Remember the Marshmallow Test? The professor who developed it has published his first non-academic book. He's 84. He's got good news for concerned parents. 2 3 Maybe you’ve already heard about lithium in the water. If not, here's your chance. 1 The global achievement gap gets two articles this week. There's an argument for why you should not admire China's top ranked school system. 5 And, if you're curious, peek at the graph to find out how U.S. elementary students time-in-school compares to other nations. 6 Researchers from Harvard and MIT published an article this week that, if you read, will make you smarter. Learn about "crystalized intelligence" and "fluid cognitive skills." Find out how these intelligence factors might explain what makes some schools effective. You'll also learn more about working memory, background knowledge, charter schools and possible impacts of using standardized tests for accountability. 4 Ann McCormick, founder of The Learning Company and developer of Reader Rabbit, has a new reading app. Check it out! 7
Parenting
1 Should We All Take A bit of Lithium? - Anna Fels, New York Times
2 Dispelling the Myth of Deferred Gratification - Alfie Kohn, Education Week
Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent - Nick Bilton, New York Times
Why Everyone Should Read Harry Potter - Bret Stetka, Scientific American
Early Signs of a Reading Difficulty - Susan Hall, Great Schools
Former 'Redshirted' Students May Get AP Edge, Study Finds - Sarah D. Sparks, Education Week
Learning
3 Learning How to Exert Self-Control: The "Marshmallow" Man's Book - Pamela Druckerman, NYTimes
How Levels of Physical Activity Linked to Better Academic Performance in Boys - U of Finland, PsyPost
This is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain on Music - Cory Turner, NPR Ed
Can Students ‘Go Deep’ With Digital Reading? - Holly Korbey, Mind/Shift
Motivated to Learn: Conversation with Daniel Pink - Amy Azzam, ASCD
Fiction Teaches Students Empathy, Research Shows - Kristie Chua, Education Week
Education
4 What Effective Schools Do - M. West, C. Gabrieli, A. Finn, M. Kraft, John Gabrieli, Education Next
Ranking High Schools Tells Which Schools Are Rich or Selective - Libby Nelson, Vox
With Tech Taking Over in Schools, Student Data Privacy Worries Rise - Natasha Singer, NYTimes
5 Why Admiring Chinese Test Scores Might Hurt U.S. Schools - Jay Mathews, Washington Post
6 Hours US Kids Spend in Elementary School vs 33 Other Countries - Mona Chalabi, FiveThirtyEight
It Takes a Mentor - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
The Conservative Case for Common Core - William Bennett, Wall Street Journal
William Bennett Piece Exemplifies Core Problems - Neal McCluskey, Cato Institute
Fact or Fiction?: Video Games Are the Future of Education - Elena Malykhina, Scientific American
Surprising Benefit of Common Core: Really Cool Video Games - B. Winterhalter, The Atlantic
Teacher Tenure Has Little to do with Student Achievement, Say Economists - M. Ehrenfreund, WP
Rise in Alternative Certification for U.S. Teachers - Anya Kamenentz, NRP Ed
Resources
7 Reader Bee - Teaching Children to Read Faster - The Creativity Post
Innovative Thinking Game for Kids: Disruptus - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
Spotlight on New Comic Books - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
10 YouTube Stars Your Kids Love - Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media
Tips for How Parents Can Help Their Children Search Safely and Effectively Online - Alan Mackenzie, pfg
The Economic Guide To Picking A College Major - Ben Casselman, FiveThirtyEight
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