Roundup V
Is your teen causing you to tear your hair out? A friend has recommended the book “Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers,” by Michael Riera. It is widely thought to be the best book out there on communicating with teens on such topics as alcohol, drugs and parties; academics; sex; eating disorders; homosexuality; and divorce. I enjoyed what one reviewer on Amazon had to say: “This book reassured me that my child wasn’t abnormal, that I was right in being confused and sometimes appalled by their behavior. And it let me take a step back and not take it so personally.” Some of Riera’s other books sound interesting as well: “Right From Wrong: Instilling A Sense Of Integrity In Your Child,” “Field Guide To The American Teenager: A Parent’s Companion” and “Surviving High School: Making the Most of the High School Years.”
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A new report from a research group at UCLA finds that colleges can project their graduation rates by analyzing the race, ethnicity, gender, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores of their freshman class. Sadly, the study also found that having divorced parents, having a demanding job in high school and being first to attend college make a student less likely to complete college. The good news is that colleges will use the data to better support these students. The bad news is that in theory they could also use it to decide against admitting candidates with these traits.
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I’ve written about this before but I’ve since gotten some tips from readers on other great colleges for students with learning disabilities. I’m just going to list them here, rather than describe their specific attributes, but the specifics are available on their websites. The list includes: Curry College in Boston; Dean College, 20 miles from Providence, R.I.; Landmark College in Vermont; Lynn University in Florida; Southern Illiniois University at Carbondale; the University of Arizona in Tuscon; the University of Denver; and the University of Indianapolis.
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iTunes University is an excellent way for a high school student to get an idea of what college courses might be like or for an adult to continue their education. It’s free and there is a wide array of subject matter to choose from. You can access it on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch, or by downloading iTunes on your computer.
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Holiday break might be a fun time to sit down as a family and talk about community service projects that you could all do together. After you brainstorm the type of project that everyone would enjoy, there are a number of resources to help get you started. A good first stop is the volunteer binder at Sonoma High, but you can also check the following sites online for more ideas. The Network for Good (www.networkforgood.com) connects people to charities and has a search tool to see which welcome children or teens. Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org) is a great resource to find organizations in the areas that need help. Doing Good Together (www.doinggoodtogether.org) specializes in family-focused ways parents and kids can volunteer together. If your children are all grown or away at school, it can be as simple as entering a benefit 5k run together over the holidays.
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The website edutopia (www.edutopia.com) recently summarized the top education ideas/trends of the year: • Empowering teachers with a do-it-yourself culture, including the encouragement for them to try new ideas, borrow best practices. • The potential of open-source (free) textbooks. • Using educational video games as a learning tool. • Using student data to inform classroom teaching with better understanding of student learning styles. • Flipped classrooms – a new trend toward moving the lecturing in the classroom to home (via online lessons like Khan Academy) and bringing homework back into the classroom where students can be directed in the practice of their learning. • Using Digital Badges to reward self-directed learning. Educators are re-remembering how much students like to compete and to be rewarded for their progress. In the most successful online educational games, students earn and win badges in their progress. • One idea that I have seen employed here in Sonoma is teachers using a website to enhance and save classroom time. One local fifth grade classroom starts every day with the Brainpop video of the day (www.brainpop.com)
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Marc Tucker, author of “Surpassing Shanghai: An Agenda for American Education Built on the World’s Leading Systems,” recently led a team of researchers in proposing five major ways to “save” the U.S. education system. His ideas, in brief, include: • Making admission to teacher training more competitive. • Raising teacher compensation significantly. • Allowing larger class sizes. • Replacing annual standardized testing with three federally required tests to gauge mastery at the end of elementary school, 10th grade and 12th grade. • Spending more money on students who need more help getting to high standards. These are hot topics and thought-provoking ideas that would be difficult to implement, but are certainly worth discussing.
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I have heard from a number of readers that they enjoy information about free apps relating to education. Behold www.appitic.com – a website that catalogs, in a logical and searchable way, 1,300-plus educational apps. Check it out!
