Parent Cortical Mass

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

The Republican Convention this week put education reform in the spotlight by screening the movie “Won’t Back Down,” starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, which tackles the divisive topic of parent trigger laws. PCM Influencers Michelle Rhee and Randi Weingarten take up the debate. The 2012 Gallup Poll on Public Schools traces the changes in public opinion over the years. Two new books, Teach Your Children Well and How Children Succeed, highlight the subject of success. Read about how learning in your sleep could be a dream come true. There are articles on deliberate practice and pretend play. In 25 Blogs for Proactive Parents, we are happy this blog is #11!

Parenting

Top 50 Back-to-School Articles for Parents - Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Psychology Today

Beyond Grades and Trophies, Teaching Kids About Success - Amanda Stupi, Mind/Shift

Are Parents Pushing Too Hard for Success - Lylah Alphonse, Yahoo!

Are Irresponsible Parents Sending Out-of-Control Kids to School? - Gwen Dewar, BabyCenter

New Study on Value of 'Pretend Play' - Christine Kearney, Medical News Today

Learning

How to Learn in Your Sleep - Mo Costandi, Nature

Early 'Attention Span Persistence' Linked to College Completion -Ellen Galinsky, Huff Post

Review of 'How Children Succeed' - Annie Murphy Paul, NYT

Steven Pinker's Response to Review of "How Children Succeed" - The Brilliant Blog

What it Takes to Be the Best - Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree

The Neuroscience of 20-Somethings - Ferris Jabr, Scientific American

Education

National PTA Revises Policy on Charter Schools - Sean Cavanagh, Education Week

Michelle Rhee: Ed Reform Means "Getting Ready for a Fight" - Hechinger Report

Randi Weingarten Speaks Out Against "Won't Back Down" - Nicole Sperling, Los Angeles Times

What GOP Platform Says on Education - Washington Post

School Vouchers on a Comeback? - Sarah Carr, Hechinger Report

Three Ed Reforms Parents Should Worry About Most - Carol Burris, Washington Post

7 Surprising Findings of the 2012 Gallup Poll on Public Schools - William Bushaw, Ed Week

Raising the Floor, But Neglecting the Ceiling - Chester Finn, Jessica Hockett, The Examiner

Resources

Best Educational Apps for Preschoolers - Willa Plank, Wall Street Journal

How to Easily Childproof Your iPad -Edudemic

25 Education Blogs for Proactive Parents -OnlineCollege.org

New Books for Elementary Back-to-School -Imagination Soup

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

With school starting soon check out articles on the 21st century meaning of ‘parent involvement.’ Note recent parent reactions to earlier start dates initiated in many districts. Read smart articles with suggestions for raising creative kids; ways to get motivated to learn; descriptions about how educational games work and the exciting generation of edu-gaming emerging. A controversial NYT op-ed on teachers sparked lively discussion. Power player Joel Klein makes his case for privatizing public education. PCM Influencer Linda Darling-Hammond published research results on a promising model that improves teacher preparation. Be sure to check out the fascinating toys featured in resources.

Parenting

10 Suggestions for Raising Creative Kids - Jeffery Paul Baumgartner, Creativity Post

Updating 'Parent Involvement' for the 21st Century - Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Psychology Today

Move to Open Schools Before Labor Day Angers Parents, Business - Stephanie Banchero, WSJ

Is Retaining Students in the Early Grades Self-Defeating? - Brookings Institute

Back to School Facts and Figures - Helmut Schmidt, Inforum

Learning

What's the Difference Between Games and Gamification? - Frank Catalano, Mind/Shift

6 Ways to Get Motivated to Learn -Annie Murphy Paul, The Brilliant Report

Delaying Gratification: Marshmallow Test Pays Off, 40 Years Later - Emily Bazelon, Slate

What Makes Educational Games Work? [3 Short Videos] - Tina Barseghian, Mind/Shift

Can We Keep Getting Smarter? The Flynn Effect [Podcast] - Scientific American

What if Your Kid Could Learn to Code with a Click of the Mouse? - Natalie Robehmed, Forbes

Education

Teachers on the Defensive - Frank Bruni, Opinion Pages, New York Times

A Parent's Letter to Frank Bruni of the NYT - Rebecca Poyourow, Diane Ravitch Blog

Real Teacher Ed Reform - Linda Darling-Hammond, Inside Higher Ed

The Case for the Private Sector in School Reform - Joel Klein, The Atlantic

Is This [Privatizing] the True Goal of "Reform" Today? - Diane Ravitch, Diane Ravitch Blog

Why Web Literacy Should Be Part of Every Education - Cathy Davidson, Mark Surman, FastCoExist

Why are Top Math Achievers Spread Unevenly Across Similar Schools? - Erik Robelen, Ed Week

Resources

Apps that Foster Creativity, by Age - Dr. Michelle Anthony, Scholastic

Sony's Wonderbook: Hands-on Review -The Guardian

Nukotoys' Playing Card Apps: Virtual, Tangible, Interactive, Mobile -Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews

Roominate, Sciency Dollhouse Designed by 3 Female Engineers -Christina Farr, VentureBeat

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

This week PCM Influencers Michelle Rhee and Diane Ravitch, who represent the two poles of education reform thinking, faced off on CNN. Why did Campbell Brown, former CNN anchor, decide to join the fray over teachers unions? Her entry drew PCM Influencer Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT, into a twitter discussion that got personal. Find out about a program that has Dads taking their kids to the first day of school. Learn about parent empowerment, unschooling, Unbaby.me, and new research on learning and feedback. How can parents get a better idea of the true learning value of young children’s apps? Read the article and check out YogiPlay.

Parenting

Unschooling: Parents Who Don't Believe in Education - Quinn Cummings, The Atlantic

Parents Taking an Active Role in Choosing Colleges - Bonnie Miller Rubin, EdWeek

Million Father March: Dads Take Kids to 1st Day of School - Michele Molnar, EdWeek

The Dynamics of Parent Empowerment - Justin Baeder, Education Week

Parents Not Pleased: Unbaby.me Blocks Their Baby Pics on Facebook - Walter Frick, BostInno

Learning

Geniuses Are Made, Not Born - Scott Barry Kaufman, Creativity Post

Lessons From Berry Brazelton on Language of Kids Behavior - Ellen Galinsky, Huff Post

5 Lessons Kids Don't Learn in School for Success in Life - Jennifer Owens, Huff Post

Feedback, Good or Bad, Can Backfire - Janice Wood, PsychCentral

Does More Tech in Classroom Help Kids Learn? - Julie Halpert, Mashable

Is Our Children Learning Enough Grammar to Get Hired? - Room for Debate, NYT

The Future of Apps for Young Children: Beyond ABC & 123 - Daniel Donahoo, Huff Post

Education

Campbell Brown Wades Into Debate Over Teachers Unions - Al Baker, NYT

Rhee on Saving America's Schools - Schools of Thought, CNN

Ravitch: Rhee is Wrong and Misinformed - Schools of Thought, CNN

Why Do We Focus on Finland? - Jeff Dunn, Edudemic

Resources

YogiPlay, Delivers Parents Personalized App Recommends - YogiPlay.com

Go Sum, Like Scrabble, If It Were Numbers -CoolMomTech

Carnegie Mellon Spinoff's Toys Teach Technology By Making It Fun -eSchool News

Review of LeapFrog LeapsterGS -Katherine Boehret, All Things D