Parent Cortical Mass

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

We’ve rounded the Memorial Day weekend, and so begins the shift from school time to summertime. Many articles here will help parents optimize the stream of informal learning moments ahead. Check out Jessica Lahey’s big pile of fantastic ideas. ● Video games will be an avid pursuit for kids. Read Jordan Shapiro’s article. Stay calm and remember the meta-cognitive benefits. ● In education policy this week, influencers Linda Darling-Hammond and Randi Weingarten contend it’s time to change the accountability systems put in place with No Child Left Behind. They want to replace policies of “test and punish” with “support and improve.” Jeb Bush, however, says schools need “sanctions for failure” and parents need choice in the form of charter schools. That’s the only way to close achievement gaps, he states. ● Do you think “young people today” are (a) the best-behaved generation ever, or (b) a bunch of mollycoddled babies? Try reading the article that contradicts your viewpoint. I know, that’s an annoying idea. But, at Parent Cortical Mass we both support and reject paradox.

Parenting

A Summer Camp Lesson: Good-bye, and Go Away, Thank You Very Much - Jessica Lahey, The Atlantic

Holding Kids Back Doesn't Help - Deborah Stipek and Michael Lombardo, Education Week

Today's Teens Are the Best-Behaved Generation on Record - Sarah Kliff, Vox

America's Kids are a Bunch of Mollycoddled Babies - Chester Finn, Jr., Politico

Tiger Mom and Her Critics Are Both Right - Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., BabyCenter

Kids, Parents Are Embracing the Walking School Bus - AP, Fox News

Learning

How Your Working Memory Makes Sense of the World - Peter Doolittle, TED Talk [Video]

What Is Informal Learning? - Ava Arsaga, Parent Cortical Mass

Why Do People Persist in Believing Things That Just Aren't True? - Maria Konnikova, The New Yorker

Social & Emotional Benefits of Video Games: Metacognition & Relationships - Jordan Shapiro, Mind/Shift

Kindergarten Bots Teach Language to Tots - Hal Hodson, New Scientist

Education

It's Time for a New Accountability in US Education - Linda Darling Hammond, Randi Weingarten, HP

When Schools Are a Matter of Choice, Families Win - Jeb Bush, Miami Herald

What School Reformers Can Learn from Poker - Ben Spielberg, Washington Post

Union 'Wins' Against Reformers are Real Losses in Education 'War' - R. Whitmire, Real Clear Education

Are Schools More Segregated Than in the 50s? [Graphs] - Jill Barshay, Hechinger Report

What's Really at Stake? Untangling Big Issues Around Student Data - Francesca Segre, Mind/Shift

Despite Worries, Big Data Can Be Key for Student Success -Rey Junco, NBC News

Mass Collection of Student Data Raises Privacy Concerns - Anya Kamenetz, NPR

Resources

Kate DiCamillo's Picks for Summer Treehouse Reading (Ages 8-13) - Staff, NPR

A Big Pile of Fantastic Ideas to Get Kids Outside Making and Doing This Summer - Jessica Lahey, NYT

Register Now for Girls Make Games (Girls, Grades 6-10) - Jonathan H. Hiu, GeekDad

Minecraft Gamer's YouTube Hit 'More Popular than Bieber' - Matt Precey, BBC News

10 Unique Graduation Gifts for 2014 - Tiffany Doerr Guerzon, ParentMap

Kids' Summer Movie Preview 2014 - Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media

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 is all about education. It’s also been a rough week for education reformers. First, civil rights activists filed complaints in three cities. School closings, they say, disproportionately affect African American neighborhoods. They called the policies “the new Jim Crow.” Second, new research on teacher evaluations using value-add measures was published. Researchers believe many of the measures “actually aren't very good quality” and recommend postponing their use. Third, another study exposed a significant bias in teacher evaluations using classroom observation. “It is harder for a teacher who doesn’t have top students to get a top rating,” said researchers. On top of that, Ta-Nehisi Coates, a respected writer, called out an "anti-democratic streak" in reformers. “If you begin with the premise that you cannot convince parents, then I doubt the wisdom of your entire plan for their children,” he said. Also this week, Brown vs. Board of Education marked its 60th anniversary. Have we fixed segregation? Articles by Influencers Arne Duncan, Diane Ravitch, Randi Weingarten, and others, convey a range of views. What do you think?

