Why Presidents’ Day is slightly strange
Most federal holidays are clear-cut. On the Fourth of July, for example, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. On the other hand, Presidents’ Day is a slightly strange holiday for three main reasons: *There is no universal agreement on the actual name of the holiday. * There is no universal agreement on […]
Do college professors marginalize themselves?
New York Times columnist Nick Kristof just wrote a piece arguing that there are ”fewer public intellectuals on American university campuses today than a generation ago” and one of the reasons is that “Ph.D. programs have fostered a culture that glorifies arcane unintelligibility while disdaining impact and audience.” Is he right? Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham answers […]
Arne Duncan heads the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game class
Arne Duncan may have missed his calling: The 6-foot-5 education secretary was the star of Friday night’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in New Orleans, “winning” the MVP award with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Granted, not all of the competition was professional — actor Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” radio […]
All Week @ The Answer Sheet 2-15-14
The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetHow ‘data walls’ in classrooms can humiliate young kidsA long time ago I had a math teacher at West Miami Junior High School who changed the seating arrangement in my class every week according to how well each of her students did on weekly exams. Given that math was not one of my better subjects, this weekly exercise generally left me mortified with […