Parent Cortical Mass

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

Have you been hearing about “grit” and “character education”? Watch the TED talk by Angela Duckworth, the U Penn researcher whose work launched the grit offensive, and see what you think. ● Wonder why so many tech leaders say kids need to learn to code? Mitch Resnick’s simple stories will help you understand. Then, check out the list of 40 Tools that get kids coding. ● For weeks we’ve covered parental apprehension over the use of kids’ education data. This weeks’ article will make you an expert on the topic. ● Two articles about teachers from Finland and Teach for America shed light on dissimilar approaches to teacher effectiveness. ● Unlikely political alliances are forming around doubts over the common core. After rapid acceptance by many states, a growing sentiment says, “Wait a minute!” ● This week a video showing a high school student expressing frustration at his teacher went viral.

Parenting

Why Reading Aloud to Older Children Is Valuable - Holly Korbey, Mind/Shift

"Tiger Mom” Study Shows the Parenting Method Doesn’t Work - Paul Tullis, Slate

Are We Over-Stimulating Young Children? - Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Roots of Action

Summer Babies at a Disadvantage? Not Obama, Clinton or Napoleon - Amelia Hill, The Guardian

What Parents Should Worry About This Week (Or Not) - Polly Palumbo, Momma Data

Advice for Parents About Summertime Tech - Larry Magid, SafeKids.com

Elmo Fever: Why Are Kids are So Obsessed with the Red Muppet? - Melinda W. Moyer, Slate

Learning

The Key to Success? Grit [Ted Talk] - Angela Lee Duckworth, TED

The 21St Century Skill Students Most Lack - Daniel Willingham, Washington Post

Learn To Code, Code To Learn - Mitchel Resnick, EdSurge News

How to Perform in a Clutch - Annie Murphy Paul, TIME.com

What's the Best Way to Teach Languages? - Martin Williams, The Guardian

Your Brain Catches Grammar Errors Even When You Don't Realize It - Clay Dillow, PopSci

Education

The Benefits of Character Education - Jessica Lahey, The Atlantic

Hispanic HS Grads Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment - Fry & Taylor, Pew Center

What is “Student Data?” Who Owns it? Why does it Matter? - Cameron Evans, Microsoft in Ed

New Report Challenges Beliefs About the Value of AP Classes - Leslie Harris O’Hanlon, Mind/Shift

Education Debate by Issue [Charts] - Education Week

What if Finland's Great Teachers Taught in U.S. Schools? - Pasi Sahlberg, Washington Post

Still Teaching for America - June Kronholz, Education Next

Republicans Should Love 'Common Core' - Frenkel and Wu, Wall Street Journal

Union Joins Opposition to Common Core Standards & Tests - Brittany Corona, Heritage

Resources

Teaching Kids to Code, 40 Tools to Learn to Code - EdSurge

Seven Books British Kids Love (and American Kids Will Too) - Sophie Brown, GeekMom

Summer Book List for Beginning Readers - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

Video of Texas Student Scolding His Teacher Goes Viral - CBS News

Parents' Choice Awards: Toys, Spring 2013 - Parents' Choice

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week news about Plan B contraception turned parenting media to topics of sex, sex education, and sexting. Get informed. ● A new survey shows parents are quite positive toward the use of mobile technology for learning in school. Yet, recent research on multitasking shows shallower learning when students shift focus from schoolwork to "blinking inboxes" on their mobile devices. Would students have the discipline to resist? ● Recently, we’ve featured articles on government funding of brain research, but who can actually understand these projects? Tim Verstynen’s amusing article explains it to us like we were two year olds. ● Find articles about poverty, wealth and the achievement gap, extending learning time, the global achievement gap, language dancing, and out-of-school learning. ● PCM's Top 10 Influencers Arne Duncan and Geoffrey Canada were conspicuous in this week’s news. ● Don’t miss the PBS News segment about a science program at a middle school in Maine. Wow.