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There was a highly controversial article written by the Associated Press about Asian-American high school seniors not marking “Asian” on college application forms in the hopes of by-passing what is perceived to be an “Asian quota.” Rumors have spread that some Ivy League schools require higher SAT scores for Asians and, for years, many Asian-Americans have been convinced that it’s harder for them to gain admission to the nation’s top colleges. Asian-Americans meet selective colleges’ admissions standards far out of proportion to their 6 percent representation in the U.S. population, and they are thought to need test scores hundreds of points higher than other ethnic groups to have an equal chance of admission.
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Each year, in mid-December, students who applied Early Action (non-binding) or Early Decision (binding) to college will hear back with the decision, several months before their peers who waited for the regular deadline. The advantage of applying early is frequently a significantly better chance of admission. American University, mentioned below, for example, typically admits 43 percent of its applicants in the regular decision pool and last year accepted 79 percent of their Early Decision applicants. Dartmouth accepted 12 percent regular decision last year, and 25 percent ED. The bump can be less significant with Early Action (EA), but Santa Clara, for example, accepted 58 percent in regular round last year and 73 percent EA. Lewis and Clark in Oregon accepted 68 percent regular and 77 percent EA. So why doesn’t everyone apply “Early?” 1. You have to be organized. 2. You have to love one school far more than the others. 3. You can’t compare financial aid packages because you see only one school’s aid offer.
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There are a handful of well-regarded colleges now that specialize in accommodating the unique needs of students with dyslexia, ADD and ADHD and ensuring that these students succeed in mainstream college classes. The top six schools cited by experts are the University of Arizona, the University of Alabama, the University of Denver, Lesley University in Boston and American University in Washington, D.C.
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How far we’ve come … colleges really want to ensure a gender balanced freshman class but girls of most racial groups now outpace their brothers in going to college. A USD law professor recently published an article in “Engage” on the apparently growing practice of sex discrimination of behalf of men in college admissions. Many public and private colleges have admitted that they have “too many” female applicants and are therefore discriminating in favor of men – largely because more women than men apply to college and their academic credentials are in some ways better.
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No matter what your child’s age, it is never too early to introduce them to the concept and value of community service. Not only will they have a better sense of how fortunate they are, it is also a rising factor in college admissions. DoSomething.org has returned with its annual Community Service and College Study. They surveyed admissions counselors at more than half of the top 50 colleges and found that community service now ranks number four in importance in college admissions decisions after GPA, scores and extra-curriculars, and ranks higher than interviews, essays and legacy relationships to the school. Check out http://www.dosomething.org. Instead of staring at a TV screen over the holiday break, urge your high school or college student to use the break to squeeze in a short internship or to volunteer for a position related to their interests. If they are interested in the medical profession, they could volunteer at a local hospital; interested in teaching, contact a local school, library, or childcare provider. Many professional offices are also short-staffed with folks on vacation and might be happy for an extra pair of hands.
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You have likely heard the acronym STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). At the Big Ideas Fest, everyone was talking about STEM. Not as a curriculum but as a framework for teaching. With the Arts such a big element of engineering and science, there is logic to this, though controversy abounds. The consensus was that teaching how to think across disciplines is a more effective way to teach and better preparation for real world applications of knowledge.
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If you are looking for ideas for Christmas, this one looks interesting in light of all the recent news reports that young men aren’t succeeding in school in the same way that young women are. “Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men,” by Michael Kimmel, details the many challenges modern day young men face in becoming adults. With a diminishing population of young men entering and graduating from college, “Guyland” advocates that each adult has the opportunity to be the charismatic role model that could help to turn things around for a struggling young man. I’m guessing that the Mentoring Alliance folks would agree with that.
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My favorite new college planning website is http://www.meritaid.com. It is the web’s first comprehensive directory of merit scholarships. Merit aid is basically grants and scholarships for high performing middle class (and above) students, and it can reduce the cost of attending a college by tens of thousands of dollars a year. Which colleges grant merit aid is one factor to consider in addition to the other aspects of college fit. And while merit aid is usually higher for students with strong grades/scores, many merit scholarships require only a 2.0 GPA and take into account accomplishments in leadership and community involvement. The site is free.
