As we all know this year’s election was unprecedented and unusual; it has caused a lot of worry and uncertainty among many different groups of people across the country. And while I have been saddened by much of the dialogue that has come from this administration I have also taken strides in my own life…
A recent Brookings article highlights some of the details underneath the hooplah that was this years election. The article talks about some concepts and inequalities that social scientists and education researchers have known for years: folks who live in rural America are not receiving basic education about how the economy works, this is something urbanites take for…
Social media has been given a pretty bad rap since its conception not too long ago. Between teenagers posting ridiculous images of themselves and others, to body shaming of celebrities, to cyber bullying, the list of reasons to avoid social media is often longer than the number of reasons to continue using it. For many…
As a graduate student, I am expected to teach undergraduate courses. So far I have taught Child Development and Mystery, Murder, and Madness (which is basically a criminal behavior class). In my program, upper level graduate students are required to teach 2 courses each semester, so by the end of the program, we have A…
Well, it’s been a long time since I have posted here, but now that it’s summer, I have a little more time on my hands to read for pleasure and post my thoughts on the current education climate in the U.S. I just read this really interesting article from the Washington Post about “data walls.”…
While driving into work this morning, I was listening to NPR and a story came on about something that has plagued many elementary, middle, and high school teachers for year…the summer slide. The summer slide is a phenomena where students (especially those who are coming from lower income backgrounds) experience a severe decline in their achievement…
Does anyone else feel like their lives are dictated and run by numbers? I certainly do. We get grades in school that determine where we get in to college. Our colleges are ranked based on numerous qualities and characteristics. Then we get a job and start thinking salaries, days of vacation, hours worked each day…the…
John Oliver’s new(ish) show, Last Week Tonight, airs weekly on Sundays on HBO. A number of weeks ago, he did a special episode on standardized testing in the United States and the issues that they raise. The show paid special attention to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which is the standardized test that my…
In late 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Child Succeeds Act, which replaces the existing No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. This article from The Atlantic surveys the opinions of many scholars and experts on the state of schools in America. It’s a really interesting take on the pros and cons of our educational…
Hillary and Bill Clinton, Brad and Angelina, Barack and Michelle, Jay-Z and Beyonce… we know them, love them, and many of us want to be them. As a society we admire and fawn over these power couples and often aspire to be as successful as they are. A recent New York Times article brings to light some issues…
