Hot Topics – controversial

Photo Credit: Caleb Roenigkby Suzanne WrightMy mother, now in her 70s, has beautiful handwriting. As a young girl, I admired and emulated her expressive script, ultimately winning a couple of penmanship awards for my efforts. My mom was proud and so was I.But with cursive writing instruction in decline since the 1970s in many elementary schools, widespread pride in the almost artistic form of penmanship seems to be waning.Read the rest of the story at USA Today.

by Nicole Gorman, Education World ContributorA recent report looking at research into Head Start programs—or federally funded early education programs for low-income families—has revealed that research is not conclusive enough to determine the effectiveness despite 50 years of operation and 30 million children served, said The Hechinger Report. Read the rest of the story at Education World.

When the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was passed, until 1979 when it was amended, (creating the U.S. Department of Education)

Photo Credit: TaxCredits.netby Karin Price Mueller/Credit.com Both options have serious downsides, but there’s a third option.Read the rest of the story at Money.  

Both houses of Congress have now passed versions of the bill that would update the largest federal education law, known as No Child Left Behind, for the first time since 2001. They are big, meaty and complicated, and now they have to be reconciled into one messy Dagwood sandwich of a bill to go to the president. Read the rest of the story on NPREd.

by Nicholas FandosARLINGTON, Va. — This is not your typical summer sleepaway camp.Bonfires and archery? Try Insecure Direct Object References and A1-Injections.The dozen or so teenagers staring at computers in a Marymount University classroom here on a recent day were learning — thanks to a new National Security Agency cybersecurity program that reaches down into the ranks of American high school and middle school students — the entry-level art of cracking encrypted passwords.Read the rest of the story at The New York Times.

Proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983, the theory of multiple intelligences has revolutionized how we understand intelligence. Learn more about the research behind his theory. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MARCH 8, 2013 | UPDATED: APRIL 9, 2015Read the rest of the story at Edutopia.

by Laura IsenseeThis summer there’s been an intense debate surrounding the Confederate flag and the legacy of slavery in this country.In Texas that debate revolves around new textbooks that 5 million students will use when the school year begins next month.The question is, are students getting a full and accurate picture of the past? Read the rest of the story at NPR.org.

Photo Credit: Garry Knightby Mara Rose WilliamsSen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has the grim sexual abuse numbers on his website:Nearly 300,000 victims of rape and sexual assault a year. Young women experiencing the highest rates of violence from their boyfriends.Read the rest of the story at The Kansas City Star.