Last fall we shared a new bit of preschool research conducted by the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University. The research found that Tennessee’s state-funded Voluntary Prekindergarten program made little difference in giving children a head start in learning. In fact, the time in preschool actually seemed to make children fall behind their peers who had not attended. Continue reading
In 2013, the Nation’s Report Card showed that only 38% of high school seniors were proficient in reading. With scores like that, the U.S. isn’t likely to earn the “most literate country” award any time soon.
So what is America’s international literacy ranking? Continue reading
In the last several years, Americans have been sensing that something is seriously wrong with the current crop of young people. True, they are likely to have the most education credentials any generation has ever received. They also are technically-savvy, and as such, have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips.
But in spite of these factors, today’s students seem to exhibit a character that is high in sensitivity and low in knowledge. What gives? Why are our students turning out like this? Continue reading
We understood, more than 100 years ago, how to teach children so that they would become successful, well educated adults. Did we forget how to teach, or was a decision made to change curriculum to deliberately degrade the educational system? Take over your school boards. Change the curriculum back to what has been proven to work. These people are your employees. Demand results. To save America we must save one child at a time. ~ Rosemary Stein, MD
I recently spent an evening with a group of college students. Like most young people their age, they were engaged in their studies and eager to share about semesters spent abroad and future plans.
But then the topic changed. Instead of talking about pop culture or other common subjects, these young people started discussing… their favorite Shakespeare plays. And not just Romeo and Juliet, either. We’re talking lesser-known ones like Henry IV (part one and two) Julius Caesar, and others. Clearly, these students had received a well-rounded education, not only in college, but in high school as well. Continue reading
Image Credit: Leigh A. Murrell (cropped)
It’s a commonly accepted fact that reading offers far more cognitive benefits than watching television. This is largely because television is a more “passive” activity, while reading goes deeper, encouraging greater thought and fostering verbal communication.
But a recent study out of Kensington University in London suggests that the advantage of choosing reading over television can have more than cognitive benefits; it can have behavioral benefits as well. Continue reading
The average American is inundated with hundreds of voices every day. Politicians. Talking heads. Entertainment stars. Teachers. Students. The list could go on.
But while there are multiple voices, many of the big ones seem to give a similar message concerning politics, culture, and education. Especially education.
Just what is this education message? It often includes suggestions of more money, more hours in a school day, and the incorporation of children into the school system at ever earlier ages, largely through Pre-K education. Continue reading
Image Credit: Dean Jarvey bit.ly/1ryPA8o
Should teachers be able to pass a basic literacy test before they set foot in a classroom?
One would think that the answer to that question would be a solid yes. After all, it seems obvious that the ability to understand and communicate through reading and writing is essential to any teacher regardless of the subject in which he teaches. Continue reading
Image Credit: bradburyjason bit.ly/1iowB8m
In a recent Washington Post article, author Sarah Hamaker described how many young adults no longer know how to do simple, basic skills:
Colleges and employers alike are reporting that young people can’t do life’s most basic tasks. With all of our emphasis on academics and what it takes to get into college, essential life skills, such as how to do laundry, balance a checking account or cook a meal, have been overlooked.
Continue reading
November 6, 2015 ~ Last week the Nation’s Report Card announced that no more than 40% of America’s 4th and 8th graders are proficient in reading and math. Those are scary numbers, but the numbers for writing are even more frightening: only 27% of American 8th and 12th graders attained proficiency.
Why are American students such terrible writers? Continue reading
I recently dug up a 1908 curriculum manual in the Minnesota Historical Society archives. It provided instructions on everything from teacher deportment to recommended literature lists for various grades. As a book lover, I was especially interested in the latter!
With the exception of a few textbook-like anthologies, the chart below lists the recommended reading material for Minnesota 7th and 8th graders in 1908: Continue reading
While at a gathering of friends several months ago, I stopped to chat for a few minutes with a twelve-year-old boy whom I’ll call Davy.
Although the youngest in a family of all girls, I knew Davy was all boy. He liked guns and animals and all manner of typical boy subjects. Because of this, I was delighted to see that he was sitting there reading a book, an activity that doesn’t seem to be a popular pastime with most of the male sex. Continue reading
If one was to name a leading institution of higher education in America, Harvard University would definitely be one of the first to come to mind. After all, anyone with the name Harvard on his resume is practically guaranteed an open door to all kinds of profitable careers. The trick, then, is to get into such a prestigious school.