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There is a lot of talk about college debt but a 2012 story in The New York Times found that only one-tenth of 1 percent of college freshmen, and only three-tenths of 1 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients, accumulate more than $100,000 in undergraduate student debt. Even among recipients of bachelor’s degrees, 90 percent manage to graduate with less than $40,000 of debt. (Debt is higher for those going on to grad school). When you combine these statistics with all the recent information about how much more employable college grads are than those without degrees, the case for college continues to be very strong.
Roundup IV
Want smarter kids? Space them at least two years apart. … In a new study, a University of Notre Dame economist found that siblings spaced more than two years apart have higher reading and math scores than children born closer together. The positive effects were seen only in older siblings, not in younger ones. At least part of the difference to older children is attributed to getting more of their parents’ time during the first formative years of their lives before a younger sibling comes along (Journal of Human Resources)
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“There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement.” – so says author Thomas Friedman in an op-ed in The New York Times.
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As students get down to the crunch of finalizing their college list and/or choosing from among the schools to which they are accepted, I urge them to take a moment to visit www.studentsreview.com. The site has more than 100,000 brutally honest reviews from students currently attending 3,000 different schools. It is also fun for alums of a specific school to read what current students are enjoying and complaining about today.
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The idea of students, even motivated students, spending their spare time enjoying math workbooks seems a bit quaint these days. There are, however, some fantastic math apps that your kids might enjoy while killing time in the car, at a siblings soccer game, etc. Top 11, courtesy of www.gettingsmart.com are (most are free):
- 1. Visual Math: KickBox and KickBox Lite. This is an addictive multistep thinking game from MIND Research Institute featuring JiJi the penguin
- 2. Numbers: Elevated Math, great for grades four to eight. According to the site, this app can be used for SAT and ACT studying
- 3. Numbers: Motion Math Zoon is, a free app for elementary students, helps kids learn numbers and decimals.
- 4. Geometry: iCross helps students dive into geometry concepts with 3D drawings and descriptions of shapes
- 5. Algebra: HMH Fuse brings an Algebra 1 textbook to life with interactive graphs, tools and equations.
- 6. Algebra: Algebra Pro features an interactive workbook with 100 practice questions and support videos.
- 7. Calculus: Video Calculus. More than two hours worth of free calculus instruction through visual videos.
- 8. Probability & Statistics: Statistics 1 for iPad – interactive tutorials, lessons and quizzes to learn statistics.
- 9. Applying Math: Rocket Math. Students complete math problems in order to build their own rockets and explore space with 56 math missions. All ages.
- 10. Applying Math: SpaceTime for iPad or MathStudio. Creating 2D and 3D diagrams using a graphic calculator.
- 11. Math Game: MathBlaster HyperBlast – for ages 6 and over, three arcade game levels and 30 math lessons.
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When I was graduating from college, most students found themselves happily employable with even a history, philosophy or French degree. In this economy, that is frequently a sure path to unemployment. The book “Change.edu: Rebooting for the New Talent Economy,” by Andrew Rosen, was handed out to journalists at the higher ed seminar I recently attended at UCLA. Rosen says colleges must rethink what they offer their students, why and how, with an eye toward the needs of the workplace … for the good of students and the economy.
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One hot topic right now is how families can compare the price of attending various colleges, after need-based and merit aid is factored in. Frequently, for needy families, the cost of a private college can be lower than that of a state college, but most are scared off by the $50K-plus price tag. I’ve spent hours playing around with the net-cost calculators that all colleges are require to offer on their web sites. Some are very complicated, some are quick and easy. You enter your data and it estimates what you can expect to pay. Search for the calculator on every college’s website. Here is the one offered by USC, just as a sample.
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For almost seven years now, The Young Writers Program has helped countless teachers bring noveling to the classroom. The program provides free curricula and student workbooks for all grade levels, as well as classroom kits. Kids and teens also participate independently through their website. National Novel Writing Month challenges students to complete an entire novel in 30 days. Last year, 200,000 adults and 41,000 young writers participated. www.ywp.nanowrimo.org. There is even a contest for young writers called Write Across America, which he hopes will spread as more authors get involved. www.writeacrossamerica.com.
