Parent Cortical Mass

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

Yippee, the kids are back in school! After our summer break, Parent Cortical Mass is back, too, and there's so much to cover. Parents, how many clever ways can you ask your kids that all-important question, “How was school today?” Getting kids to talk about what they're learning in school fortifies that learning. 8 In this week’s batch of articles we revisit four of PCM’s Top 10 Learning Concepts: language dancing, the growth mindset, flow, and background knowledge. 1 2 3 4 Four of our Top 10 Education Influencers -- E.D. Hirsch Jr., Arne Duncan, Linda Darling-Hammond and Diane Ravitch --have mentions this week. 4 5 6 7 A Washington state court ruled last week that tax-payer funded charter schools in that state were unconstitutional. Why? Because public schools are subject to the voters in school districts, and charter schools, by definition, bypass required local control. What do you think? 7 It's September. You've just recommitted to reading nightly to the kids. Check out Bonnie Lathram’s list of must-read kids' books for some fresh selections! 9

Parenting

Why We Should Let Our Children Fail - Jessica Lahey, The Guardian

When Did Parents Get So Scared? I Blame It on Bridge to Terabithia - Melissa Schorr, Boston Globe

How Schools Are Handling an 'Overparenting' Crisis - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

When Homework Stresses Parents as Well as Students - KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times

Fathers Who Serve as the Primary Parent - Andrew Moravcsik, The Atlantic

Wondering at What Age Children Can Safely Play with a Tablet? - C. Featherston, Hechinger Report

Learning

4 Ways to Remember Everything You Learn - Drake Baer, Time

The Lesson You Never Got Taught in School: How to Learn! - Simon Oxenham, Big Think

1 Pretending to Understand What Babies Say Can Make Them Smarter - Cari Romm, The Atlantic

2 3 Tricks to Find Your Flow - Christine Carter, Medium

3 Growth Mindset: How to Normalize Mistake Making & Struggle in Class - K. Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Education

Teachers Aren’t Dumb - Daniel T. Willingham, New York Times

5 Critical Skills to Empower Students in the Digital Age - Ki Sung, Mind/Shift

4 How Common Core Can Help in the Battle of Skills vs. Knowledge - Natalie Wexler, NYT

5 Arne Duncan: U.S. Needs to Modernize Its Schools - Sec. Duncan & Sec. Perez, eSchool News

6 A New Moment in Education - Linda Darling-Hammond, Huffington Post

7 What Makes a Public School Public? WA Court Finds Charters Unconstitutional. - Emma Brown, WP

New Poll: Heartening and Glum News for Ed Reformers - Chester Finn, Education Next

National Leaders Fail in School Reform - Jack Jennings, Huffington Post

The Problem with Making Education a Campaign Issue - Joy Resmovits, LA Times

Resources

8 25 Other Ways to Ask "How Was School Today?" - Liz Evans, Huffington Post

Parents of College-Bound Students: About the Upcoming SAT Changes - J. Bolkan, THE Journal

What is a Math Circle? - Anna Kuchment, Scientific American

The Best Way to Guess Correctly on a Multiple Choice Test - Justin J. Couchman, Quartz

9 20 Must-Read Children’s Books for Back to School - Bonnie Lathram, Getting Smart

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 and Education, for Parents

The opt-out movement is gaining critical mass. More than 180,000 students in New York refused to take the state’s exams. In one Seattle high school, 100% of the junior class opted out. Wide-spread civil disobedience exposes education reforms as a house-of-cards. NCLB, accountability, teacher evaluations, and common core are bundled. (It’s almost as bothersome as a cable package deal.) Five articles below, with left, right and center viewpoints, will get you informed. 2 3 4 5 6 We’ve talked about the 30 million word gap. But, it’s more than just the number of words spoken by parents to their babies. Sarah Spark’s article explains the nuance. 1 How do parents protect the privacy of their kids’ school data? Privacy laws were passed when information was kept on paper forms in file cabinets. Who do parents hold responsible if data is not secure? It’s unclear. Know your family rights. Check out this just-published parent guide! 7

Parenting

How to Finish College in 4 Years: What Parents Need to Know - Grown and Flown

A Neglected Factor in Picking a College - Daniel Willingham, Science & Education Blog

Love and Merit - David Brooks, New York Times

The Wolf of Conditional Love - McCord Clayton, The Dad App

Negativity & Kids' Brains: How to Help Kids Stay Positive - Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, Roots of Action

Who Is the 21st Century Man? - Maria Shriver & Josh Levs, HuffPost

Learning

Hearing About Math at the Table Improves Preschoolers’ Skills - Menachem Wecker, Deseret News

