每日吃瓜

Updated
|
Charter Schools vs. Traditional Public Schools: Which One is Under-Performing?
Learn about whether charter schools or traditional public schools are enjoying better academic performance amongst their students. What do the test results reveal?

Charter schools have become the modern rival of public schools, but does the reality of charter performance match the hype? According to Change.org, "Charter schools get overwhelmingly positive press and make a lot of claims about their success. But actually, numerous studies confirm that their achievement is indistinguishable from that of traditional public schools. Some are very successful, some are troubled and struggling, and the rest are somewhere in between just like traditional public schools."

In a closer examination, charter schools, as explained by t, are publicly funded institutions that operate under their own standards of conduct and curriculum outside the realm of local public school districts. Although these institutions are funded by tax dollars, charter schools are ultimately given the freedom to establish their own methods of operation, similar to how many private schools are able to design their instructional and social practices. According to the , although some state statutes, regulations and rules may still apply to charter schools, they are generally outside the bounds of traditional educational oversight by the state and instead are governed by a board of directors. The original impetus for the creation of charter schools was to increase competition for students, thus giving parents more choices in terms of where their children go to school. It was also theorized that increased competition between public and charter schools would lead to better educational programs for all students.

. . .read more

Would Your Child Get Better Grades Without a Summer Break?

Updated
|
Would Your Child Get Better Grades Without a Summer Break?
Learn about the pros and cons surrounding year-round schools through studies arguing that students perform better in school without a summer break.

With increasingly demanding standards, competitive college acceptance expectations, and more rigorous educational guidelines, many public school students are striving for higher grades than ever before. Recent studies assert that the key to boosting a child's GPA involves providing students with more consistent educational opportunities. Fundamentally, more consistent opportunities are best achieved by providing students with year-round public instruction.

In fact, according to , Specialists in Time and Learning, educational studies prove that nearly all students experience various forms of summer learning loss during the longer seasonal time away from school. In further detail, a team of psychology experts at the University of Missouri thoroughly evaluated the impact of summer vacation on students' test scores. As a result of these investigations, The study found that summer learning loss is a reality, that all students (including the best) lose in math and spelling skills, and many, though not all, lose reading skills over the traditional summer.

As a result of these and other expert findings, many educators and parents support new propositions for year-round public school classes. These initiatives are forcing many community members to question: will students earn higher grades without a summer vacation? This video from PBS gives an overview of the issue.

The Year-Round Educational Model

With new plans for year-round programs, public schools have individually, and often uniquely, created their own modified instructional calendars. An

. . .read more

How Should Students Spend Summer Vacation?

Updated
|
How Should Students Spend Summer Vacation?
Public school teachers weigh in on how students should spend their summers. From reading lists to summer assignments, learn about teachers' ideas on how students can enjoy a productive summer.

While the first summer days always begin with excitement and anticipation, nearly all parents eventually start to worry about their child's summertime video game, television, and computer gaming habits. Many parents want to find ways to help children find an appropriate balance between leisure and learning.

Similarly, teachers actively strive to boost children's educational interests over the summer, as many teachers argue that engaging in summertime learning activities helps improve a child's progress throughout his or her formative years. Studies show that by the time a student reaches middle school, a loss of summer reading can potentially account for a two-year setback in reading achievement! Fortunately, to offer parents guidance and support, public schools nationwide have developed new agendas and programs to keep a child's mind active while away from school on summer vacation.

Summer Assignments

While all public school teachers presumably encourage students to engage in educational endeavors over the summer, some school leaders have taken this hope to the next level with required public school summer assignments. Summer assignments in the past have typically been reserved only for the highly ambitious Advanced Placement kids, but schools are now gradually extending various tasks for all students.

As The Chicago Sun-Times reports, over 170,000 public school students, ranging from kindergarten to 7th, are being provided with workbooks, lesson plans, and reading assignments for their summer vacations. With a new program to avoid students' historical patterns of education-free summers, Chicago Public Schools have dedicated $2.7 million towards helping

. . .read more

Should Parents Be Paid for Their Child鈥檚 Public School Success?