Parenting

Parents See Benefit of Mobile Tech, Want Schools To Take Advantage - J. Bolkan, The Journal

Parents May Devote More Teaching Time to Girls Than to Boys - Shankar Vedantam, MindShift

At What Age Should Sex Education Begin? - Room For Debate - NYTimes

Is There Emergency Contraception in Your Medicine Cabinet? - KJ Dell'Antonia, NYTimes

Understanding the Spectrum of Motivations in Sexting - Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews

Real Reason Your Kid Won’t Listen To You? Your Western Parenting Style - Nicholas Day, Slate

“Life is Good”: 4 Ways to Nurture Optimism In Your Kids - Richard Rende, RedHotParenting

The Mark of an Educated Mind - Jessica Lahey, Coming of Age in the Middle

Learning

Why Learning and Multitasking Don’t Mix - Annie Murphy Paul, The Creativity Post

The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper vs Screens - Ferris Jabr, Sci Am

Lack of Sleep Blights Pupils' Education - Sean Coughlan, BBC News

Have Standardized Tests Really Helped Kids Learn More? - Carol Burris, Washington Post

Explained: the BRAIN Initiative vs. the Human Connectome Project - Tim Verstynen, Psyc Today

Early Math and Reading Ability Linked to Job and Income in Adulthood - Science Daily

Critical Thinking Is Best Taught Outside the Classroom - Dennis M. Bartels, Scientific American

Education

Louisiana Supreme Court Rules School Vouchers Unconstitutional - Valerie Strauss, Wash Post

Are ‘No Excuses’ Reformers & Their Critics Finding Common Ground? - S. Garland, Hechinger

You'll Be Shocked by How Many of World's Top Students Are American - J. Weissmann, Atlantic

No Rich Child Left Behind - Sean F. Reardon, New York Times

To Close the 'Opportunity Gap,' We Need to Close the Vocabulary Gap - M. Petrilli, Ed Week

Growing Movement Seeks to Expand Length of School Day - Celia Baker, Deseret News

Arne Duncan’s Moment of Truth - John Merrow, Taking Note

Geoffrey Canada: Our failing schools. Enough is enough! [Video] - TED Talk

Resources

PBS News Segment: Problem Solvers - Produced by John Tulenko & David Wald, Learning Matters

TED Teams Up With PBS for Education Program - Elizabeth Jensen, New York Times

Can These iPad Apps Teach Your Kid to Code? - Lauren Goode, AllThingsD

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me: Maya Angelou’s Children's Book - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

Picture Book about Mouse in Space, Written by a Shuttle Pilot - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week California Governor Jerry Brown showed political grit. He announced plans to tackle the intractable problem of unequal public school funding caused by local property tax traditions. Will citizens in affluent neighborhoods allow funds from their schools to be redirected to improve school quality for other people’s children? The Governor promised opponents “the battle of their lives.” ● For parents with kids graduating from high school, read the eloquent article on parents’ love, by Adam Gopnik, writer at The New Yorker and brother of Alison Gopnik, renowned expert on babies’ cognitive development. ● Find out about Angela Duckworth, the scientist whose work started the “grit” movement. ● Other topics here to gain cortical mass: autism, sportscasting, praising girls, and Randi Weingarten’s proposal for testing common core standards. ● The QR-code-inspired pajamas cracked me up.

Parenting

On Parental Love: When Children Fly the Nest - Adam Gopnik, BBC News Magazine

Preschooler 'Sharing' Debate: 'Hot' and 'Cold' Cognition in Kids - R. Rende, Red Hot Parenting

Western Parents Love Face-to-Face Interaction, But There Are Other Ways - Nicholas Day, Slate

Grandparent Stories: 7 Things I’d Do Differently the 2nd Time Around - L. Morgan, ParentMap