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Have you ever heard of Cogswell College? Well, I hadn’t either but it is a private, accredited four-year college in Sunnyvale focused on digital animation and video game design majors and entrepreneurial coursework. With technology and gaming companies struggling to find qualified employees, many schools have introduced digital arts programs. DreamWorks employs lots of alums. The college has 300 students now, with room for 800. A rep said, “This is not a place for the conventional kid who loves school … We’re looking for that kid who was daydreaming at school and didn’t quite fit in. They’re the ones we want to help make the next great film or video games.” http://www.cogswell.edu.
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Know someone who is worried they won’t be accepted into any colleges? US News & World Report keeps a list of the colleges with the highest acceptance rates. The colleges in our neck of the woods accepting more than 90 percent of applicants include: Academy of Art University (SF), Cogswell College, American Jewish University (LA), Southern Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology and Evergreen College (Washington).
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The investigative website, http://www.californiawatch.org recently reported that only 12 percent of Hispanic fourth-graders in California were proficient in reading on the Nation’s Report Card, which places California behind every state in the nation except for Utah and Minnesota. The report continued, “Research has shown that students who miss this goal are at a much higher risk of dropping out of high school. That means California is on track to see millions of students drop out in the coming years. The trend could spell economic disaster for a state that’s already deep in financial crisis, at a time when California is about a million college graduates short of meeting workforce needs, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.”
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I spent hours on this site the first time I visited it. The Chronicle of High Ed has a site where you can search 1,600 colleges to find out the home states of their freshman class. Useful if you love a college and wonder if you might help them achieve greater geographic diversity. Very interesting to look at state colleges to see where their non-residents hail from.
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If you are on Facebook, you likely know about http://www.donorschoose.org which for 10 years has been enabling teachers across the country to solicit funds for pet programs. They have helped 300,000 classroom projects from 165,000 teachers receive more than $80 million in donations. If you go to the site and search for your town, you will see a number of projects in local classrooms that seek donations of various sorts. http://www.donorschoose.
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The website Edudemic.com ran a great story recently called, “65+ iPad Apps Perfect for Elementary School,” (most available for the iPhone as well). Some of my favorites: Keynote (for presentations), Pages (create, edit and view documents), Discover Education (educational videos), CK12.org (free online textbooks), Reading Trainer (speed reading), Mathboard (teaching math), Geo Play 2 and Geomaster (geography) and dozens more to try.
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Is your child an aspiring musician? http://www.smartmusic.com provides unlimited access to the world’s largest accompaniment library for all ages and skill levels. A friend of mine says her kids finally love practicing. As music appears on the screen, they play or sing along with accompaniment and get an immediate assessment, displaying the notes that students performed correctly (green) and incorrectly (red). Students record and listen to each performance to hear how they really sound and how their part fits within the whole. They can send a recording to their teacher who can assess, score and track progress over time. How cool is that? Not free, but at $36/year, less than the cost of a single private lesson.
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Students (and grown-ups) can use free online college courses to supplement their education and learn more about fields of interest. Perhaps the most comprehensive site to explore is www.ocwconsortium.org/courses.
Roundup III
There is now an app for everything … but this app alerts you instantly if your child is being cyber-bullied or subjected to offensive language online, and it is free. You can go to http://www.eyegardian.com/ and if you have your child’s facebook login password, this site will track any threatening and lewd language linked to your child. It can even screen videos and images.
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The San Francisco Business Times (with Pay Scale Inc.) on Sept. 27 released a report analyzing the median starting salaries and mid-career salaries of graduates from all the Bay Area colleges. Their findings may surprise you! #7: USF, #6: St. Mary’s, #5: San Jose State, #4: Cal Arts, #3: UC Berkeley, #2: Santa Clara, #1: Stanford.
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Have you checked out all the free courses and educational podcasts on iTunes U? The site offers more than 350,000 lectures, language lessons, films, labs and audiobooks. More than 800 universities offer content and many, including Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford and UC Berkeley – distribute their content publicly in the iTunes store. Other schools are using the site to distribute schedules, syllabi, lecture outlines, study guides, notes, maps – even entire books. Stanford was the very first university to sign on and they are now celebrating their fifth year on the site. The computer science courses, for example, being offered for free are incredible but virtually any topic is available. What a great way for a student to explore topics of interest not available at school or without committing to an entire (expensive) course of study. www.apple.com/education/itunes-u
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Earlier this month, I took my family to tour UC Davis with me. What a great college town Davis is! I had never been before and was eager to see the campus. Our youngest is 10 but it is really never too early to tour schools, so I always bring her along. She has seen a number of colleges now and already has opinions on what she likes and doesn’t like about different colleges. We passed the “world’s largest corn maze” on the way there. Throw that incentive in there and your kids are sure to agree to go.
