Parent Cortical Mass

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 Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Money and math were the captivating topics this week. Mostly we expect parents to teach kids about money. Two articles below tell about new research and new ideas that are changing parent practices. (Spoiler: some math is involved.) 1 2 Do you have a teenager? Then don’t miss the NPR story on the teenage brain. Getting smarter about this could reduce your stress. Big win! 3 There are 9 articles this week in education, covering the Top Education Policies of common core, accountability, achievement gaps, and teacher effectiveness. As always, a range of viewpoints is presented--so you can feel informed, instead of hyped. Speaking of hype, deflate-gate is a huge informal learning moment. When does the expansion and contraction of gases ever come on our radar? Parents, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Let Sal Khan, of Khan Academy explain it all, in a mere 9 minutes. (Spoiler: some math is involved.) 4

Parenting

1 The Smart Way to Teach Children About Money - Charlie Wells, Wall Street Journal

2 Why You Should Tell Your Children How Much You Make - Ron Lieber, New York Times

Helping a Perfectionist Child Worry Less and Do More - Jessica Lahey, New York Times

Money, Not Marital Status, Has Most Impact on How Parents Raise Kids - Amanda Marcotte, Slate

US Student Achievement in Two-Parent vs Single-Parent Families - Education Next

The More Time Dads Spend With Their Kids, the Happier They Are At Work - Susan Adams, Forbes

Kids Feel Most Positive About Moms Who Respect Their Autonomy - Janice Wood, PsychCentral

Learning

3 Why Teens Are Impulsive, Addiction-Prone, and Should Protect Their Brains - NPR

8 Secrets To Grit and Resilience, From a Navy Seal - Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Researchers Map Out Where Attention Lives in the Brain - Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post

Genetic Memory: How We Know Things We Never Learned - Darold Treffert, Scientific American

Toughest Exam Question: What Is the Best Way to Study? - Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ

Education

Globally, Girls Are Doing Better Academically than Boys - Rebecca Klein, HuffPost

Closing the Math Gap for Boys - David L. Kirp, New York Times

Can All Children Become Calculus Whizzes? - Sophie Quinton, The Atlantic

Parents Try Their Hand at Common Core Math - Laurie Udesky, EdSource

Nation’s Per-Pupil K-12 Funding Fell for the Second Consecutive Year - Emma Brown, WashPost

9 Questions: What Does It Mean to Oppose the Common Core? - Michael Petrilli, Flypaper

Common Core Is Taking Away Kids' Recess--And That Makes No Sense - Lee Igel, Forbes

Jockeying Over Testing Mandates Begins - Fawn Johnson, National Journal

Debunking One Myth About US Teachers - Jill Barshay, Hechinger Report

Resources

4 Deflate-Gate: Learn a Bit about Gases & Kinetic Molecular Theory! - Sal Khan, KhanAcademy

“Word Map” Shows Where & How A Word Is Said In Multiple Languages - Larry Ferlazzo's Blog

No-Tech Board Games That Teach Coding Skills to Young Children - Matthew Farber, Mind/Shift

40 Places To See With Your Kids Before They Are All Grown Up - Mandy Burgan, Being a Mom

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 Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Can you imagine scanning the brain of adolescents while they watch a video clip of their moms' criticizing them? Neither could I. But, this research might offer some clues to parenting adolescents. 1 This week find articles covering three of our top 10 learning concepts--10,000 hours, language dancing, and background knowledge. 2 3 5 Top education policies covered this week include common core, accountability, and teacher effectiveness. 4 6 7 Do you know any young kids who are fascinated by weather events? Here's an app that will engage their interest. It's called Marco Polo Weather. 8

Parenting

Can You Turn Screen Time Into Family Time? - Michelle Miller, Joan Ganz Cooney Center

Parents Told: Use iPads to Get Reluctant Boys to Read - Graeme Paton, The Telegraph

1 The Teen Brain “Shuts Down” When It Hears Mom’s Criticism - Christian Jarrett, Wired

Being an 'Elephant Mom' in the Time of the Tiger Mother - Priyanka Sharma-Sindhar, The Atlantic

Talking About Racism With White Kids - KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times

Flex Time Doesn’t Need to Be an HR Policy - Scott Behson, Harvard Business Review

Learning

Why Physical Activity During Childhood Matters - Society for Research in Child Development

2 Practice Doesn't Always Make Perfect - Nathan Collins, Scientific American

3 How Baby Talk Gives Your Child the Best Start in Life - Aviva Rutkin, NewScientist

Why Students Avoid Academic Help - Max Nisen, The Atlantic

Education

What Every School Can Learn From Preschools - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

Neuroscience Improves Early Childhood Education Quality - Ellen Galinsky, HuffPost

Is the U.S. Focusing Too Much on STEM? - Alexandra Ossola, The Atlantic

4 Common Core Has No Better Alternative - William J. Bennett, CNN Opinion

5 Prior knowledge: Can we really level the playing field? - Tim Shanahan, Common Core Watch

Education Isn't the Problem—Inequality Is - Matt Phillips, The Atlantic

12 Questions for School Reformers Who Say One Thing, Do Another - Anthony Cody, WashPost

6 Should the U.S. Make Standardized Tests Harder? - Mikhail Zinshteyn, The Atlantic

7 Principals Reject ‘Value-Added’ Teacher Assessment - Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

Resources

8 Marco Polo Weather – A Fun App About Weather - iPad Apps for School

What to Read Next: Kids' Holiday Books for December - Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media

Data-Driven Parenting App Gives Personalized Tips for Every Kid - Kyle Vanhemert, Wired

GeoToys: Smart Playtime Plus a 20% Off for GeekMom Readers - Laura Grace Weldon, GeekMom

“High School Story” Wants To Make SAT Prep Fun - Catherine Shu, TechCrunch

5 Hot Tech Toys for Kids in 2014 - Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media

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!