Parent Cortical Mass

Week's Best Articles on Learning and Education, for Parents

Have you heard of Goodhart’s Law? No? Then, how about “gaming the system,” which is what Goodhart’s Law describes? Eduardo Porter’s article, on the controversial issue of evaluating teachers with student test scores, describes how this law comes into play. It’s smart, and it will make you smarter. 1 This week Fareed Zakaria writes that America’s obsession with STEM learning is “dangerously" narrow. Consider his reasons why learning humanities is as important to America’s excellence as learning science and math. 2 How can we encourage an ethic of excellence in students? Dr. Dan Nicholls takes up this question with educators but his article is great reading for parents, too. (HT to Doug Lemov.) You’ll learn about deliberate practice and the growth mindset, 2 of our top 10 learning concepts. 3 Have your kids asked, “Why do I have scary dreams?” Read this delightful article at Fatherly, and be prepared for those dreamy questions. 4

Parenting

Time for Kids: Study Says Quality Trumps Quantity - Brigid Schulte, Washington Post

Go Ahead, Help Your Child Apply to College - Randye Hoder, New York Times

More Evidence For Benefits of Breastfeeding - The Economist

Children Spend 6 Hours or More a Day on Screens - Jane Wakefield, BBC News

How Grandparents Shaped Human Evolution - Rachel Caspari, Scientific American

Definitive Guide To Raising Your Kid With A Sense Of Humor - Joe Matarese, Fatherly

Learning

Why Kids Need to Move, Touch and Experience to Learn - Katrina Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Debunking the Myth of the 10,000 Hour Rule - Maria Popova, BrainPickings

Resilience: Why Some Children Can Thrive Despite Adversity - B. Walsh, Harvard Graduate School of Ed

The Perfect Amount of Homework for Teens - Melissa Dahl, Science of Us

Your Brain Learns New Words As Pictures So You Can Read Faster - Stav Ziv, Newsweek

Education

1 Grading Teachers by Students Test Scores - Eduardo Porter, New York Times

2 Why America's Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous - Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post

Is Improving Schools All About Money? - Room for Debate, New York Times

What? Maybe Student Engagement and Motivation Don't Matter? - Mikhail Zinshteyn, Atlantic

4 Student Data Privacy Issues Adults Should Be Aware Of - Anya Kamenetz, Mind/Shift

Tests Aren't the Answer: Here’s How We Spark Curiosity - Susan Engel, Salon

Should High Schoolers Be Required to Pass the US Citizenship Test? - Robert Pondiscio, US News

3 How Do We Ignite the Ethic of Excellence in Students - Dr. Dan Nicholls, Dan Nicholls Blog

Resources

4 Want to Know How to Explain Dreams to Kids? - Dr. E. Pace-Schott, Fatherly

5 Tips for Baby Conversations - Gwen Dewar, PhD, Urban Child Institute

Epic NonFiction Books for Kids - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally: Video - Alice Currah, PBS Parents

10 Best Apps That Encourage Real-World Play and Exploration - Stuart Dredge, Guardian

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 Best Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Many articles appeared this week about “raising kids who read.” Why? Because Daniel T. Willingham’s most recently published book, with that very title, is getting great coverage. Stay current. 2 3 When schools consider new education tech initiatives, parents can help their schools focus. How? With questions. Be ready with these. 1 A recently published book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, by Robert Putnam, discusses why we should care about other people’s children. There's more to it than altruism. 4 Catch up on the latest research about the effectiveness of charter schools. 5 Get an update on the perpetually log-jammed No Child Left Behind reauthorization. 6 Check out the “color thesaurus” and use it to name the colors in the gorgeous photos of the northern lights. Notice all the turquoise. Or, is that sea-green? 7 8

Parenting

Why Children Need Chores - Jennifer Breheny Wallace, Wall Street Journal

The Case for Free-Range Parenting - Clemens Wergin, New York Times

Frank Bruni is Wrong About Ivy League Schools - Jonathan Wai, Quartz

‘The Opposite of Spoiled,’ by Ron Lieber - Claire Dederer, New York Times

How to Manage Media in Families - Bruce Feiler, New York Times

1 Parent's Guide to All That 'Ed Tech' In Your Kid's Classroom - Anya Kamenetz & Adriene Hill, WNYC

Learning

2 What Not to Worry About in Teaching Young Children to Read - Jessica Lahey, New York Times

Power Naps Produce a Significant Improvement in Memory Performance - ScienceDaily

