Americans are outraged! We are outraged that police shoot civilians; that civilians shoot police, and that civilians are shooting one another with ever-greater frequency. We are outraged at our candidates for president and outraged at the systems that enable and empower them. We are outraged about terrorist attacks, refugees, social injustice, environmental catastrophe, and so much more that we have... READ MORE >
“May you live in an interesting age” is more often cited as a curse than a blessing. For many, the changes that accompany an “interesting age” are sources of grief, anxiety, and frustration. There is the loss of the familiar, the uncertainty of the future, and the challenges that are part of the transition. Yet with these troubles comes a... READ MORE >
During the two weeks of the NCAA’s Men’s Basketball Tournament– affectionately known as “March Madness”– 64 teams play for the national championship. Four different TV networks will share the responsibility to broadcast every game, and also share an expected 1.13 billion dollars in national TV ad revenue (second only to the NFL playoffs). Of course, the ad revenue is big... READ MORE >
It may be true that “misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” but political opportunity most certainly does. The chance to score political points has players of very different stripes lining up in the latest game of hot potato: The Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Many were for it before they were against it; some were against it before they... READ MORE >
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Albert Einstein Throughout Cook County—not to mention all across Ameri ca— schools are administering standardized tests to determine whether or not students can climb a tree at grade level. Not exactly, of... READ MORE >
The education legislation passed last summer requires every public school district in Minnesota – traditional districts and charter schools alike – to develop comprehensive long range plans and to report on their progress at public meetings next fall. The plans must meet specific criteria, and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has developed checklists and training to help schools complete... READ MORE >
How do we prepare students to be successful in life? That question is at the root of public education and there is no simple answer. However, as current researchers have shifted from asking why students fail to why they succeed, their answers are both familiar and challenging. It turns out that a person’s intelligence—often referenced as their Intelligence Quotient or... READ MORE >
In his popular book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey writes about “sharpening the saw.” The phrase comes from a story about a man who is exhausted from trying to cut down a tree with a dull saw and has become convinced he is so far behind that he doesn’t have time to stop and sharpen it. Those... READ MORE >
The main storyline from the recent school shooting in Connecticut has quickly settled into the well-worn groove of the national gun control debate, with political actors on both sides of the issue reframing their positions in light of this most recent tragedy. Some celebrate New York’s further restrictions on the availability of certain guns and extended gunfree zones, while others... READ MORE >
We meet friends at the coffee shop. We talk on our cell phones while commuting. We visit with our co-workers over a sandwich. We even chat with strangers online. It seems human beings are programmed to communicate with one another, sharing ideas, insights, concerns, and consolation as naturally as we eat and breathe. Doubt that? Go anywhere and see if... READ MORE >
