For over 50 years, Advanced Placement (AP) testing has been a way for students to earn college credit while still in high school. The tests have been geared mainly toward the memorization of facts, and with thousands of pages of content that is all fair game on the exam, teachers rarely have time to cover any one topic in depth for fear that [...]
We’ve all had a class where we ask ourselves, “Why did this person become a teacher?” And as much as we’d like to believe every educator is another Jaime Escalante, the fact of the matter is that most aren’t. So what does it take to be a great educator? Are teaching skills innate, or can they be learned? Alas, the age-old question of [...]
A new trend in school leadership is emerging. School districts are beginning to hire nontraditional candidates--from leaders at non-profit organizations to top corporate executives to former government officials--to be their new superintendents. States such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania are taking measures to create a process whereby nontraditional candidates may be hired as school administrators. So what began this interest in choosing those [...]
The number of students taking Advanced Placement exams has been rising from year to year. In 2010, just under two million students took over three million AP exams, up about 10% from 2009. The College Board, which sponsors the AP exam, offers thirty-four courses that, if a student scores high enough on the exam, can transfer over to college credit. Fifty-eight percent of [...]
Back in tenth grade US history class, I was indoctrinated into the wonder of National History Day. This event was a celebration of world and American history, designed to encourage students to pursue what might not be taught in the textbooks. The two main components of this contest were a research paper and some sort of visual project. Prior to this exercise, I [...]
In 2009, legislatures in New York and California, among other states, enacted laws that limit, to one degree or another, the use of student achievement data in teacher performance evaluations. New York's legislature prohibited the use of student test scores in teacher tenure decisions. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was publicly opposed to these laws, saying, "Believe it or not, several states, including [...]
For incoming college freshmen, it’s the number one most frequently asked question: “What’s your major?” Choosing a major can be a Big Deal. It outlines what courses you’ll be taking, what professors you’ll have, what internships you’ll apply for, and how you approach your college experience as a whole. But making a decision like that can often be overwhelming. What if you don’t [...]
"I need a Personal Shopper! When can you start?" said the woman in the store that I was shopping in. It happens to me all the time. It doesn't matter where I am, if I'm wearing a winter jacket and boots, carrying multiple shopping bags, or even if I'm in the ladies room, I am always mistaken for the store's salesperson. Every time [...]
An innovative new feature is coming along in the e-publishing world: specific book apps for Apple's iPad. This new technology personalizes the eBook experience. "Electric Literature", a short story publication, is combining new technologies to create a unique literary experience. Originally, "Electric Literature" was simply a print magazine, but the company has expanded to all manner of eBooks. EL does continue to print, [...]
I recently read an article about how our own language can make a difference in how we understand things around us. The article referred to the research of Lera Boroditsky, a psychologist at Stanford University. She believes that the language we speak determines the way we perceive the world. When the Viaduct de Millau opened in the south of France in 2004, it [...]