For 180 days each year, most kids are in school, brains engaged and learning. Then along comes the summer and for many, learning comes to a screeching halt.It’s not like there’s absolutely no brain activity happening over the summer, but by the time they go back to school, many students forget some of the skills they learned. The Washington Post reports that in a recent survey, 66% of teachers say they spend most of the first month of school teaching concepts that students have forgotten over the break.
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by Joe Heim
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Analysis suggests that Poland is the best country at turning economic growth into the wellbeing of its citizens.by George ArnettPoland is outperforming the UK when it comes to education as well as being the world leader in converting economic growth into the well-being of its citizens, according to a new report.The Sustainable economic development assessment (Seda) by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) measures wellbeing across 149 countries.Read the rest of the story at The Guardian.
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Discover how public-private partnerships empower schools to meet diverse challenges, boost control, and enhance resources without sacrificing leadership.
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By Moriah Balingit and Susan SvrlugaSWEET BRIAR, Va. — In her first year as Sweet Briar’s dean, Amy Jessen- Marshall struggled to come up with the words to welcome the Class of 2015. But inspiration struck suddenly from deep beneath her feet.That was the year that a rare and mild earthquake shook the rural campus here. And it gave the class one of its nicknames: the earth shakers.Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.
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If you look at the numbers, there’s the typical mix of good news/bad news for this year’s crop of college graduates. Let’s start with the good news.According to the National Center for Education Statistics, colleges and universities expect to award about 1.8 million bachelor’s degrees. Experts are noting that this class faces the most favorable job climate in years, due to a pent up demand for workers.
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By T. Rees ShapiroThis story has been updated.A University of Virginia associate dean of students filed a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone on Tuesday, alleging that the magazine portrayed her as callous and indifferent to allegations of sexual assault on campus and made her the university’s “chief villain” in a now-debunked story about a fraternity gang rape.Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.
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by Valerie StraussWhen John Oliver, on his HBO “Last Week” show, did a recent segment on the problems with standardized testing, the one company that he mentioned at some length was Pearson — and that’s no surprise. Pearson is the largest education company in the world (Forbes magazine says it may control up to 60 percent of the U.S. testing market), and it has become a high-profile target of opponents of high-stakes standardized testing.Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.
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On April 27, a 16-year-old boy allegedly fired two shots inside North Thurston High School in Lacey, Washington. He probably never expected what happened next: He was tackled by teacher Brady Olson.Olson put his life on the line to save his students. When everyone ran away from the shooter, Olson ran toward the shooter to stop him.The popular civics teacher is being hailed as a hero. But in a statement released to the press, he said, “As always, students come first, and today was no different.”This happens over and over again. We see and hear stories of teacher heroics on a nearly regular basis. But whether they are standing between attackers and students, listening to students’ heartbreaking stories, or finding lunch money for a kid who has none, teacher heroics are more common than we realize.To be sure, like any other profession, education has its share of incompetence. There are some teachers and administrators who should not be in the profession. No one disputes that. But the ones who share Olson’s belief that ‘students come first’ are the keepers, the ones who often don’t get enough credit for all the good they do. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Mr. Olson probably has performed some heroics before, on many other levels, like almost every other teacher I know.They all deserve our thanks, not just during this Teacher Appreciation Week, but all year long.After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, I wrote a piece for CNN titled “Above all, teachers are in it for the kids.” It seems appropriate to revisit that article this week. It summarizes my views on teacher heroics, but I think I’m not the only person who feels this way. Read it and let me know your thoughts.In the meantime, teachers, thank you for all you do. You are heroes, everyday.
