Today we share an article published at the Pew Research Center written by JULIANA MENASCE HOROWITZ The article discusses parents views of what should and should not be taught in schools and comes to the conclusion that while unhappy most parents won't rock the boat. Saying that, the number of students being removed from public schools continues to accelerate so their conclusions may not be totally accurate. Give the article a read either at the original site or by reading below...then...share your thoughts. Note: The full article is REALLY long so grab something to drink and plan on spending 10-15 minutes reading and pondering. Parents Differ Sharply by Party Over What Their … [Read more...]
Reading on a smartphone promotes over activity in the prefrontal cortex and lowers reading comprehension
Today we bring you a new article on the impact of "screen time" on learning. As you will note from some of our previous articles the more time children spend on e-devices (phone, tablet, computer) the less they learn and retain. The report comes to use from PsyPost written by Beth Elwood and titled: Reading on a smartphone promotes over activity in the prefrontal cortex and lowers reading comprehension. The original article can be read at: https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/reading-on-a-smartphone-promotes-overactivity-in-the-prefrontal-cortex-and-lowers-reading-comprehension-study-finds-62848?fbclid=IwAR0yJl0lXkWhsrbdkfUY-M5c5fQL1wkk6cKiDQkxKII09W22bUbMw6zI6EM Here's the article in its … [Read more...]
Are teachers unions too powerful in public schools?
At the risk of drawing the ire of teachers unions we need to ask if their influence is such that they drive too many choices. Let's start out making clear that great teachers are worth their weight in gold. Outstanding teachers should not only be paid like superstars they should be treated with respect and revered. Weak or mediocre or poor teachers should be assisted to move on to other endeavors. There in lies the issue...the poor and weak are protected. Every teacher is treated as equal and considered as having the same proficiency and effectiveness if they have X degree(s) and Y years of experience. That's simply impossible. Some people (in every profession and job) are better, faster, … [Read more...]