This week results on education ballot initiatives surprised many. Edu-policy wonks try to sort it out. Sen. McCain’s chief of staff writes a post about seeing his 18 year old daughter vote for the first time. How did she vote? There’s an unexpectedly useful article on what teachers wish parents would ask at conferences. Could change your mindset. Silicon Valley and government are battling over children’s online privacy, so get informed. Learn about automaticity, attention span, giftedness and how teachers see technology changing learning. A study published this week on math anxiety generated hundreds of articles. Geekout with the list of 15 science graphic novels.
Parenting
Father's Wishes For a First-Time Voter - Mark Salter, RealClearPolitics
Against Accelerating the Gifted Child - Jessica Lahey, Motherlode
How Do You Raise a Prodigy? -Andrew Solomon, New York Times
Scientists & Philosophers Answer Kids' Pressing Questions - Maria Popova, BrainPickings
What Teachers Wished Parents Asked at Conferences - Kelsey Sheehy, US News
Silicon Valley vs. Government over Children's Online Privacy - Natasha Singer, NYT
Running the Numbers on Student's College Education ROI - John Wasik, Reuters
Learning
Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say - Matt Richtel, NYT
Is Technology Changing How Students Learn? - Daniel Willingham, Willingham Blog
Want Children to 'Pay Attention'? Make Their Brains Curious - Judy Willis, M.D., PsychologyToday
Texting, TV & Tech Trashing Children's Attention Spans - Ellen Galinsky, Huff Post
Why Kids Should Learn Cursive (and Math Facts, and Word Roots) - Annie Murphy Paul, Time
For People With Math Anxiety, Their Brains Feel Pain - William Harms, UChicagoNews
Education
Viewpoint: The Election Has Compromised Education Reform -Andrew Rotherham, Time
Teacher Unions Notch Big Wins on State Education Votes -Stephanie Simon, Reuters
Common Core Standards: Not Your Parents Way of Learning - Dawne Gee, Wave3.com
Alternative to Standardized Testing - Monty Neill, Washington Post
Show Me Your Badge - Kevin Carey, New York Times
George Lucas Will Use Disney $4 Billion to Fund Education - Alex Ben Block, Hollywood Reporter
Resources
Kids' Science Books for Stormy Weather -Anna Kuchment, Scientific American
Top 15 Science Graphic Novels -Catherine A. Cardno, BookMarks
Media & Digital Literacy Resources for Parents -Common Sense Media, Edutopia
5 Online Libraries Every [Parent] Must Know About -Med Kharbach, Educator's Technology