Can you believe how much news coverage the changes to SAT got? Major media gave it top billing. It's valuable when education grabs the public mind, even for a day. ● For weeks we’ve heard about the opt out movement. But, this week Lisa T. McElroy’s, “I Opted My Kids Out. My Schools Freaked Out. Now I Know Why,” has spread far and wide. It’s worth the read. ● Chester Finn, a long time edu-influencer, wrote a clarifying article on the 10 “philosophical tug-o-wars” in education today. You will be smarter. He references Diane Ravitch and E.D. Hirsch Jr., and refers to background knowledge, common core, accountability, and value-add teacher evaluations. ● Have you heard there’s a sequel to Carl Sagan’s PBS series, Cosmos? The new program starts this month, on Fox, and stars Neil deGrasse Tyson. Will Neil be tempted to refer to the quantity of stars as “beellions and beellions”? I couldn’t resist in a...
Parenting
I Opted My Kids Out. The Schools Freaked Out. Now I Know Why. - Lisa T. McElroy, Slate
Debunking Myths About Parent Involvement in Middle School - Katie Wester-Neal, MiddleWeb
Don't Stalk Your Kid Online - Emily Bazelon, Slate
10 Things You Should Never Say to Your Kids Michelle Crouch, Parents
Redshirting: Good or Bad? New Research Adds to the Debate - Annie Murphy Paul, Brilliant Blog
Success and Character and Parenting - Richard Rende, Parenting
Learning
Most Preschoolers Are Capable of Algebra - Traci Pedersen, PsychCentral
Playtime is Learning Time - Too Small to Fail
Infants Use Known Verbs to Learn New Nouns - Northwestern University, PsyPost
What People Know About the cost of Multitasking - Daniel Willingham, Science and Education Blog
What Do IQ Tests Test? - Scott Barry Kaufman, Creativity Post
5 Year Olds Can Learn Calculus - Luba Vangelova, The Atlantic
Is Learning a Foreign Language Worth It? - Suzie Lechtenberg, Freakonomics
Education
This is What the New SAT Will Be Like - Julia Ryan, The Atlantic
A New SAT Aims to Realign with Schoolwork - Tamar Lewin, New York Times
Why the SAT Needs to Be Harder - Jonathan Wai, Psychology Today
10 Education Dichotomies We Quarrel About - Chester Finn, Education Next
US Needs to Add Student Online Privacy Rules -Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
The Common Core Teaches Kids to Be Good Citizens - Ross Wiener, The Atlantic
2 Flash Points in the Curriculum Wars - Tom Loveless, Education Next
Finland's Novel Approach to Recess - Samantha Stainburn
How Does PISA Put the World at Risk - Yong Zhao, Zhao Learning
Resources
Illustrated Field Guide to Mythic Monsters - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
Neil deGrasse Tyson: Why Cosmos Will Be Better Than Ever - Rachel Edidin, Wired
Project Spark Arrives on Xbox One - Tom Warren, The Verge
Parents Warned About Yik Yak, a Controversial Social App - Rajwani and Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune
11 Tips for Students to Manage Their Digital Footprints - TeachThought
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