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Speaking of Hollywood, when I read that Shakira has joined the Obama administration as an Educational Advisor, I thought I was reading an Onion headline. Upon reading more, it actually makes a lot of sense. Shakira is a role model to millions of Spanish-speaking children, and in her role on the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, she can likely be quite influential. I didn’t realize she is also very active funding schools in her native Colombia.
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Every single week, the website Zinch.com gives away a $1,000 to a high school student for a winning three-sentence answer to a specific question. Last week it was: Describe a family tradition you’d like to pass down and why it’s important to you. What a great way to win some quick money.
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School districts throughout California are wondering how to carry out a new law requiring that California public schools teach all students, from kindergartners to 12th-graders, about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. The new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, added LGBT Americans, European Americans and the disabled to groups whose contributions to U.S. history should added to the social studies curriculum. The next round of textbooks, which must now must include information on the role of LGBT Americans, as well as Americans with disabilities, won’t be required to be purchased in California until at least 2015 due to budget issues.
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The website Edutopia is run by the George Lucas Education Foundation. I just stumbled across it and I particularly like the stories on best practices at schools across the country. As they put it: “In this series, Schools That Work, Edutopia takes a deep look at what school successes are made of. How principals and teachers, parents and students and schools and districts collaborate to change the futures of their young people. We share with you the blueprints that the change makers used – the contracts, lesson plans, and teacher training tools that could be relevant to your school and your path to change.” Check it out at www.edutopia.org/schools-that-work.
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I don’t know of any local schools using it yet, but a new website that features student artwork is gaining popularity across the U.S. Urge your child’s art teacher to check out http://www.artsonia.com. Schools build a gallery of their students’ projects and the website enables family and friends to log on to see the children’s art. Twelve-and-a-half-million pieces of art from students worldwide is already stored there. Friends and relatives can sign up to get alerts when their students’ new masterpieces are uploaded. There is also a cool gift shop where you can buy mugs, coasters, tiles, T-shirts and dozens of other products featuring your child’s art at very reasonable prices. But best of all, schools earn 15 percent when parents purchase these custom keepsakes – which could be a great fundraiser for your arts program. Thousands of art project lesson plans have been submitted by teachers, and are available as a classroom resource. If your school doesn’t register with the site, parents can do it for their child on their own and it is free.
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Does your student in grades fifth through 12 log a lot of hours volunteering? If so, I would love to see them apply for a Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The deadline is Nov. 1. This program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Multiple winners at the middle school and high school level in each state receive $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Ten of the state honorees will be named America’s top 10 youth volunteers of the year, and will receive an additional $5,000, and $5,000 toward the charity of their choice. What is especially nice is that, if I am reading it right, every student who has devoted more than 50 hours to volunteering over the past calendar year will receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Volunteer hours can be accrued through Girls Scouts, 4-H, YMCA, etc. but must be certified by the organization. Visit www.nassp.org/spirit.
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If your teen likes to write, there is a great website called Teen Ink that is a national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to writing, art, photos and forums for students ages 13 through 19. The site features a weekly newsletter, an online writing course, writing contests, book reviews, polls, reviews of summer camps and more. It is a great way for your teen to get “published” and to find a community of similarly interested students. www.teenink.com.
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Speaking of writing opportunities for teens … For a year or two, my daughter was a book reviewer for the Sonoma County Library System. Libraries are always looking for teen book reviewers who get to read free copies of popular young adult books before they are even published. Reviews are posted on the teen blog for others to read.
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I am hot on test prep because SAT and ACT scores can have a big impact on the aid a student receives for college. I found another cool prep site called http://www.grockit.com. You can try it for free for a few days and after that it is $10/month, but it is a lot more fun than most other prep sites as you can study, compete and practice alone or with a group online and they have some really creative features.
