Parent Cortical Mass

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

The most news-generating story this week comes from the OECD, the organization that conducts the global student achievement tests. They released results from a new test, one that assesses adults in the workplace, to compare the smarts of each nation’s workers. Guess how America did? ● Articles from bigger-named writers this week include Daniel Goleman on cognitive control, Tina Rosenberg on ‘flipped’ schools, Linda Darling-Hammond on testing and accountability, and Yong Zhao on disquieting changes to China's education policy. ● “Ethical Parenting” by Lisa Miller, at New York Magazine, provoked many dissenting responses. ● The most intriguing article this week is from Larry Magid, on the internet safety industrial complex. ● If you take the family to see Gravity, be ready to correct the science errors, but only after raving over the special effects, of course.

Parenting

Ethical Parenting Is There Such a Thing? Ask Your Kids - Lisa Miller, New York Magazine

Why Is It So Hard to Be an Ethical Parent? - Jessica Grose, Slate

Parents' Time with Kids More Rewarding Than Paid Work - Wendy Wang, Pew Research

An Average School I Would Want My Children to Attend - Craig Hochbein, Washington Post

Teacher or Parent: Does One Role Trump the Other? - Julie Hiltz, Center for Teaching Quality

Why Boys Keep Misbehaving - Connie Matthiessen, GreatSchools

What to Do If Your Teen Is a Bully - Kelsey Sheehy, US News

Beware of the Internet Safety Industrial Complex - Larry Magid, SafeKids.com

Learning

Forget Delayed Gratification: What Kids Need is Cognitive Control - Daniel Goleman, Time

The Silly Claim That Americans Don't Have Time to Read - Alexander Abad-Santos, The Atlantic

For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov - Pamela Belluck, NYT

Empathy Helps Children to Understand Sarcasm - Science Daily

The Key to Learning: Knowing How Learning Works - Annie Murphy Paul, Time

Peer Pressure's Influence Calculated by Mathematician - Science Daily

Using Music to Close the Academic Gap - Lori Miller Kase, The Atlantic

Education

New OECD Skills Test: US Adults Lag in Practical Workplace Skills - Joy Resmovits, Huff Post

Good News on Adult Science Literacy - Hank Campbell, USA Today

Fewer, Better Tests Can Boost Achievement - L Darling-Hammond, M Tucker, J Jackson, EW

Why is China, the Top Test Scoring Nation, Doing a 180 on Testing Policy? - Yong Zhao, EW

Deciding Who Sees Students' Data - Natasha Singer, New York Times

About 'Flipped' Schools: Turning Education Upside Down - Tina Rosenberg, New York Times

Vouchers Don't Do Much for Students - Stephanie Simon, Politico

What to Make of Politico's Big Anti-Voucher Story - Rick Hess, National Review

Diane Ravitch's 'Error' on Privatizers vs Innovators - Anya Kamenetz, Hechinger Report

Why Are there Still So Few Women in Science? - Eileen Pollack, New York Times

Resources

Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Twitter Rant About Sci Errors in 'Gravity' - Shaunacy Ferro, Popular Sci

21 Resources for Raising Current-Event Savvy Kids - Laura G Weldon, GeekMom

Netflix Academy: 10 Best Streaming Videos on Native American Cultures - M Petrilli, Flypaper

Introduced at Education Nation, Parent Tookkit - parenttoolkit.com

How to Put Words on a Picture: Great App to Do Just That - coolmomtech

Bill Nye Launches Web-Series on the NASA Journey to Jupiter - Meghan Kelly, VentureBeat

If you enjoy this weekly news roundup, please pass it along or share on social media. Thank you!

What’s in the Education Nation Exhibit?

NBC launched Education Nation Summit last September at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza.  The weeklong program received criticism for reporting only one view of education reforms.  NBC clarified that Education Nation was not a news program, but an initiative. 

The news organization said it wanted to go beyond reporting and initiate a public dialogue with government leaders, business leaders, teachers, and parents about America’s education challenges.  President of NBC News, Steve Capus, said, “We recognize that education is a deeply debated topic, with many facets and viewpoints, seldom with a single ‘right’ answer.”

For 2011 Education Nation expanded its reach with on-the-road events in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.  This week the road show is in Chicago.  The Education Nation Experience Exhibit at Chicago's Pioneer Plaza in front of NBC Studio is open to the public from Monday, May 2 through Saturday, May 7. It promises to inform visitors about the state of education in America. 

Inside the exhibit three walls feature long white-tiled video screens that replay dynamic 5-8 minute videos. 

The first video wall’s topic deals with the global achievement gap and America’s mediocre ranking on international achievement tests, persistently high drop out rates and stagnant college graduation rates.  Clips of Sec. Arne Duncan, AFT President, Randi Weingarten and Harlem Children Zone CEO, Geoffrey Canada make their concerns known. The message is that America needs to compete globally and the facts show that our education system doesn't compare well to most industrialized nations.

The second video wall covers technology and the essential skills needed in the 21^st century workforce.  The message is we need to upgrade our education system if America wants to compete for the jobs of the future.

The third video wall tells the story of education reform in New Orleans, New York City, and Long Beach.  It describes improvements in these school system's test scores and graduation rates to show that better results can be achieved.

Running through the center of the exhibit is a row of small video screens each with two headphones.  These interactive touch screen kiosks provide additional information about racial, ethnic, class, and gender achievement gaps.

For parents wanting a good summary of the argument that global competitiveness should drive education reform, the exhibit covers the ground.  There’s little that would appeal to children.  But for students 7^th grade and above, even though the style suits adults more than teens, the exhibit could make an impression about their future and inspire a greater desire to do well in school.

Background Information:

PCM Core Article:  The Global Achievement Gap

PCM Top 10 Education Policies