1 Key to Vocabulary Gap Is Quality of Conversation, Not Dearth of Words - Sarah D. Sparks, Ed Week

The Linguistic Genius of Babies [video] - Patricia Kuhl, TED

We Think Better on Our Feet, Literally - Neuroscience News

Can Neuroscientists Dispel the Myth of Learning Styles? - Pete Etchells, The Guardian

Education

What Can Technology Do for Tomorrow's Children? - Arne Duncan, Medium

2 More Than 180,000 New York Students Boycotted State Exams - Gonzalez & Blau, NY Daily News

3 Anti-Test 'Opt-Out' Movement Makes A Wave In New York State - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

4 Teachers' Unions Fight Standardized Testing, and Find Diverse Allies - Taylor & Rich, NYT

5 Feds Play Race Card to Crush Parents' Revolt Against Common Core - David French, National Review

6 Opt Out Movement: A Test of Education Reform - Andy Smarick, Common Core Watch

How Video Games Can Make Our Kids Smarter - Greg Toppo, Flypaper

College for the Masses vs. College Isn't for Everyone - David Leonhardt, NYT

Resources

7 A Parents' Guide to Student Data Privacy - ConnectSafely, Future of Privacy Forum, PTA

Is There Really a Magic 8 Ball App? Signs Point to Yes - coolmomtech

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Galaxies - Katherine Kornei, Discover Magazine

5 Awe Inspiring National Parks for Your USA Road Trip - Charli Moore, WanderLusters

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

It’s likely you’ve heard of “helicopter parenting.” It’s a parenting style often mocked by the media. But have you heard of “free-range parenting?” Because of an event in Maryland this week, it was a big topic in parenting news. What do you think? 1 2 Renowned neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin, tackles the topic of multi-tasking, which he says is a “powerful and diabolical illusion.” It’s essential reading. 3 One of our missions is to debunk persistent “neuromyths.” Dr. Judy Willis writes about the "edu-cash-in" based on these myths. The more parents know about this, the less gullible we’ll be. Don't miss her article. 4 At last, Congress has started discussions on rewriting No Child Left Behind. Two articles, including an op-ed by Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, will expose you to the players and the issues. 5 6 The 15 ingenious parenting hacks, represented in 15 pictures, is worth a peek. Why didn’t I think of the DIY Laser Maze? It’s so obvious! 7

Parenting

1 Should Parents Get in Trouble for Letting a 10-Yr-Old Walk Home? - S.T. Mohajer, TakePart

2 When Did ‘Teaching Independence’ Become ‘Possible Neglect’? - KJ Dell'Antionia, Motherlode, NYT

Give Parents Respect, Not Bad Interpretations of Neuroscience - Laura F. Shaw, HuffPost

Skipping School for Vacation: Good for Families, or Bad for Students? - Jessica Lahey, NYT

Is a College Education Worth It? - ProCon.org

Learning

3 Why the Modern World is Bad for Your Brain - Daniel J. Levitin, The Guardian

What Time of Day Do Babies Learn Best? - Gwen Dewar, PhD, Babycenter

What Playful Animals Can Teach Us About The Biology Of Fun - Carolyn Gregoire, HuffPost

Review of The Teenage Brain - Barbara Ellen, The Guardian

Why Some Teams Are Smarter Than Others - A. Wooley, T. Malone, C. Chabris, New York Times

Education

Majority of U.S. Public School Students are in Poverty - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post

Half of All Public School Kids in Poverty? Be Careful. - Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

New Study Reveals Much About How Parents Really Choose Schools - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

4 The High Cost of Neuromyths in Education - Judy Willis, MD, edutopia

5 Arne Duncan: Improving American Education is not Optional - Arne Duncan, Washington Post

6 Democrats and Republicans Agree: Time to Rewrite NCLB - Joy Resmovits, HuffPost

Challenging the Myth of Content vs. Character Education - Randa Grob-Zakhary, Brookings

Does Extending the School Day Really Work? - Emily Richmond, The Atlantic

What Does Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy Look Like To A 5-Year-Old? - Joanne Levine, npr

Resources

7 15 Ingenius Parenting Hacks to Make Parenting a Little Easier - Jonny James, Colors and Joy

GeoGuessr - Let's Explore the World - created by Anton Wallen

Kids’ Top Social Media Picks: New Resource for Parents - Ann Collier, NetFamilyNews.org

"Letter From Birmingham Jail" - Martin Luther King, 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!