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There is a terrific site that outlines all the scholarships that are available to children under the age of 13. www.finaid.org/scholarships/age13. One of my favorites is the eco-hero award. This San Francisco-based nonprofit, Action for Nature, invites kids age 8 to 16 to submit self-initiated projects that concern environmental health and conservation for prizes of up to $500. The Davidson Institute invites any student under 18 to submit any “significant piece of work” in the fields of mathematics, science, literature, music, technology and philosophy. Twenty students are chosen each year to receive awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. There are also awards for the best linoleum block prints, robots, letters about literature, editorial cartoons, logos and more.
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The National Sleep Foundation, which I assume isn’t trying to sell us anything, recently published a study of how much sleep children really need as they get older. They found: pre-schoolers need 11 to 13 hours, children ages 5 to 10 need 10 to 11 hours and teens need 8.5 to 9.25 hours sleep. According to their researchers, “There is strong evidence that sufficient shortening or disturbance of the sleep process compromises mood, performance and alertness and can result in injury or death.” Yikes! It can also cause cranky, unpleasant children … reason enough to make an effort to make sure they get enough sleep. http://www.sleepfoundation.org.
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Everyone can use great study/memorization tips, no matter what their age. Sue Shellenberger, of The Wall Street Journal, recently summarized the growing body of research on the best study techniques. 1. Review the hardest material right before bedtime. Going to sleep right away consolidates information in your memory. 2. Turn off music, text messages, TV and email. Distractions make you less likely to remember material you were studying at the time. 3. Test yourself repeatedly. Students remember more when they force themselves to retrieve concepts then when they simply reread their textbooks or their notes. 4. Eat oatmeal for breakfast. A balanced, slow-digesting diet provides a sustained flow of glucose to the brain.
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The California Department of Education issued a news release earlier this month announcing that nearly three out of four California high school graduates in 2008-09 enrolled in a college or university somewhere in the nation. 51.3 percent of college-going California graduates in 2006-07 (newest data available) enrolled in a California community college, UC or CSU. That didn’t surprise me, what did was the fact that it seemed to report that of those college-going grads, only 28.3 percent earned at least one year of credit within two years of their enrollment.
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Along those same lines, a recently-released report, by the nonprofit American Institutes for Research, found that from 2004 to 2009, California spent $480 million, far more than any other state, on full-time community college students who dropped out after their first year. The report highlighted a nationwide trend of increasing community college enrollment but declining completion rates.
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The event above will continue an important conversation on the teaching of STEM subjects in this area. A new report has found that that only 10 percent of California elementary school classrooms provide regular hands-on science experiments, and 40 percent of elementary teachers say they spend an hour or less teaching science each week. The report, commissioned by the think tank, West ED, and conducted by UC Berkeley, found analyzed data collected during the 2010-11 academic year and surveyed teachers, principals and school district leaders across the state. The full report is called “High Hope, Few Opportunities: The Status of Elementary Science Education in California.” And it can be found at http://www.cftl.org.
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I was interested to read that a number of high-level executives in Silicon Valley are choosing to send their children to a Los Altos Waldorf school which eschews technology in the classroom and discourages it at home. The New York Times reported on Oct. 22 that the chief technology officer of eBay, as well as many employees of Google, Apple and Yahoo, have gone the Waldorf route and one high-tech executive is quoted saying he feels there will be time enough for technology later on, and no technology aids are needed for an excellent elementary school education.
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That said, if you have a teenager who knows how to write apps and is otherwise technologically advanced, they can access resources, find co-founders and even hunt down job opportunities through a new site, www.teensintechconnect.com. Founded by an 18-year-old, this network provides support and events for young entrepreneurs.
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Roundup II
A recent analysis of the world’s top education systems by McKinsey & Company concluded, “Of all the controllable factors influencing student achievement, the most important by far is the influence of the classroom teacher.” The study also finds that more than 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession after five years. The U.S. is heading toward a teacher shortage, because there are fewer teachers to fill slots as baby boomers reach retirement age.
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Comcast has created an “Internet Essentials” program that offers home Internet service for $9.95 a month, low-cost computers ($149.99) and support classes. The program is being offered to families whose children qualify for the National School Lunch Program. Information for families about this program (endorsed by the American Association of School Administrators) is available at: http://www.internetessentials.com.