In recent years, various individuals have proclaimed that their entrance into Harvard was paved by homeschooling. But what about after they get in? Are they up to the task and able to succeed? Continue reading
The ability to critically think does not develop in children until around age 12. It begins after the child’s fundamentals are drilled into them. We used to understand this basic principle of education. This is why classical education was so effective. It was also why prior generations of Americans were so successful in life. The educational ‘Elites’ decided that a population that was able to critically think was too difficult to control. They changed our education system to remove critical thinking. Our children have suffered for their arrogance. It is time to take an active role in the education of your children. ~ Rosemary Stein, MD
By now it’s old news that many Americans can no longer think for themselves. True, they have strong opinions, but often those opinions are influenced by prominent leaders and can turn around as quickly as the winds of political favor.
Unfortunately, such a state is likely driven by the education system. Although schools purport to be fans of “critical thinking,” many schools no longer teach the philosophy or logic classes which were once a prominent part of high school education. Continue reading
In recent years, many Americans have adopted the idea that public education is neutral ground. Such a mentality has undoubtedly sprung from the fact that the public school is the agent of the government, an entity which strives to keep itself clear from sectarian, political, or other ideological viewpoints.
But in recent years, the falsity of this idea has been coming to light. A prime example of this is the Edina public schools, where teachers have been giving lessons driven through the lens of race, class, gender, and other social justice norms.
As reports indicate, such news has not gone over very well with parents, many of whom express shock and disappointment that their children are being indoctrinated rather than educated. Continue reading
If there are no studies that demonstrate that preschool benefits children after third grade, why is the government pushing for all children to be taken out of the home and be in it. The answer is to destroy the maternal child bond. If they accomplish this, it is much easier for the ‘Village’ to place it’s values into your children. Parents, not the ‘Village’, must decide what is best for your child. To save America we must save one child at a time. Join the cause. ~ Rosemary Stein M.D.
Sometimes it seems that America is on a never-ending quest to boost achievement and make education better. One year, classroom technology is the answer to the problems. The next year, the answer is universal preschool. The year after, test abolishment is believed to be the solution. And on it goes.
But what if we’ve had a major answer to these educational woes under our noses the whole time, but have simply chosen to ignore it? Continue reading
We all want the best for our kids. Because of this desire, it’s quite discouraging to see when efforts to boost progress in reading, math, and other subjects flatline in schools across the country, as the chart below shows. Continue reading
One of the hallmarks of modern America is the tendency toward prolonged childhood. While it used to be the norm to enter the adult working world by one’s mid-to-late teens, students now extend their preparation for career well into their twenties (and sometimes beyond), enabled by parents who act as their caretakers, education experts who insist that they get as much classroom education as possible, and a government that encourages them to stay on the family health plan until age 26. Continue reading
To many Americans, high school seems like a normal part of life. To not attend is unheard of; to fail to graduate is a death sentence for one’s future.
But what we often forget is that the modern high school is a relatively new concept. As Paul Beston notes in a recent article for City Journal, a hundred years ago America was in the early stages of a high school boom, with 2 million students attending classes. That number rose to 6.6 million by the start of World War II. Today, the number of public high school students measures at 15 million.
But as Beston goes on to explain, the high school as we know it now isn’t the one America knew in its earlier years. That school was far more rigorous. Today’s high schools are the result of several decades of the gradual dumbing down of curriculum.
This dumbing down began in earnest during the Depression years, but as Beston notes, had been encouraged as early as 1912: Continue reading
For generations, each autumn has bestowed the unofficial arrival of adulthood on young people as they head off to college for the first time.
But while the entrance into the Ivy Halls has occurred for years, one part of that ritual seems to have disappeared, namely, the entrance examination.
Oh sure, we have SATs and ACTs which are taken with religious fervor by any student who wants to advance to higher education, but there seems to be quite a different flavor between those and the examinations of the past.
Take, for instance, the 1922 English entrance examination for the University of Illinois. The first section contains five elements with multiple questions. Students were asked to choose two in each group and answer them in written form. This requirement – written, not multiple choice like a majority of today’s SAT-like exams – is the first difference between the two. Continue reading
Since Donald Trump got into office and appointed school choice supporter Betsy DeVos as the national education secretary, a good deal of ink has been spilled on the issue of school vouchers.
On the one hand, vouchers seem to promise a better choice and education for students at a lower cost. On the other hand, recent studies suggest that vouchers don’t improve reading and math scores, and therefore are simply a rabbit trail in the quest for better education.
The takeaway from these two viewpoints? Vouchers are an emotionally charged issue which require some careful thought by concerned citizens.
With this in mind, it’s interesting to note what the late Steve Jobs had to say about vouchers. In 1995, Jobs, generally viewed as a political liberal, expressed his support for a school voucher system in an interview with Daniel Morrow: Continue reading