Education Policy is getting curiouser and curiouser! A California judge's ruling on the case Vergara v California shook things up. Every media outlet covered the story. It’s not just big in the education realm. The ruling impacts politics as well. Election level politics, even. While media coverage was noisy, politicians were strangely silent. (Now that’s impact.) Below find articles explaining different viewpoints on this significant ruling, including commentary from our Top Influencers, Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee, Randi Weingarten, and Diane Ravitch. ● A government study released this week compares teen behavior trends over the last 20 years. It provides stats on teen drinking, fighting, texting, sex, and media use. There’s some good news. ● Annie Murphy Paul reviews the book, How Not to Be Wrong. Doesn’t that sound like essential reading for parents? Read it before your teen does!
Parenting
Study: Teens Are Drinking Less, Texting More - Mike Stobbe, Sacramento Bee
Subtweeting: Inside the Harmful New Social Media Trend - Steven Woda, uknowkids
When Texting Goes Wrong: Helping Kids Repair & Resolve Issues - Devorah Heitner, Platform for Good
The Case for Dedicated Dads - Jessica Lahey, The Atlantic
The Daddy Juggle: Work, Life, Family, and Chaos - L. Weber and J. Lublin, Wall Street Journal
Secret Parent: 10 Things We'd Like to Say to Teachers - The Guardian
For Parents and Kids, Sleep is Critical to Keeping Pounds Off - Rick Nauert, PhD, PsychCentral
Sports Should Be Child's Play - David Epstein, New York Times
Learning
The 1 Thing That Will Improve Math Learning - Daniel Willingham, RealClearEducation
12 Minutes of Exercise Improves Attention - Janice Wood, PsychCentral
What's the Best Way for Toddlers to Acquire Verb Meaning? - Northwestern University, PsyPost
Synchronized Brain Waves Enable Rapid Learning - MIT, PsyPost
The Woman Who Forgot the Names of Animals - I. Viskontas & C. Mooney, The Atlantic
Education
Does Tenure Protect Bad Teachers or Good Schools? - Room for Debate, New York Times
Arne Duncan: Drawing the Right Lessons from Vergara - HomeRoom, Dep't of Education
Michelle Rhee: California Tenure Ruling is a Win for Teachers and Kids - Washington Post
Diane Ravitch: Vergara Decision Is Latest Attempt to Blame Teachers - Huffington Post
Randi Weingarten: Moving From 'Test and Punish' to 'Support and Improve' - Huffington Post
Will California's Ruling Against Teacher Tenure Change Schools? - Dana Goldstein, The Atlantic
Putting Teacher Tenure in Context - Adam Ozimek, Forbes
What Does Teacher Tenure Mean for Parents? - Carol Lloyd, GreatSchools
Delay Urged on Actions Tied to Tests by Schools - Motoko Rich, New York Times
The Untold Story of School Finance Reforms in the U.S. - CJ Libassi, EdCentral
Resources
How High Schoolers Use Pot, in 3 Maps - Niraj Chokshi, Washington Post
Summer Reading Favorites for Kindergarteners - Mary Ann Scheuer, GreatKidsBooks
New Chapter Books for Summer Reading, Ages 6-18 - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
12 Games that Teach Kids to Code, AND are Fun - Dan Crawley, VentureBeat
Map: There Have Been 74 Shootings at Schools Since Newtown - Niraj Chokshi, Wash Post
Book Review: How Not to Be Wrong; Why Math Fills So Many of Us with Dread - Annie Murphy Paul, WP
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