This week 3 reports got parents' attention. To get familiar with the 2011 TIMSS and PIRLS results, tests given to students in 45 countries in reading, math and science, read these 3 articles with different takes on the outcomes. The second report, from McKinsey, looked at how skills of graduating high school and college students align with the skills needed after graduation. Check out the stunning visualization of how the majors of 15,600 college graduates map onto career paths. (Aren't you curious about those philosophy and art majors?) The third report, from the FTC, alleges that app makers are tracking children’s activities without parents’ knowledge or consent. Learn more on the Flynn Effect, sleep, and empathy. Get prepared for the question: how can Santa deliver presents to all the kids in the world in one night?
Parenting
How Long Would It Take Santa to Get Presents to Every Kid on Earth? - Abigail Wise, POPSCI
Kids' Apps Fall Short on Disclosure to Parents, FTC Report Says - Natasha Singer, NYT
Do Educational Video Games Work? - Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., Parenting Science
Top 10 Parenting Trends of 2012 - Bonnie Rochman, Time
Young Parents, Old Parents, and Children - Dana Goldstein, DanaGoldstein.net
The End of Homework? - Louis Menand, The New Yorker
Learning
How to Get Students to Sleep More - Daniel Willingham, Science and Education Blog
Chunking and Working Memory, and How it Fuels Creativity - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
Understanding How Children Develop Empathy - Perri Klass, M.D., New York Times
Are You Smarter Than you Grandfather? Probably Not. - Megan Gambino, Smithsonian
Human Beings Are Getting Dumber, Says Study - JuJu Kim, Time
Education
Los Angeles Teachers' Evaluation Victory Bucks a Trend - T. Wantanabe, H. Blume, L.A. Times
US Students Still Lag Globally in Math and Science, TIMSS Shows - Motoko Rich, NYT
7 News Headlines Show Different Takes on U.S. TIMSS Test Results - Valerie Strauss, Wash Post
What TIMSS and PISA Truly Tell Us, If Anything? - Yong Zhao, ZhaoLearning
How Do U.S. Students Compare with Peers Around the World? - Sec. Arne Duncan, Dept of Ed
U.S. Education Is Getting Left Behind - Andreas Schleicher, Huff Post
Global Career-Readiness Programs Unaligned, McKinsey Finds - Sarah D. Sparks, Ed Week
Visualization: Impact of College Major on Career Path - Satyan Devadoss, Williams.edu
Teach US Kids to Write Computer Code - Douglas Rushkoff, CNN
Common Core Must Include Computer Science - Maggie Johnson, Jordan L. Bookey, Huff Post
Resources
Ditch the Stuff: Alternative Holiday Gift Guide - Annie Fox, M.Ed. TakePart
How to Thank a Teacher: Gift Resource Guide - Edutopia
Dr. Toy, Best Advice on Children's Products - Dr. Toy
Mr. Dad Seal of Approval 2012 Winners - Mr. Dad, DadSoup
A Review of Wii U - Children's Technology Review
