Gingrich on school and work: More than a bad idea
This was *written by Mike Rose, who is on the faculty of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and is the author of “The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker,” and “Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us.” * By Mike Rose During a Q&A after a recent speech at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, former speaker of the House and current Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich offered “a very simple model” to address income inequality that he said he has held “for years.” The first step is to do away with child lab...more »
The value of a veteran teacher
The Answer Sheet - 7 minutes ago
The students mobbed Sandra Geddes when she showed up for the November meeting of the Aqua Eagles Ecology Club at Westbrook Elementary School in Bethesda. It wasn’t because she brought them sugar cookies in the shape of crabs. These kids know and value great teaching. Their appreciation of this veteran educator could offer a lesson for some of today’s school reformers. Read full article >>
Common Core standards pose dilemmas for early childhood
This was *written by Samuel J. Meisels, president of Erikson Institute, a graduate school in child development located in Chicago.* * By Samuel J. Meisels After a decade of concerns and criticisms about the lack of rigorous national standards in the No Child Left Behind Act, we now have a set of ambitious standards for use nationwide — the Common Core State Standards. Since their formulation two years ago, these standards have been adopted by 45 states, were made a precondition for funding in the Race to the Top competition, and have begun to influence the development of new c... more »
Kansas Gov. Brownback’s apology to tweeting student
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback today admitted that his staff overreacted in getting a student in trouble with her principal after she tweeted something negative about him — and he apologized. Here’s the full apology, posted on his Facebook page: *“My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms.* Read full article >>
Should tweeting teen apologize to Kansas governor?
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Here’s the story, as reported by the Kansas City Star: A senior from Shawnee Mission East High School went with some students to Topeka to learn about the political process. They listened to a speech by Gov. Sam Brownback and during the event, Emma Sullivan, 18, tweeted this from the back of the crowd: “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person...” Read full article >>
Boys joining girls’ swim teams in high school
A growing number of boys are joining girls’ high school swim teams in Massachusetts and authorities that regulate athletics aren’t quite sure what to make of it. *The Boston Globe* reports that the issue became more problematic recently when a boy broke a meet record for girls’ 50-yard freestyle. With more boys on girls’ swim teams this fall than ever, the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Association is expected in January to try to figure out how to handle the new record and the overall policy. Read full article >>
Library group denounces book destruction at Occupy Wall Street
The American Library Association has denounced the destruction of books at a library set up by Occupy Wall Street when New York police raided a park where protesters were staying earlier this month. The ALA, the oldest and largest library association in the world, issued a release that said some of its members who had visited the site before the Nov. 15 raid in Zuccotti Park had praised the People’s Library for having a balanced, catalogued collection of materials that included works of different views. Read full article >>
NASA sets high bar for wannabe astronauts
NASA, which today sent its new rover Curiosity to Mars to explore whether the planet could have ever sustained life, is now accepting applications for a new corps of astronauts — and the qualifications are tough. Not all undergraduate college degrees are accepted, program quality matters, masters and doctorates are beneficial, and post-college experience is required. Those who have trouble with math and science need not apply. Read full article >>
The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago