Parent Cortical Mass

Week's Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Discussion on three topics took hold of the edusphere this week: the privacy of student data, the overuse of accountability tests, and the rebellion against the common core. ● Laws protect the privacy of student information, but in the rush to implement new technologies in schools, it’s clear privacy got left in the data-dust. Get informed on FERPA, COPPA, data walls, and parental permissions rights. ● New research shows that increases in standardized tests scores do not lead to increases in cognitive ability. It's complicated. ● What is going on with the common core? States are rebelling, and not along party lines, as both red and blue states are impacted. Bill Gates wrote another article this week to stem the tide. ● Every parent gets asked the onion question. Watch Ferris Jabr’s video and be ready for it!

Parenting

Schools Must Be Privacy Zones - Common Sense Media

Group Calls on Companies to Safeguard Student Data - Ben Kamisar, Education Week

Is Your Kid's Privacy Safe at School? - Tony Porterfield, Common Sense Media

In Defense of Internet Safety Education - Larry Magid, SafeKids.com

How Some School 'Data Walls' Violate US Privacy Law - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

PTA and LifeLock Developing Kits to Teach Good Digital Habits - Dian Schaffhauser, The Journal

Do You Care About Ed Reform? 3 Ways to Get Involved Locally - Take Part

Learning

How Babbling to Babies Can Boost Their Brains - The Economist

Premature Infants Benefit From Hearing Adults Talk - Janice Wood, PsychCentral

4 Myths About Learning Disabilities - Hallie Smith, Science of Learning Blog

Can Playing Video Games Help With Dyslexia? - Linda Poon, Mind/Shift

A Toolbox to Build Emotional Intelligence - Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Roots of Action

We Need To Teach Kids How To Pay Attention - Annie Murphy Paul, Brilliant Blog

Education

Standardized Tests Parents Love to Hate? Maybe We Love Them After All - J. Kelmon, GreatSchools

Anti-Testing Groups Form Alliance to Bring Sanity to Ed Policy - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

Growth in Standardized Test Scores Doesn't Buy Us Cognitive Ability - Scott B. Kaufman, Creativity Post

What Explains Increasing ADHD Diagnosis? Is It School Testing Policy? - Alison Gopnik, WSJ

High School Grades Predict College Success Better Than SAT Score - Eric Westervelt, Mind/Shift

Families Want Data Showing the Value They Get for College Tuition - Douglas Belkin, Wall Street Journal

The School Standards Rebellion - Stephanie Simon, Politico

3 Myths That Confuse the Debate Over America's Schools - Bill Gates, LinkedIn

Education Reform Divides Democrats - Matthew Yglesias, Slate

What Do Americans Want for Schools? Choice, Yes, Charters, Not So Much - S. Garland, Hechinger Rpt

Resources

Top 5 Toys Beyond Goldiblox - Jamie Davis Smith, Huffington Post

Genius Brands’ Science-Based Series Heads Into Production - Wendy Goldman Getzler, Kidscreen

Why Do Onions Make Us Cry? [Video] - Ferris Jabr, Scientific American

Jupiter Will Be at Its Highest Point in the Sky for Many Years to Come - ScienceDaily

Neil Degrasse Tyson: We Are Made of Stars [Video] - Big Think

Infographic: Math Cheat Sheet for Parents - MathGameTime, Larry Ferlazzo, Engaging Parents in School

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!

Week's Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

So many good articles this week! ● I was gob-smacked by Eleanor Barkhorn's article, “What Americans Don’t Know about Science.” (Stay calm, we have plenty company.) ● Another must-read comes from Scott Barry Kaufman. He furnishes intriguing facts about prodigies’ working memory, IQ, and attention to detail. ● Do you have a kid in high school, or approaching? Laurence Steinberg's article offers important info on America’s high schools, even with its barmy title. ● Have you wondered if brain training is real science, or a boondoggle? Read Dan Hurley review of the research on Cogmed and get more informed. ● Are parents at your kids’ schools preoccupied with the politics of common core? It’s a hot topic, hot like inflammatory. Education influencer Bill Gates penned a widely read article in favor of the policy. To understand the tumult in the interplay of common core, accountability tests, teacher evaluation, and NCLB, just read Lyndsey Layton’s smart summary. ● And do not miss Ken Burns’ awesome app, launched this week!

Parenting

High Impact Parenting (HIP): A New Marriage-Saving Model - Richard V. Reeves, The Atlantic

What's It Really Like to Be a Parent? Please, Don't Tell Me - Ruth Graham, Slate

New Research: Why Infants and Toddlers Are So Exhausting - Conor P. Williams, EdCentral

Secrets of Networked Teens: Q&A with danah boyd - Anya Kamenetz, Hechinger Report

A New History of Lamaze Explains Origins of the Mythology -Jessica Grose, New Republic

What Americans Don't Know About Science. -Eleanor Barkhorn, The Atlantic

Learning

The Mind of the Prodigy -Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific American

More Talking, Longer Sentences, Help Babies' Brains - Lauran Neergaard, AP, Yahoo News

How Free Play Can Define Kids' Success - Katrina Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Conversation on Daydreaming, with Jerome Singer - Scott Barry Kaufman, Creativity Post

The Power of Empathy [3 min animation] - Brene Brown, RSA Short, YouTube

The Science Behind 'Brain Training' - Dan Hurley, The Atlantic

Beware Neuro-Bunk [11 min video] - Molly Crockett, TED

Education

High School in America: A Complete Disaster - Laurence Steinberg, Slate

Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It Most - Jessica Lahey, New York Times

6 Key Findings About Going to College - Andrea Caumont, Pew Research

By Sept Coding Will Be Mandatory In British Schools. WTH America? - Carmel Deamicis, Pando

Opinion: Learn to Code? No: Learn a Real Language - Frank Catalano, edSurge

Common Core: This is the Best Way to Fix School for Our Kids - Bill Gates, USA Today

A Fight Brewing Over Tests in the Common Core Age - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post

Is NCLB Best Measure of Student Growth & Teacher Effectiveness? - J. Palmisano, LawStreet

Judge Dismisses NY Parents' Lawsuit Against inBloom - Benjamin Herold, Education Week

Resources

Ken Burn's New iPad App Turns US History Into Beautiful Mixtapes - Devon Maloney, Wired

Civics Goes Digital: Online Game Effective at Teaching Civics - ScienceDaily

5 US History Apps 'Revolutionizing' Education - Brad Spirrison, Appo Learning

4 Safety Tips for Educational App Use with Kids - Balefire Labs

Kicking Off the 2014 Google Science Fair -Clare Conway, Google Blog

Netflix Adds More First Run Content from Disney -Todd Longwell, Kidscreen

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!

Week's Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

This week the Olympics capture our attention. What a perfect time to read articles about talent vs. practice, and performing vs. choking. ● After last week’s State of the Union, Pre-K is now the hot topic in our education policies list. More than ever, learning science reveals the consequences of “exposure gaps” in early childhood. Even the President is talking about the word gap. There’s momentum to fund high quality, targeted, pre-k programs. It may be the best way to close our nation’s achievement gaps and improve the global ranking of our education system. ● Don’t miss the story of how Bill Gates went from clumsy to masterful in wielding political influence. He has leveraged his fortune to push and nudge changes in education. ● Check out the handy apps on the Olympics.

Parenting

Kids Are Playing Organized Sports Less Frequently - Annie Murphy Paul, Brilliant

Do Parents Care Enough About Schools? - Room for Debate, New York Times

Preschool's Benefits Extend to Parents - KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times

5 Myths About Stay-At-Home Dads - Dave Lesser, Time

How to Raise Happy Kids: 10 Science-Backed Steps -Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Guide to "Secure Attachment" Research, for Thinking Parents - Gwen Dewar, Parenting Science

Learning

How Olympians Stay Motivated - Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

The Olympics: 5 Things to Learn About Talent and Practice - Jonathan Wai, Psychology Today

Hijack! How Your Brain Blocks Performance - Christine Comaford, Inc.

5 Common Mistakes Your Brain Makes Every Day - Marghi Merzenich, PositScience

Shy Kids Know the Answer - They Just Don't Say It Outloud - Eleanor Barkhorn, The Atlantic

Number Games Could Improve Kids' Math Skills - Kathleen Raven, Reuters

Education

Preschool Push Moving Ahead in Many States - Richard Perez-Pena, Motoko Rich, NYT

Exposure Gap: Universal PreK Can Address Achievement Gap - J. Zibulsky, Psychology Today

Is Kindergarten Too Young to Test? - Holly Korbey, Mind/Shift

How the Debate Over Charter Schools Makes Us Dumber - Conor P. Williams, Talking Points Memo

Bill Gates Masters D.C. - And the World - Stephanie Simon, Erin Mershon, Politico

Public Education's Weird Ideological Divide - Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

Teacher's Wife to Obama: 'Please Stop This Runaway Reform' - Dana Bultman, Washington Post

Choosing the Right Measure of Student Growth - Ehlert, Koedel, Parsons, Podgursky, EdNext

What Happens After Fed-Up Parents Take Over a School? - Natasha Lindstrom, The Atlantic

Resources

Take Home the Gold With These 6 Winter Olympic Apps - Kelly Knox, ParentMap

Barefoot World Apps: New Packs Added! - Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kids Books

How the Universe Was Born: Animation from CERN - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

Can This Smartphone App Stop Cyberbullying? - Lane Florsheim, New Republic

Parents' Choice Spring 2014 TV Awards -Claire S. Green, Parents' Choice

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!