10 Smart Study Tactics That Support How The Brain Actually Works - Saga Briggs, informEd

The Age You Reach Peak Intelligence, According to Science - Fiona Macdonald, Science Alert

Education

3 For the Love of Reading: Engaging Students in a Lifelong Pursuit - Daniel Willingham, AFT

What Motivates A Student’s Interest in Reading and Writing - Larry Ferlazzo, Mind/Shift

Shifting From Learning to Read to Reading to Learn - Robert Pondiscio, US News

4 Why You Should Care About Other People’s Kids - Paul Solman & Robert Putnam, PBS NewsHour

The Problem With History Classes - Michael Conway, The Atlantic

5 Charters Score in Cities - Sara Mead, US News

6 No Child Left Behind Law Faces Its Own Reckoning - Motoko Rich & Tamar Lewin, NYT

Pearson Under Fire for Monitoring Students’ Twitter Posts - Natasha Singer, New York Times

What is a Foreign Language Worth? - The Economist

Resources

7 "Color Thesaurus" Helps You Correctly Name Any Color - Julija K. BoredPanda

8 Gorgeous Photos of the Northern Lights - Vivian Selbo, Slate

All of America's Folk Heroes, in One Map - Phil Edwards, Vox

Families: 7 Books to Read Before They're Movies in 2015 - Sandie A. Chen, CommonSenseMedia

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 Best Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Did you notice the buzz last week about Pi Day? If ever you wanted to know why mathematicians get all mystical about Pi, here’s your chance. Steven Strogatz relates Pi to pulsing hearts, orbiting planets, and the breathing of a baby. Really. Start reading now. 2 The smartest article this week is by Janet Napolitano. She addresses the “college is in crisis” theme that has momentum. In her article, there’s no hype--just facts, analysis, and a clear statement of the issues. 3 New research published this week caused a google trend spike in the use of the word “narcissism.” There are two contradictory theories about how kids grow up narcissistic. Update your knowledge about self-esteem, entitlement, parental warmth, and over-valuing. 1 For some hilarity, check out the Google AutoComplete Family Feud Game! 4

Parenting

1 How Not to Raise a Narcissist - Rebecca Jacobson, PBS Newshour

Millennials Spank Their Kids Just as Much as Their Parents Did - Scott Clement, Washington Post

We Live in an Age of Irrational Parenting - Jennifer Senior, Science of Us

How to Survive the College Admissions Madness - Frank Bruni, New York Times

Despite Progress, Women Bear Heavier Load Than Men in Work-Life Balance - K. Parker, Pew Research

Couples Want to Lean In Together, But Employers Need to Change - Nanette Fondas, Weekly Wonk

Learning

10,000 Hours of Practice Doesn't Guarantee You'll Be an Expert - Fiona Macdonald, Science Alert

The Teenage Brain: Spock Vs. Captain Kirk - Cory Turner, nprEd

How to Get Kids to Read Independently - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

Education

2 Why Pi Matters - Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker

Why Do American Students Have So Little Power - Amanda Ripley, The Atlantic

College for a New Age - Joe Nocera, New York Times

3 Higher Education Isn’t in Crisis - Janet Napolitano, Washington Post

The Power of Social and Emotional Skills - Andreas Schleicher, Huffington Post

What NCLB Did and Did Not Accomplish as Revealed in Test Scores - Monty Neill, Washington Post

High School Students Across the U.S. Are Fighting for Their Rights - Rebecca Nathanson, Rolling Stone

Despite Opt-Outs, PARCC Testing Numbers Soar - Allie Bidwell, US News

The Numbers Add Up To This: Less And Less Opportunity For Poor Kids - Marilyn Geewax, NPR

How to Ensure and Improve Teacher Quality - Hanushek, Ripley, Henderson..., Room for Debate, NYT

Resources

4 This Game Turns Google Autocomplete Into A Game Of Family Feud - Greg Kumparak, TechCrunch

The Best Card Games for Kids - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

15 Ways People Greet Each Other Around the World - Kathleen Wong, Mashable

50 Top Online Learning Sites - Best College Reviews

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!