E-School News – Roger Vance
“To meet current math standards like the Louisiana Student Standards for Mathematics or the Common Core State Standards, it is no longer enough for students to simply memorize how to do something. They must demonstrate a deeper understanding and be able to explain the “why” behind the “how.”” (more)
E-School News – Michael S. Gaskell
“Suspension has been a commonly used disciplinary method in schools for decades. Unfortunately, it also has no positive impact on students. What’s worse, these same children often develop a dislike for law enforcement that lasts into adulthood. This is a dangerous cycle that we have to stop to help students stay in school, develop positive relationships with adults in positions of authority, and achieve greater success. At my school, we found a solution. Read on and you will discover where the idea came from and how to replicate it in your school.” (more)
The 74 Million – Carolyn Phencie
“Education reformers must draw a distinction between education and schooling as they face opposition to changes to the traditional school system, Sen. Ben Sasse said Thursday. “Education is a goal. Schooling is one of many means to the end, or to that goal,” Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, told an estimated 1,000 attendees at the Foundation for Excellence in Education Conference.” (more)
Education World – Staff Writer
“The December school break is a good time for parents to curl up with their children and read books. By reading with children during the holiday break, parents will help maintain children’s reading ability and get a sense of any reading problems their children might have. Research also shows that reading and discussing books with children helps build their vocabularies.” (more)
Eurekalert – Staff Writer
“Adults who had received early life, intensive childhood educational intervention display high levels of fairness in social interactions more than 40 years later, even when being fair comes at a high personal cost, according to a new study by Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists.” (more)
Edutopia – Darby Evans
“During the holiday season and when birthdays roll around, parents often seek out gifts that their kids will enjoy while also learning something—a delicate balance. Gifts that support literacy—books, magazines, and apps—work well at every age. Teachers can help out by sharing this list with parents. You can add your own great ideas too, and if you want a more extensive list, check out these suggestions from the Notre Dame Center for Literacy. (All prices current as of December 2018.).” (more)
The 74 Million – Sivan Tuchman and Travis Pillow
“We hear a lot about the achievement gap, but people don’t usually talk about the access gap. If they do, they mean access to high-quality schools. But schools aren’t the only thing that students need access to in order to reach their goals. Access to enrichment matters, too. A new analysis by researchers from the University of Washington eScience Institute, in partnership with CRPE and ReSchool Colorado, shows a recurring trend that students who are black or Hispanic, and those who come from households with lower incomes or less-educated parents, tend to have less access to out-of-school opportunities that might affect their learning.” (more)
The Huffington Post – David Barden
“Could cursive be making a comeback? Students in Ohio may be required to learn the craft after the state’s senate passed House Bill 58 last Thursday. The bill, according to local NBC affiliate WCMH-TV, would allocate resources to schools allowing for the development and implementation of a curriculum to teach cursive handwriting.” (more)
Eurekalert – Staff Writer
“A family’s interest in a student’s school life helps the child overcome educational inequality. A high level of parental involvement ‘offsets the difference in success among children from families with different economic statuses,’ the researchers write. A family’s activity level ‘has an indirect impact so that a child’s academic performance and opportunities are no worse’ than that of his or her peers from wealthier families, Mertsalova explains. ” (more)
The 74 Million – Andrew Rotherham
“As the nation acknowledges President George H.W. Bush’s extraordinary legacy of service from the battlefields of the Pacific to the Oval Office by way of a lifetime of service in various elected and appointed posts, we might pause to also reflect on his consequential role in education. In fact, while the ceremonies and funeral arrangements were unfolding in Washington, education types were streaming into the city for Jeb Bush’s Excel in Ed conference — more familiarly known as JebFest — a timely reminder that despite the pushback, acrimony, and evolution of education policy, we’re fundamentally still operating in an education world his father was instrumental in creating.” (more)