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Speaking of technology to support schoolwork, Learning Ally is a great resource if your child needs access to audio versions of textbooks or reading materials. Learning Ally (www.learningally.com) serves more than 300,000 K-12, college and graduate students, veterans and lifelong learners who can’t read standard print due to visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Their collection of more than 65,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles – downloadable and accessible on mainstream as well as specialized-assistive technology devices – is the largest of its kind in the world.
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I guarantee that the next time you are at a dinner party and the topic turns to education, someone is going to bring up Khan Academy. If you haven’t checked it out yet, take a second now to go to http://www.khanacademy.org. This nonprofit resource offers more than 2,400 videos covering every possible K-12 academic subject. Their mission: “We’re a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.”
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The buzz continues about Paul Tough and is you don’t have time to read his book, his theories are well summarized in the New York Times article, “What if the Secret to Success is Failure.” Tough contends that character is a far greater measure of future success than test scores. In particular, he cites: grit, zest, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity as better measure of success. I think he is right, but can you teach “grit” or are you just born with it or without it?
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Another hot topic recent article in the The Economist (www.economist.com/node/21529014) contends that after a global examination of education practices, good schooling isn’t about spending money on education: “Though there is no one template, four important themes emerge: decentralization (handing power back to schools); a focus on underachieving pupils; a choice of different sorts of schools; and high standards for teachers.”
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I have heard good things about the SEA program in Woods Hole, Mass., 17-day resident program studying marine science and nautical science, onshore and aboard a 134-foot research sailing vessel in the Atlantic. Days include three-hour marine science classes and labs. One of the best parts is bonding with the 25 other like-minded students and watching the sunrise aboard the ship, as they crewed the early a.m. watch.” This program is pricey but financial aid is available. http://www.sea.edu/academics/high_school_programs.
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There is a great program in International Diplomacy held at American University in Washington, D.C., every July. Sponsored by the National Student Leadership Conference (www.nslcleaders.org), the program choices include engineering, education, entrepreneurship, forensic science, journalism, law and more, ranging from eight to 13 days at a cost of around $1,700-$2,500 (though scholarships are available). There are about 100 students – about 30 percent from overseas – a busy schedule of classes, lectures and visits from State Department dignitaries, an overnight trip to the United Nations and visits to the State Department and various embassies.
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While all rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, the George Bush Presidential Center has just released an interactive “Global Report Card” which attempts to rank every school district in the world by common metrics so you can see how a particular district stacks up against others nearby, in the state, in the United States and around the world. (www.globalreportcard.org/map/html#.) But you can’t be sure they are comparing apples to apples, particularly with schools overseas.
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The National Academy of Sciences has kicked off a multi-state campaign to increase the emphasis on analytical and conceptual thinking in science instruction. California is one of 20 states that will help write new science standards that determine what is taught in K-12 schools across the country. The new standards will encourage students to examine concepts that cross the boundaries of physics, biology and chemistry, according to the nonpartisan/nonprofit organization that is coordinating the effort. There will also be a greater emphasis on engineering. In Sonoma, our K-5 schools received a prestigious federal Investing in Innovations grant in 2010 (out of 1,700 applications, Sonoma was one of only 49 applicants to have received the award). The focus of the exploratorium grant is to emphasize analytical and conceptual thinking so the district here already has this type of change well on their radar. I’ll be keeping on eye on how national science curriculum changes will affect Sonoma students and will keep you informed.
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I just started “The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School” by Alexandra Robbins. It is a very interesting (and quick reading) look at the psychology and science behind popularity and “outcasthood.” I recommend it to anyone who works with teenagers, has a teenager or ever was a teenager.
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Speaking of books, if you have a child who loves to cook but hates studying vocabulary lists, check out “Cook Your Way Through the S.A.T.” Charis Frieman-Mendel, a 14-year-old in Newport, R.I., got the idea to create her own cookbook by combining her love of cooking with the need to fulfill an art requirement and study for the SSAT – the Secondary School Admission Test, which resembles the SAT and is used for admissions into independent junior high and high schools. She developed 99 recipes into which she incorporated 1,000 SAT vocabulary words. Pretty creative idea. You can get it online for $14.99: http://www.createsspace.com/3614473 or at amazon.com.