Toddlers and Touchscreens: The Case in Favor - Anya Kamenetz, Hechinger Report

Why Every Parent Should Be Aware Of Autism - Richard Rende, Red Hot Parenting

5 Benefits of Sportscasting Your Child’s Struggles - Janet Lansbury

Learning

Learning from Mistakes is Harder than We Think - Annie Murphy Paul, Time Ideas

Giving Good Praise to Girls: What Messages Stick - Katrina Schwartz, KQED, Mind/Shift

Reading Wordless Storybooks to Toddlers May Expose Them to Richer Language - Sci Daily

Can Technology Teach Grit? - Anya Kamenetz, Hechinger Report

In Defense of Working Memory Training - Scott Barry Kaufman, The Creativity Post

Want to Help Your Memory? Tighten Your Fist - Science Daily

Education

Gov. Brown Pledges Foes 'Battle of their Lives' over Edu Funding - D. Siders, Sacramento Bee

The Coming Revolution in Public Education - John Tierney, The Atlantic

The Illusion of the ‘Gifted’ Child - Andrew J. Rotherham, Time

This 5-Year-Old Boy Genius May Be Smarter Than You - Dominique Mosbergen, Huffington Post

3 Ways to Make Our Schools Emotionally Addicitive - David Brooks, Big Think

Postpone Use of New Test Scores, Says Randi Weingarten - Javier C. Hernández, New York Times

Here's How Little Math Americans Actually Use at Work - Jordan Weissmann, The Atlantic

Don't Blame the Kids for Not Learning Math -- Part 2 - Marc F. Bernstein, Huffington Post

How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists - Anna Kuchment, Scientific American

Bulletproof Clothing for America's Schoolkids? Seriously? - Josh Harkinson, Mother Jones

Resources

Adventurous Math For the Playground Set - Anna Kuchment, Scientific American

How to Make A DNA Model Out Of Licorice And Jellybabies - Cory Doctorow, boing boing

Super-Awesome Sylvia Selections - New York Times

Monsters & Legends: Kids' Ref Book on the Origin of Monsters - Cory Doctorow, boing boing

QR-Code-Inspired Kids' PJs? For Real? - Colin Lecher, Popsci

Education Leaders Deliver First TED Talks on PBS - TED Talks Education, PBS

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

The most talked-about topic this week covered the feasibility of new tests used for accountability. These new high stakes tests, aligned to the academically challenging common core standards, were rolled out in NY, causing a hub bub. As predicted, parents were not happy. Find out why. ● A survey released this week clarifies 3 ways parents want to be involved in their kids’ educations. Where do you fit? ● Hear PCM's Top Influencers Bill Gates, Diane Ravitch, Arne Duncan, and Michelle Rhee talk about testing, teacher evaluations based on student test scores, and the rationale for universal pre-school. ● Learn more about curiosity, creativity, unsticking misconceptions, and the role of background knowledge to critical thinking skills. ● Be sure to read about the Digital Public Library of America!

Parenting

Toddlers and Touchscreens: Scourge or Salvation? - Anya Kamenetz, Hechinger Report

Not All Parents Want To Be PTA Moms - Joanne Jacobs, Linking and Thinking on Education

Organizations Vie for Parent Attention with 'Report Cards' - Michele Molnar, Education Week

Authoritarian Parenting: What Happens to the Kids? - Gwen Dewar, Parenting Science

The Kids Are Not Alright? - Polly Palumbo, Momma Data

The Girl Scouts' VERY Cool New Badge - Krystie Yandoli, Huff Post Teen

Helping Your Kids Avoid Alcohol Pitfalls in Shift to College - Cleveland & Ward, EurekaAlert!

