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Wired & Unplugged Ways to Encourage Summer Learning
Tweet Share on Facebook July 1, 2011 CommentStudents can forget as much as two months' worth of math and reading instruction over the summer, according to some reports. To keep their children on track, many parents have enrolled them in summer learning programs. But for students who are unable to attend one, playing certain video games or practicing skills around the house can help.
"People don't often think about games as a way to exercise the brain," says Patrick Supanc, president of College and Career Readiness at textbook publisher Pearson. "But even mainstream games have some really important elements in them that help students develop important skills."
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Increasing Class Sizes Could Save $6 Billion
Tweet Share on Facebook June 29, 2011 Comment (2)Conventional wisdom suggests that students perform better when they are enrolled in smaller classes. But new research and advocacy groups suggest that targeted resizing of classes—including increasing class sizes in certain subjects—can save districts money while minimally impacting student achievement.
Education Resource Strategies, a nonprofit organization that researches educational budgeting, estimates that up to $6 billion could be saved nationally by increasing class sizes by just one student. Currently, more than 80 percent of education spending is used on compensation, according to the organization. A report released in May by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, states that the same move would reduce the number of teachers necessary by approximately 7 percent.
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Performance Gap Between White, Hispanic Students Remains Large
Tweet Share on Facebook June 27, 2011 Comment (2)Standardized test scores in national math and reading tests for both Hispanic and white students rose between 2003 and 2009, but a wide achievement gap still exists between the two groups, according to a new report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
In 2009, white eighth graders scored, on average, 26 points better than Hispanic students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics test, and 24 points better on the NAEP reading test. The tests are given every two years to assess national progress in those subjects.
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A Quarter of High Schoolers Drink Soda Daily
Tweet Share on Facebook June 24, 2011 CommentOne fourth of high school students drink soda or pop daily, according to a report released June 17 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the mid 1990s and 2000s, about 75 percent of teens drank a sugary drink daily, according to the Associated Press. In the past few years, schools have removed unhealthy snacks and sodas from vending machines, says Nancy Brener, the report's author and a CDC researcher. In February 2010, an official in the Obama administration said the president wanted to ban unhealthy drinks in schools under a revised version of No Child Left Behind, the largest and most important federal education law in the country targeted at public schools.
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Dallas Schools Top Newsweek High School Rankings
Tweet Share on Facebook June 22, 2011 Comment (5)Two Dallas public high schools topped Newsweek's 2011 public high school rankings, released Sunday.
The School of Science and Engineering Magnet and School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet took the top two spots. All seniors at both schools graduated on time. The two schools are ranked in the top 10 of U.S. News's Best High Schools rankings.
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Duncan Warns Congress: Revise NCLB or I Will
Tweet Share on Facebook June 20, 2011 Comment (4)Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said if Congress does not reauthorize and amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—popularly known as No Child Left Behind—he will take actions to amend the law himself.
A clause in the law permits the secretary of education to waive certain parts of the act—a power Duncan said he would consider use if states agree to enact reforms.
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Duncan Says Discriminating Against LGBT Clubs Violates Law
Tweet Share on Facebook June 17, 2011 Comment (1)Secretary of Education Arne Duncan warned school districts Tuesday against attempting to shut down lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clubs and gay-straight alliances.
In the open "Dear Colleagues" letter, Duncan stressed that LGBT students are often the target of bullying and verbal harassment, and that after-school clubs can help students cope with the bullying.
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High School Seniors’ U.S. History Scores Remain Flat
Tweet Share on Facebook June 15, 2011 CommentHigh school seniors' scores on a national history assessment remained flat between 2006 and 2010, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a government organization.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests public and private school students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history. The history test was given in 1994, 2001, and 2006. History scores were lower than any other subject, though NCES Commissioner Jack Buckley cautioned against comparing tests.
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National High School Graduation Rates Improve
Tweet Share on Facebook June 13, 2011 Comment (11)After two years of discouraging news, the nation's high school graduation rate is improving, according to a new report released Tuesday by Education Week.
About 72 percent of public school students from the class of 2008 graduated on time, a 6 percentage-point increase from the 1997 rate, and a 3 percentage-point increase from the 2007 rate. The reported graduation rate is the highest it's been since the mid 1980s.
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Summer Reading Tips for Teens
Tweet Share on Facebook June 10, 2011 Comment (2)With most high schools out for the summer, students can now enjoy their break lounging by the pool or, if they're lucky, working. But there's another tradition inseparable from the season—summer reading.
While some books are compulsory, others might just make for good beach reading. Either way, reading over summer break can help prevent knowledge loss before the next school year and improve vocabulary.
