Atlanta Journal Constitution (December 2)
“Teachers and students will have extra homework after the pandemic ends, as new findings show growth in math scores has fallen since last school year.” Reading may be “more or less intact” as parents are better able to assist at home during distance learning. Math however, is “suffering, with the worst performance at the elementary school level.” Since math is “taught in a sequential way, with concepts building upon concepts,” this weakened foundation could “undermine learning for years to come.”
Tags: Distance learning, Elementary, Foundation, Homework, Math, Pandemic, Performance, Reading, Scores, Students, Teachers, Undermine
Chicago Tribune (August 17)
“In the ongoing war for our attention, books are losing. Badly.” The average American only reads 19 minutes per day, but spends over 2 hours watching TV. “So to get modern readers’ attention, some publishers are taking a cue from Charles Dickens and releasing their books in installments.” The serials are “A-OK with us. We admire this approachable, one-bit-at-a-time tactic. It could be a godsend for a niche market of readers.” That said, “the best method for binge-reading is the same today as it was in Dickens’ day: a good, old-fashioned book”.
Tags: Approachable, Attention, Binge-reading, Books, Dickens, Installments, Publishers, Reading, Serials, TV, U.S.
Washington Post (December 5, 2013)
The U.S. does not test well. In contrast, Japan, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan swept top places for math, reading and science in the recent PISA global educational survey. Nevertheless, “the United States has done very well in harnessing the talents of its top 1 percent and in attracting the top 1 percent from the rest of the world to live and work here. These are the engines of innovation, growth and dynamism.” Whether they will keep the U.S. from falling behind, however, remains to be seen.
Tags: Dynamism, Education, Growth, Hong Kong, Innovation, Japan, Math, Reading, Science, Shanghai, Singapore, Taiwan, Talent, U.S.