Measuring College Prestige vs. Price - Paul Sullivan, New York Times

Learning

How to Stimulate Curiosity and Promote Learning - Annie Murphy Paul, TIME

Why Teenagers Really Do Need an Extra Hour in Bed - Russell Foster, New Scientist

How To Unlearn Mistaken Ideas - Annie Murphy Paul, The Brilliant Blog

Misconceptions about Critical Thinking and Knowledge - Lisa Hansel, Core Knowledge Blog

Is It Possible to Measure Creativity? - Elizabeth Blair, Mind/Shift

Education

Test Resentment and the Politics of the Common Core - Dana Goldstein

In an Era of Global Competition, What Exactly Are We Testing For? - K. Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Michelle Rhee and the Unproven Teacher Evaluation - Karin Klein, L.A. Times

Bill Gates On Education: "We Can Make Massive Strides" - Anya Kamenetz, Fast Company

Clueless Bill Gates, Redux - Diane Ravitch, Diane Ravitch's Blog

High-Quality Preschool is a Sure Path to the Middle Class - Arne Duncan, Washington Post

How High-Poverty Schools Are Getting It Done - Karin Chenoweth & Christina Theokas, ASCD

What Education Reform Looks Like - Joel Klein, Wall Street Journal

Questioning the Mission of College - Frank Bruni, New York Times

And the National Teacher of the Year Is... - Elizabeth Chuck, U.S. News

Resources

U.S. News Releases 2013 Best High Schools Rankings - Kelsey Sheehy, U.S. News

Presenting ... the Digital Public Library of America! - Rebecca J. Rosen, The Atlantic

Life360 Wins as Smartphones Become Family Utilities - Ryan Kim, GigaOm

5 Tools to Help Your Child Learn the Pencil Grip - Andrea Updyke, BabyCenter

Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Terrific App (ages 14 +) - Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week the bombings in Boston occupy our attention. Articles here provide useful advice on how to talk to your children about these events. ● Other topics explored this week are girls and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math,) coding in schools, and the two parent education movements of ‘opting-out’ of and the ‘parent trigger.’ ● Dana Goldstein’s article on the history of philanthropy in education will increase your cortical mass about philanthrocapital. ● Washington Post’s education reporter, John Morrow, wrote an unexpected and sticky article, "Michelle Rhee's Reign of Error," about the investigations about possible cheating on high-stakes tests. ● Find articles on the importance of talking to your child, the interplay between IQ and the hours invested to gain expertise. ● Data on college acceptance rates this year will surprise you.

Parenting

How Parents Are Explaining The Boston Tragedy To Children - Joy Resmovits, Huff Post Parents

Cooperation After a Tragedy - Melanie Tannenbaum, Scientific American

How Teenagers Spend Money - Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

How Parents Around the World Describe Their Children, in Charts - Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Four Myths About the Millennial Generation - Chelsea Clinton, TIME

Can Building Toys for Girls Improve Math and Tech Skills? - Diana Kapp, Wall Street Journal

Why Your 8-Year-Old Should Be Coding - Jolie O'Dell, VentureBeat

Learning

The Power of Talking to Your Baby - Tina Rosenberg, New York Times

What Are The Habits Of Mind? - TeachThought

The 'Reading Brain' Science of Paper versus Screens - Ferris Jabr, Scientific American

How to Stimulate Curiosity - Annie Murphy Paul, The Creativity Post

Power Can Overcome Negative Stereotypes - Rick Nauert, PsychCentral

Learning Strategies Beat IQ in Predicting Achievement - Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific American

Education

From Carnegie to Gates - Dana Goldstein, Smithsonian Magazine

Your College Major Is a Minor Issue, Employers Say - Melissa Korn, WSJ

Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error - John Merrow, Washington Post

To Attract More Girls to STEM, Bring Storytelling to Science - A. Kuchment, Scientific American

At Last! A Computer Science Course for All Kids - Julia Steiny, Education News

Policy Focus on Standardized Tests Leads to Opt-Out Parent Movement - Lyndsey Layton, WP

Parents Choose Unique School Takeover Model in ‘Trigger’ Vote - N. Lindstrom, Hechinger Rpt

Education Leaders Weigh In On Parent Engagement, Privacy Issues - Michele Molnar, Ed Week

With Police in Schools, More Children in Court - Erik Eckholm, New York Times

Resources

Spring 2013 Parents' Choice Awards: Audio, TV, Apps, Small Screen - Parents' Choice Awards

