By Peter Gray Someone recently referred me to a book that they thought I'd like. It's a 2009 book, aimed toward teachers of grades K through 12, titled Why Don't Students Like School? It's by a cognitive scientist named Daniel T. Willingham, and it has received rave reviews by countless people involved in the school […]
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"Why Don't Students Like School?" Well, Duhhhh…
Public school teacher dares student to eat dead fly for good grade
Apparently a teacher at Oak Ridge High School in Sacramento has been watching too much Fear Factor on television. Maybe the next time this teacher dares his students to eat dead bugs for an A on a test, he should tell them he was joking before he actually grades the test. Stephen Zeldag, a student […]
DHS discrimination against transgender teen alleged
A transgender teenager who identifies as a girl said she was subject to constant abuse and discrimination during 18 months in the custody of Philadelphia's Department of Human Services. At the Youth Study Center, the 16-year-old teen was placed in the boys' unit, where, she said, staff and residents harassed her despite a judge's order […]
'Little Buddy' keeps track of your little one
Will the Little Buddy be parents' new best friend? Best Buy's entry into the child monitoring market is aimed squarely at budget-minded parents with young children. The concept isn't new -- Verizon Wireless and Sprint cell phones offered a similar service three years ago, but the child had to have a cell phone. Other dedicated […]
All students should be judged on same criteria
Education has been called the great equalizer. No matter what your race, creed or ZIP code, every child is entitled to a quality public education. Yet as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan explained to an audience of aspiring educators at the University of Virginia, as a nation, “we still have not fully achieved the dream […]
Seeds of adult dishonesty are sown in youth, study finds
People who cheated in high school are more likely to cheat on their taxes or lie to spouses or customers and otherwise bend the truth, a Los Angeles-based ethics institute's report shows. "Once a liar, always a liar" is a proverbial parental admonishment. A new study claims there is truth to the adage: People who […]
4th teen from same Palo Alto high school commits suicide
For the fourth time in less than six months, a student from one Palo Alto high school has committed suicide, authorities say. The boy stepped in front of a train at the same location where three other students have killed themselves since May. CalTrain spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew said the latest suicide of a student from […]
Ukraine closes all schools, cinemas over swine flu
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday ordered a three-week closure of Ukraine's schools and cinemas in the toughest measures adopted yet to combat the swine flu virus in Europe. "From today, all the school establishments in Ukraine -- be they private or public -- will be put on three weeks of holiday," she told her […]
Arkansas Legislature to begin study on changes to home school law
An interim study on changes to home school law by the Arkansas Legislature is set to begin on November 5, 2009 at 10:00 am. Eleven representatives from the public school sector will be there. Dee Black of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Jerry Cox of Family Council located in Little Rock Arkansas will […]
Pa. Supreme Court Throws Out Thousands of Juvenile Delinquency Cases
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that almost all juvenile delinquency cases heard by an indicted former judge must be thrown out. The ruling means cases heard by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella from Jan. 1, 2003 to May 31, 2008 are in question for fairness and impartiality. Ciavarella faces criminal charges that […]
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