profitable world of classroom curriculum – a move that experts say could open the door for other companies to move into the sensitive learning space with possible influence on children. Sesame Workshop, the company behind Big Bird and Elmo, and McGraw-Hill Education, a billion-dollar for-profit company known for school textbooks, announced their partnership Thursday. Both declined to disclose the financial terms for their new line of classroom instructional materials.” (more)
Jul 21, 2018
The Huffington Post – Taylor Pittman
“Summer brain drain. Summer setback. Summer slide. Summer learning loss. Most parents have heard a version of the idea that over summer vacation, kids lose some of what they learn during the school year. But they’ll be happy to know there are actually realistic (and affordable!) ways to combat it. Dr. Katrina Lindsay, a clinical and pediatric psychologist at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, is the director of the hospital’s School Success Clinic, which specializes in helping kids who struggle in school. She told HuffPost that students lose about one to two months of learning over the course of the summer. For kids with learning disorders, that loss can be even larger.” (more)
Jul 20, 2018
The Courier – Tessa Morton
“Americans are largely monolingual, and that’s not a good thing. During the recent immigration debate (which is definitely not what this opinion piece is about), I heard the same, dare I say, ignorant phrase: if you’re in America, you should speak English. On its face, the argument makes sense. In America, English is the language that most people speak, so if you want to be understood, that certainly would make sense. However, why would hearing foreign languages ever be considered offensive? Speaking multiple languages is a strength that should be valued, and bilingualism is a skill that should be revered and aspired to, rather than jeered at.” (more)
Jul 20, 2018
Ed Source – David Bong
“High school seniors in nearly three dozen states walked across the graduation stage last month to receive a diploma with a unique distinction that signifies they are even better positioned for success: a Seal of Biliteracy. That’s because in today’s global economy and multicultural society, the skill of being bilingual is becoming increasingly valuable in the eyes of colleges and employers. In fact, a recent study from the New American Economy showed that demand for bilingual workers more than doubled between 2010 and 2015.” (more)
Jul 20, 2018
Edutopia – Jessica Hamman
“What a gift the early days of summer break are, when the buzz of the school year begins to recede and vacation days spread out before you with endless potential. At the start of the summer, beach novels or other light reading seems in order. But if you’re anything like me, halfway through the summer you find yourself trading the light reads for books about education once again. When you hit this inevitable moment, what should be on your list?” (more)
Jul 20, 2018
Medical X-Press – Alan Mozes
“Over the last four decades, more American teenagers have decided to say no to drugs and alcohol, a new report shows. “There has been a steady increase in the proportion of students graduating high school who report never having tried alcohol, marijuana, tobacco or any other drugs,” said study author Dr. Sharon Levy. She directs the adolescent substance use and addiction program at Boston Children’s Hospital.” (more)
Jul 20, 2018
Education Week – Sarah Schwartz
“The idea that math is a natural-born talent—that some people just “get it,” and others won’t no matter the time and effort put in—is a mentality that researchers and schools have been challenging for years. Many schools have adopted a “growth mindset” philosophy, a term coined by researcher Carol Dweck, that teaches students to view success as the result of effort rather than innate ability.” (more)