Colleges Report 2013 Acceptance Rates - Tanya Abrams, New York Times

8 Great Twitter Accounts for Students to Follow - Laura Bates, Fractus Learning

A New Way To Find The Best Educational Apps For Kids - Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

10 Must-Have Photo-Editing Apps for Smartphones and Tablets - The Online Mom

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week articles from well-knows Alison Gopnik, David Brooks, Fareed Zakaria, and Wendy Kopp offer useful information for parents. Gopnik explains how brain processes for creativity and executive function conflict. Brooks and Zakaria reflect on higher education because right now parents of high school seniors are living in stressed anticipation of the “fat or thin envelop” from college admissions. Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, makes public her case for why technology can’t and won’t replace teachers. Last week’s viral hit, “The Reasons my Son is Crying,” will crack you up!

Parenting

Touch Screen Time? Worry About Parents, Not Kids - Sarah Goodyear, Atlantic Cities

Warren Buffett Gives Financial Advice to 10-Year-Olds - Tyler Gray, Fast Company

Paying for Your Child's College Education Isn't Giving a 'Free Ride' - Mara Shapiro, Huff Post

Is TV Viewing the Unhealthiest Screen Time For Kids? - Richard Rende, Red Hot Parenting

Do Today's Parents Need to Relax? - Matt Gross & Theodore Ross, The Atlantic

The Reasons My Son Is Crying, Greg (& Charlie) Pembroke, Tumblr

Learning

How the Brain Curbs Creativity - Alison Gopnik, WSJ

Why Kids Benefit When They Teach Others - Gwen Dewar, Parenting Science

How to Stimulate Curiosity - Annie Murphy Paul, MindShift

Don't Sleep It Off - Tori Rodriguez, Scientific American

Brain-Training Games Don't Actually Make You Smarter - Gareth Cook, The New Yorker

Short Lectures, Frequent Quizzes Maximize Online Learning - Rick Nauert, Psych Central News

Education

Let's Set a Nat'l Standard for Students—Pass the U.S. Citizenship Test - R. Pondiscio, Atlantic

Computers Can't Replace Real Teachers - Wendy Kopp, CNN

What Is a University For? The Practical University - David Brooks, New York Times

The Thin Envelop Crisis - Fareed Zakaria, TIME

Did Bill Gates Just Reverse Course? - Diane Ravitch, Diane Ravitch's Blog

Mom: Why I Won't Let My Son Take High-Stakes Standardized Test - Valerie Strauss, Wash Post

Tests and Tiger Moms - Thomas Sowell, RealClearPolitics

The School 'Discipline Gap', 1 In 4 Black Students Suspended - Joy Resmovits, Huff Post

Principal Warns Parents About Common Core Tests - Carol Burris, Wash Post

Resources

Poems to Learn by Heart, by Caroline Kennedy - Publishers Weekly

Young Mark Twain's Little-Known, Lovely 1865 Children's Book - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

A Video Game That Teaches How to Program in Java - Kurzweil News

Hakitzu Lets You Fight Robots and Learn Coding, Too - Tristan Kruth, Technapex

The 50 Best Public High Schools in the U.S. - The Best Schools

Teaching Kids Foreign Languages with a Most Genius App - Stephanie Mayers, coolmomtech

PCM Top Articles of the Week

The indictment of 35 educators in Atlanta’s testing scandal is big news this week. Should we blame the use of high-stakes testing in accountability and teacher effectiveness polices? Or, is this just a case of classic cheating? ● PCM Top 10 Influencer, Bill Gates, whose foundation funds research to improve teaching, wrote an op-ed on using student test scores for teacher evaluations. He urged a better balance between the “urgency for change” and the need for fair systems. ● Also in education, learn about recent voucher victories, conservative vs. progressive education reforms, and President Obama’s brain mapping plan. ● Find out how student engagement and flow differ, how gestures help learning, why ADHD diagnoses are increasing, and how we can educate students for careers in an era of uncertain career paths. ● Check out the amazing Lego constructions.

