"Grit” is the featured topic this week. Can we help kids get more of it? Can it be taught in classrooms? Is it reliably measured? And...should the government collect the grit scores of students? 2 5 6 8 The screen-time debate continues this week. The focus? How does parents' screen-time impact their kids? 1 Congress is finally taking on the re-write of No Child Left Behind and its troublesome accountability system. Should parents be allowed to opt out their kids from mandated tests without risking federal sanctions against their schools? Get familiar with the issues. 3 4 Did you get caught up in the buzz about Pluto? When does the question, “What makes a planet a planet?” get such air time?! Read up, and then argue with your kids: Should Pluto be reinstated as a planet? It’s a generational thing! 7
Parenting
1 How to Cut Children’s Screen Time? Say No to Yourself First. - Jane E. Brody, New York Times
Why “Work Life Balance” Is Too Simplistic for Modern Dads - Angela Arsenault, Parent Co
The Captivity of Motherhood - Wednesday Martin, The Atlantic
A Parent's View of Homework: Wavering Between Tolerance and Hatred -Toni Hargis, The Guardian
The Great Gift of Reading Aloud - Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal
Learning
The Cognitive Benefits of Doodling - Steven Heller, The Atlantic
Children Recognize Complex Emotions at Young Age - Rick Nauert, PhD, PsychCentral
Can Neuroscience Solve the Mystery of How Students Learn? - Ben Martynoga, The Guardian
Helping Toddlers Expand Their Language Skills - Rachel Cortese, PBS Parents
2 The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd
Education
3 Congress Might Finally Kill No Child Left Behind - Libby Nelson, Vox
4 Senate Rejects Plan to Allow Parents to Opt Out of Standardized Tests - Emma Brown, Wash Post
Why Aren’t NAEP Scores for High School Students Going Up? - Chad Aldeman, Education Next
States Still Differ Dramatically In Their Academic Expectations, Study Finds - Joy Resmovits, HuffPost
5 Resilience: The Capacity to Rebuild and Grow from Adversity - M. Price-Mitchell, PhD, Psych Today
6 U.S. Gov't to Collect Data on Students' ‘Grit’ Levels - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post
How Textbooks Can Teach Different Versions Of History - Laura Isensee, nprEd
Resources
7 NASA Mission Brings Pluto Into Sharp Focus — But It’s Still Not a Planet - David Rothery, Time
8 100+ Ways to Help Kids Learn Grit and Resilience - A. Zimmerman, Common Sense Media
Money Magazine’s New College Rankings - Jeffrey Selingo, Washington Post
Common Sense Things to Know About Parental Controls - Common Sense Media, GeekDad
Make a Whirlybird from Paper - Science Buddies, Scientific American
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!