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Teenagers, teenagers, teenagers … a recent issue of National Geographic has a story titled, “Beautiful Brains: Why Do Teenagers Act The Way They Do” which discusses the science behind teenage behavior and brain development. It is an interesting read: http://www.nationalgeographic.com.
Roundup I
Welcome to my inaugural “Education Round-Up” column. Every week, this will be the place to read about new initiatives, programs, teachers, noteworthy students, fundraisers, speakers … whatever is happening, pre-K through college.
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While I hate to urge anyone to spend more time staring at their phones, there is an amazing array of free SAT prep options now available, for free or for a few dollars, for your smart phone. I’m a fan of the SAT question of the day, which comes by email from http://www.collegeboard.org, but check for others by searching for the word SAT. Students who start prepping for these tests freshman year will be way ahead of the game.
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Whether or not college is “worth it” is a hot topic in the news right now. With tuition exceeding $50,000 at some private colleges, the debate is understandable (and important). Georgetown’s Center for Education and the Workforce just released a new study, however, that found that students with a B.A. degree earn 84 percent more over their lifetime than those with just high school only (and that number has increased from 75 percent in 1999).
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There is a very cool new website called Scribblitt (www.scribblitt.com) where students can produce their own (self-published) book. The site features writing contests, word games, an illustration center and more. If your child loves to write, or read writing by others, it is worth a look.
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How can you tell if your child is over-scheduled? Jacqueline Golding of UCSF says, “If you have to schedule a child’s play dates more than a week or two ahead … or if kids have to stay up at night past a reasonable bedtime more than once in a great while in order to do their homework after their after school activities … they’re definitely doing too much.”
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I read an interesting article by Julia Williams on http://www.education.com recently on what teachers really want from parents and her suggestions were:
- Start the day smoothly so the transition to school is an easy one.
- Get to school on time.
- Feed your kids a big breakfast and arrange for a healthy lunch.
- Support good homework habits by setting aside the time and place.
- Plan time to reconnect at the end of the day to hear from your child.
I’m very interested in Teach for America but don’t think any teachers have ever been assigned to this immediate area. I was surprised to learn that spots with TFA are now very hard to come by – this year TFA only accepted 11 percent of its applicants.
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What do you think about teachers texting or checking their smart phones during class time? This is an issue that just didn’t exist a decade ago. Teachers never would have made calls during class time but some think a quick text or two is OK. Is it disrespectful to their students, or are students so used to it all around them that they are unfazed by it?
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Is it hard to convince your son or daughter to pick up a book on the weekend and read? My son loves good stories but frankly hates to read. We signed up for audible.com and now he downloads the top teen titles onto his iPod and listens for hours while he shoots baskets outside or is falling asleep. Worth a try. Experts seem to agree that listening to books is almost as good as reading them (learning proper spelling is one drawback) but the upside is he sometimes listens for five-plus hours at a time and he could/would never read for that long.
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Did you get a chance to read “Memoir of a Tiger Mother” ?
Opinions on the author – parenting role model or crazy mom – are being debated in pick-up lines around town. Did you hear that her oldest daughter was accepted to Harvard? Hmmmm …
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US News & World Report recently reported that participation in high school sports has increased for the 22nd straight year, with 55.5 percent of high school students playing a sport. The most commonly offered sport nationwide is basketball and football boasts the greatest number of participants. The fastest growing sport is girls lacrosse. Interestingly, a recent study by Brigham Young University found that females who play a sport in high school are 41 percent more likely to graduate from college.
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Oh dear. A recent study by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy at California State University, Sacramento finds that California is at or near the bottom in affording university opportunities to its high school graduates. According to the study, the state now ranks dead last in total funding per college student … The study also finds that California ranks 41st in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded per every hundred high school graduates, meaning that fewer Californian are graduating from college.
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A front page New York Times discussed how an increased investment in technology in our schools is not necessarily leading to greater achievement or higher test scores and questions if the U.S. is allocating its education resources the wrong way. What do you think?
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Send me your news, ideas, comments and questions …
Lorna Sheridan's Education Roundup 