Parenting

You Can’t ‘Have It All’ & More of Feminism’s Outdated Phrases - Ellen Galinsky, The Daily Beast

More on Toddlers, Touchscreens and Learning - Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation

What Does a Tablet Do to the Child’s Mind? - Nick Bilton, New York Times

Is Heading A Soccer Ball Dangerous? - Richard Rende, Red Hot Parenting

More Diagnoses of A.D.H.D. Causing Concern - Alan Schwarz and Sarah Cohen, New York Times

Even Multiple Vaccines Don't Cause Autism, CDC Says - Sarah Sparks, Ed Week

First Take: Can Your Children “Design Their Own Professions?” - Raising Modern Learners

Learning

Kids Learn Better from Adults Who Talk with Their Hands - Gwen Dewar, BabyCenter

Mastering Emotions by Sharpening Memory? It Just Might Work - Melissa Healy, L.A. Times

Is Quality Pre-Kindergarten the Key to a Better Vocabulary? - Bonnie Rochman, Time

5 Learning Principles Embedded in Video Games - Tina Barseghian, Mind/Shift

How Meditation Might Boost Your Test Scores - Jan Hoffman, New York Times

Easing Brain Fatigue With a Walk in the Park - Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

Education

Ex-Atlanta Schools Chief Charged in Cheating Scandal - Michael Winerip, New York Times

What’s Really Scandalous About the School Testing Scandal - Erika Christakis, Time

A Fairer Way to Evaluate Teachers - Bill Gates, Washington Post

A Victory for School Choice - Michael Gerson, RealClearPolitics

Vouchers Don’t Work: Evidence from Milwaukee - Diane Ravitch's blog

Why Conservatives Should Support the Common Core - K. Porter-Magee & S. Stern, Nat'l Review

How to Build a Progressive Education Movement - David Bernstein, Education Week

Beyond Student Engagement: Achieving a State of Flow - Elena Aguilar, Edutopia

Obama Goes Public With Brain-Mapping Plan - Greg Miller, Wired

Resources

The 21 Coolest Things Ever Made Out Of Lego - Jack Shepherd, BuzzFeed

Raise A Reader: A Parent Guide to Reading for Ages 3-5 - Zoë Kashner, Scholastic

Nostalgia Sounds Good: The Return of Golden Records - Parents' Choice

My Favorite Audiobooks for Kids from Greathall - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

An article about Carol Dweck's mindset theory, applied to talent, asks how a growth mindset can impact creative achievements. ● Does sharing family meals together have a positive effect on children? Two studies draw different conclusions. ● There's surprising news on language dancing, and the “30 million word gap” discovered by Hart and Risley more than a decade ago. In “unprecedented scope and audacity” Providence, RI plans to use the entire city to test the theory. Read how. ● A joint statement, made by Randi Weingarten and Vicki Phillips, Ed Director at Bill Gates’ Foundation, on teacher evaluations, caught eduwonks off guard. Diane Ravitch responds. ● Get informed on ability grouping, school report cards, vouchers, and the unlikely political alliances against the common core. ● Don’t miss the giant Mindcraft map, the size of Los Angeles!

Parenting

A Parent Guide to Teachers’ Unions - Paula Bolyard, PJ Media

Families May Want to Create a Mission Statement - Bruce Feiler, New York Times

Is the American "Boy Crisis" Fictional? - Judith Warner, Time

The Many Myths About Mothers Who 'Opt Out' - Nanette Fondas, The Atlantic

Myth of Family Meals in Parent-Child Bonding Gets Debunked - Carrie Arnold, Scientific American

Family Dinners Boost Teens’ Mental Health - Cynthia Lee-McGill, Futurity.org

The Touch-Screen Generation - Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic

Learning

What Research on Babies and Pointing Reveals - Nicholas Day, Slate

Children Should Be Allowed To Get Bored, Expert Says - Hannah Richardson, BBC News

