“Personalized learning” (PL) must be wonderful, right? Who wouldn’t like their instruction — whether recreational or intellectual — tailored to their individual capabilities, needs, and aspirations? Unfortunately, labels can, and often do, mislead consumers in the education world. Remember the…
Book Review: The Coddling of the American Mind By Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt Penguin Press: $28 | 352 Pages It’s free speech week, and the book to look out for is The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg…
It was a blisteringly cold day in College Station, Texas and I wrapped my long jacket I thought I would only wear once tightly around myself as I stepped out of the orchestra hall. I was greeted by four men…
Our children are being groomed to have no expectation of privacy, ever, and to accept constant surveillance as simply how things are. Schools and corporate vendors are playing a major role in stamping out the individual liberty and autonomy that…
In recent years, the focus on encouraging high school students to pursue higher education has increased. This has led to a dramatic increase in college attendance, 15% growth between 2005 and 2015 alone. In itself, this encouragement of education is laudable. But,…
As educational technology (ed-tech) becomes a pervasive force in U.S. education, does it make you smile or make you want to scream? It is easy to imagine ed-tech bringing smiles to the faces of family members who have gone online…
We’re told that students must have grit, tenacity, and perseverance to succeed in the 21st-century economy, and that schools should spend more time instilling those characteristics than actually teaching academic content. The poster boy for GT&P could be Bill Gates. After…
My wife and I have four children and we homeschool them. People often ask us if that is difficult, with the kids there all the time. We usually respond by pointing out the benefits of home schooling. And there are…
Although violent incidents in schools have declined since the 1990s, recent high-profile school shootings have put parents (and children) on edge, wondering if their son or daughter will be the next victim of a crazed gunman’s rampage. It can be…