Updated
|
Should Parents Be Paid for Their Child鈥檚 Public School Success?
Learn about the debate surrounding paying parents for their student's academic performance in public school. Can cash motivate parents into encouraging their children to obtain better grades in school?

Paying for academic performance has become a consistent debate surrounding public schools. Should children be monetarily rewarded for their grades? What are the pros and cons of financially rewarding teachers for their students鈥 performance?

Amidst all of these questions, a new theory has entered the ring. Some believe that parents should also be financially remunerated for their child鈥檚 public school success. To explore this possibility, some public schools across the country are experimenting with controversial cash incentives for parents, hoping that the 鈥渂ribe鈥 will help parents take on a more active and much-needed role in their child鈥檚 learning.

Will Paying Parents Boost Student Performance?

According to investigations from , programs providing cash motivation to parents have been seen in public school districts in nearly every state. While the moral and ethical appropriateness of such agendas continues to be clouded with controversy, recent studies show that these tactics work!

Specifically, a non-partisan social-policy research group, MDRC, found that cash incentives helped increase lower-income students鈥 performance and retention rates. In their study, MDRC discovered that families offered financial incentives for positive performance earned both increased grade point averages and enhanced feelings of confidence.

Adding to the reports of Time Magazine and MDRC, CNN also examined the potential advantages of financial rewards. Teachers of various public schools in Des Moines, Iowa, were fed up watching students passively fail through each class and semester.

. . .read more

How Well are Public Schools Adapting to Your Child鈥檚 Learning Style?

Updated
|
How Well are Public Schools Adapting to Your Child鈥檚 Learning Style?
Learn about the various learning styles in the "multiple intelligences" philosophy and how public schools have programs to specifically cater towards each child's individual learning style.

While many public school classrooms have traditionally taught all children using the same lessons and techniques, recent studies show that a child鈥檚 unique learning style should also be taken into consideration. Considering that each child has his or her own learning style, public schools are now experimenting with programs to accommodate the individual needs of every student, gifted, normal, or special.

The Various Styles of Learning

According to , a program devoted to helping each learner understand more about his or her own unique cognitive processes, there is no 鈥渞ight鈥 or 鈥渨rong鈥 way to engage in an optimal pattern or routine of learning. As each individual has his or her own intellectual strengths, educators and parents should utilize a child鈥檚 strengths in order to teach him or her to succeed.

The various styles of learning are typically referred to as 鈥渕ultiple intelligences.鈥 Although a very recent and often debated theory, many educators and public school leaders are slowly recognizing the potential benefits of incorporating the multiple intelligences approach. As many experts support, by allowing students to recognize and understand their own unique methods of learning, teachers can more appropriately use a variety of techniques to adapt lessons for a range of individuals. Additionally, understanding and accepting the various types of learning most often helps to improve the speed and quality of each child鈥檚 comprehension and learning. Currently, there are seven identified basic modes/styles of learning:

  • Visual 鈥 Visual learners prefer learning with
. . .read more

Recent Articles

Parents鈥 Guide to Special Education
Parents鈥 Guide to Special Education
Special education law is not easy to decipher, with several regulations that govern special education services for disabled students. In this article, learn about the core components of the laws, rights, and individual education plans that can help create the best public school environment for your child.
Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
A school district in Virginia has given the green light to schools that want to install surveillance cameras in common areas like cafeterias and hallways. We鈥檒l look at whether this is a violation of student privacy or the best way to keep order in schools.
Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
As of 2014, nineteen states still allow corporal punishment 鈥 spanking and paddling the most common choices 鈥 in their public schools. However, some argue that not only are these punishments physically harmful, they also are disproportionately administered to students of color. As a result, House democrats have taken up the issue in a new bill that would ban all forms of corporal punishment nationwide.