Scientists Unravel How Kids Learn Math, 1st Grade Is Key - Lauran Neergaard, Washington Post

Mindfulness Improves Reading Ability, Working Memory, and Task-Focus - Science Daily

Talent Isn’t Fixed and Other Mindsets That Lead to Greatness - Jocelyn K. Glei, 99u.com

How to Increase Our Stamina to Learn - Annie Murphy Paul, Time

Education

Providence, RI Plans to Shrink 'Word Gap' with $5M Grant - Ben Zimmer, Boston Globe

Left, Right Unite Against Common Core - Andrea Neal, Indianapolis Star

Let's Go Back to Grouping Students By Ability - Barry Garelick, The Atlantic

Parents Relying on School Report Cards Can Be Confused - Michele Molnar, Education Week

BYOT: Some Schools Urge Students to Bring Their Own Tech - Matt Richtel, New York Times

6 Steps to Effective Teacher Evaluations - Vicki Phillips & Randi Weingarten, New Republic

Weighing in on the Weingarten-Gates Article - Diane Ravitch, Diane Ravitch's Blog

With Vouchers, States Shift Aid for Schools to Families - Fernanda Santos & Motoko Rich, NYT

Good News about Low-Income Students - Caroline M. Hoxby, Brookings Institution

Resources

Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Like You've Never Heard It (Free Music Download) - coolmomtech

How Fans Recreated Game of Thrones in a Minecraft Map the Size of LA - Laura Hudson, Wired

How Do I Get My Kids Started on Minecraft? A Parents' Primer. - coolmomtech

Sylvia Plath's Little-Known Vintage Children's Book - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

Ten Tips for Selecting Great Games - Stevanne Auerbach, Huff Post Parents

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

The conversation about women and family/work balance, initiated a few weeks ago with the release of Sheryl Sandberg book, Leaning In, continues. Lisa Miller's article, "The Retro Wife," fanned the flames. How will the women of these times tackle the problem? ● Learn more on executive function, letting kids fail, and the CDC report on the prevalence of autism. ● Find out when kids are ready to cross the street, and why. ● Education topics discussed this week included ability grouping and tracking, suspension policies, and (heheh) the test scores of state legislators, city counselors, and academics on a New England high school graduation exam. ● Do you use the Getting Things Done system at work? Read how to apply it to parenting.

Parenting

Modern Parenthood, Balancing Work & Family - Kim Parker & Wendy Wang, PewResearch

The Retro Wife - Lisa Miller, New York Magazine

The Retro Wife Opts Out: What Has Changed and What Still Needs To - Lisa Belkin, HuffPost

Finding the Next Sheryl Sandberg - Jonathan Wai, Psychology Today

After Steubenville, Raising Children Who Will Speak Up - Avital N. Nathman, NYT

My Child Can't Read! - Peg Tyre, GreatSchools.org

Is Divorce Bad for Children? - Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, Scientific American

Learning

Improving Executive Function - Annie Murphy Paul, Creativity Post

The Marshmallow Test - Steven Novella, Neurologica

How Middle School Failures Lead to Medical School Success - J. Lahey & T. Lahey, The Atlantic

Why Do Some Children Struggle with Math? - Daniel Willingham, Science & Education Blog

Do 1 in 50 Kids Have Autism Spectrum Disorder? - Richard Rende, PhD, Red Hot Parenting

Sleep, the Adolescent Brain, and Mature Thinking - ScienceDaily

Why Kids Don't Notice Approaching Cars - Gwen Dewar, PhD, BabyCenter

Education

How Your School Compares Internationally - Stu Silberman, Education Week

Why Do We Suspend Misbehaving Students - Brian Palmer, Slate

More Teachers Are Grouping Kids by Ability - Greg Toppo, USA Today

Fight About Obama's Pre-K Plan Is Not Just About Money - Barbara Beatty, Huff Post

Minecraft in School? How Cool! - Christina Barron, Washington Post

Experts Make a Case for Later School Start Times - Gina Cairney, Education Week

60% of Adults Who Took Standardized Test Bombed - Valarie Strauss, Washington Post