Parenting

Data Mining Your Children - Stephanie Simon, Politico

Common Core Isn't Mining Nearly as Much Student Data a Private Sector - Arit John, The Wire

Report: U.S. Children Read, But Not Well or Often - Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters

When Kids Would Rather Play Computer Games Than Code Them - KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times

5 Best and Worst States for Working Moms - Matt Vasilogambros, The Atlantic

Learning

No Such Thing As a 'Universal' IQ Test: Cultural Differences Matter - ScienceDaily

Exercising the Mind to Treat Attention Deficits - Daniel Goleman, New York Times

Reading Experience May Change Brains of Dyslexic Students - Annie Murphy Paul, NYT

Study: Lectures Aren't Just boring, They're Ineffective, Too - A. Bajak, Science Magazine

To Remember a Lecture Better, Take Notes by Hand - Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic

Education

When School Reform and Democracy Meet - Ta-Nehisi, Coates, The Atlantic

Progress and Challenges 60 Yrs After Brown v. Board - Sec. Arne Duncan, HuffPost

60 Yrs After Brown v Board, Will Congress Revive a Dual School System? - Diane Ravitch, HP

Reclaim the Promise of Brown v. Board - Randi Weingarten, HuffPost

Fulfilling the Promise of Brown v. Board - Angelia Dickens, StudentsFirst

Segregation is Back - Peg Tyre, Politico Magazine

Why American Schools are Becoming Segregated Once Again - Jamelle Bouie, Slate

5 Myths About Brown v Board of Education - Imani Perry, Washington Post

Are School Closings the 'New Jim Crow'? - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post

Report: Weak Link Between Value Add Measures and Teacher Instruction - Allie Bidwell, US News

New Research: Are Teachers Judged on Who They Teach, Not How They Teach? - M. Downey, AJC

US Students from Educated Families Lag in Int'l Tests - Hanushek, Peterson, Woessmann, Education Next

Resources

10 Tips on How to Raise a Reader - Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media

24 Awesome Short Stories for Middle Schoolers - TeachThought

22 DIY Tricks to Make Parenting a Little Easier - Brian Koerber, Mashable

5 Tips to Protect Your Child's Online Reputation - Cynthia Lieberman, A Platform for Good

Why Kids Love Scratch? It Lets Them Fail in Ways Their Parents Don't - Jenn Choi, Quartz

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

In time for Mother’s Day, Pew Research published 5 graphs contrasting today’s moms with those from back when. What intriguing evidence of change. ● Researchers have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) influences kids’ working memory. But this week, results from a new study tease out the impacts of two common measures of SES--parent education and the neighborhood. One matters, the other, not so much. ● The “nation’s report card,’ also known as NAEP, came out last week. Despite all the efforts, 12th grade scores in math and reading show no improvement. (Should US policymakers lose driving privileges until they raise their grades?) ● Summer is coming, which means your sand castle building skills will be tested. Put down your bucket. Check out the competition. Oh the beach can be a cruel place.

Parenting

5 Questions and Answers About US Moms Today - Andrea Caumont & Wendy Wang, Pew Research

Where to Turn When the School Wants to Have Your Child "Tested" - Jessica Lahey, NYT

What Are Kids Reading? 'Hunger Games,' But Classics, Too - Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, CSM

All Parents Need Access to Education Data Now - Aimee Rogstad Guidera, HuffPost

On Reforming FERPA: Big Data and Our Children's Future - Daniel Solove, SafeGov.org

Helping Boys Succeed in School--Brain Differences & Masculinity - S. Talmas, Creativity Post

Are Parents Ruining Sports for Their kids? - Karla Scoon Reid, Education Week

Learning

Children's Working Memory, Parents' Education, and the Neighborhood - ScienceDaily

Do Touch Screen Devices Adversely Effect Toddlers' Cognitive Development? - R. Glatter, MD, Forbes

The Definition of Digital Literacy - Terry Heick, TeachThought

Why the Arts Matter in Early Education - Richard Rende, Red Hot Parenting

2 Key Things About How Experts Practice - Noa Kageyama, PhD, Creativity Post

Education

Nation's Report Cards Shows Stagnant Scores for Reading, Math - Juana Summers, NPR

The Mystery That is 12th Grade NAEP - Michael J Petrilli, Education Next

Charters, Public Schools, and a Chasm Between - Javier C Hernandez, New York Times

The Resilience of Common Core - Andy Smarick, Education Next

What Polls Say About Common Core Support by Political Viewpoint - Catherine Gewertz, Education Week

Why Is the Math Gender Gap So Much Worse in the US Than in Other Countries? - Soraya Chemaly, HP

Math, Science, History: Games Break Boundaries Between Subjects - Jordan Shapiro, Mind/Shift

Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage. Here's What's Wrong With It - Jeffery A. Snyder, New Republic

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Lately, Coding - Matt Richtel, New York Times

Does College Pay? - Teresa Tritch, New York Times

Resources

7 Modernist Sand Castles, From a Master's Hand - Liz Stinson, Wired

What's Your Major? 4 Decades of College Degrees, in 1 Graph - Quoctrung Bui, NPR

Hopscotch: the Learn to Code, Build Something App - Liz Gannes, Re/Code

High-Tech Push Has Board Games Rolling Again - Nick Wingfield, New York Times

10 Math Apps Good Enough for Classrooms - Patrick Feeney, edutopia

The "What's Missing?" Memory Game for Youngsters - Jamie Reimer, Hands On As We Grow

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!