Who's Afraid of Big Data? - Aaron Pallas, Hechinger Report

A Survey of Parents About College - Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed

Resources

Minimalist Parenting: Getting Things Done Meets Childrearing - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

20 Terrific Presentation Tech Tools for Kids - Erik Klein, Kleinspiration

Kids Can Vote for Children's Choice Book Awards - Maryann Yin, GalleyCat

The Awesome PBS Parents Play & Learn App. Are You Surprised? - coolmomtech

Supporting Students Reading Shakespeare, 2 Apps - Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kids Books

8 Best Apps for Preschoolers on Both iOS and Android - coolmomtech

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week find four articles, covering a range of viewpoints, on the issue of privacy and large student databases. The SXSWedu Conference in Austin last week proved the topic is hot, and relevant to parents. Get informed. ● Enjoy articles this week by well-respected writers and researchers like Mimi Ito, Vaughan Bell and Alison Gopnik. ● Learn more about praising kids, overconfidence, attention, and why human young require such an investment of time and patience. ● Statements from PCM Top Influencers Bill Gates, Diane Ravitch, Linda Darling-Hammond and Randi Weingarten made noisier news this week. ● The resources listed are fun--check out all of them!

Parenting

Why I Want Women to Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg, Time

Why Elon Musk and Chris Anderson's SXSW Parenting Debate Matters - Lisa Belkin, HuffPost

What Teens Get About the Internet That Parents Don't - Mimi Ito, The Atlantic

Redefining Etiquette In the Digital Era - Nick Bilton, New York Times

PS4, Gaming, & the New Privacy Reality - Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews

Video Game Industry Campaign to Explain Ratings to Parents - Hayley Tsukayama, WashPost

Defining Bullying: What It Is and What It Isn't - Emily Bazelon, New York Times

Learning

How NOT to Praise A Child with Low Self Esteem - Daniel Willingham, Science & Education Blog

Why Are Our Kids Useless? Because We're Smart - Alison Gopnik, Wall Street Journal

Friend or Foe: Babies Choose Sides Early - ScienceDaily

Our Brains Are Not As Simple As We Think - Vaughan Bell, The Guardian

Why Paying Attention is Anything But Elementary - Maria Konnikova, BBC

Confidence, Overconfidence, & Knowing What You Know - Annie Murphy Paul, Creativity Post

Education

Does Closing Underperforming Schools Help or Hurt Kids? - Sarah Carr, The Atlantic

Bill Gates: The Future of Education is Data - Frank Catalano, GeekWire

Diane Ravitch and a New Advocacy Group - Motoko Rich, New York Times

Randi Weingarten on Why She Got Arrested Protesting in Philly - Valerie Strauss, Wash Post

Teachers Are the Scapegoats, But Inequity Is the Problem - Darling-Hammond & Holland, AlterNet

Standard Tests Do Reveal Which Teachers Are Best - Peter Orszag, Bloomberg

Rotten to the Core: Feds' Invasive Student Tracking Database - Michelle Malkin, Creators.com

Getting Rich Off Schoolchildren - David Sirota, Salon

People, Explain Why Education Data Collection Is Bad - Eric Horowitz, edSurge

Fragmented Data Systems a Barrier to Better Schools, Experts Say - Katie Ash, Ed Week

Our Brains Extended: Technology Is a New Way of Thinking - Marc Prensky, ASCD

Drawing a Hard Line on Third Graders - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post

Resources

10 Best TV Shows for Young Children - Michael Petrilli, Flypaper

You Are Stardust: Teaching Kids About the Universe - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

10 Ways Parents Can Use Spotify - Coolmomtech

Best Toys for Children in Primary Grades - Stevanne Auerbach, Huff Post

Review: Hands-on with Lego StoryStarter - Marisa Kaplan, edSurge

Parents' Choice Spring 2013 Small Screen Awards - Parents' Choice