“Standardized testing can be worthwhile, argues this noted Williams College psychologist, but only if they measure the abilities and dispositions that students really need. ‘I have reviewed more than 300 studies of K-12 academic tests…I have found virtually no research demonstrating a relationship between those tests and measures of thinking or life outcomes.’ ”
A good article illustrating the probable impact of marketing on children’s play preferences.
“….(University of Vermont) the university is expanding a dormitory program where drugs and alcohol are out and round-the-clock incentives for healthy living are in. The first-year project, called the Wellness Environment, includes 120 freshmen chosen from three times that number of applicants. Because of its popularity, the program will nearly quadruple next academic year and move to a second residence hall. ‘If they can get really good health habits now, we’ve done our job,’ said Annie Stevens, vice provost for student affairs.”
Kids need quiet! This article focuses on early childhood but noise is distracting for all.
Schools are pushing diversity but are they including and integrating these students into their entire programs? Our 100+ campus visits demonstrate that this may not be norm.
The director of Rutgers University’s maker space simplifies it well. “U.S. schools are very good at finding the brain-smart people…They are also very good at finding the best athletes…But they are not so good at finding and nurturing people, who think with their fingers. The next Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are more likely to emerge from a maker space than a garage.”
“Child prodigies rarely become adult geniuses who change the world…..What holds them back is that they don’t learn to be original…Creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart….You can’t program a child to become creative. Try to engineer a certain kind of success and the best you’ll bet is an ambitious robot. If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passion, not yours.”
“Child prodigies rarely become adult geniuses who change the world…..What holds them back is that they don’t learn to be original…Creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart…. You can’t program a child to become creative. Try to engineer a certain kind of success and the best you’ll bet is an ambitious robot. If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passion, not yours.”
Amounts raised in 2015
1.) Stanford University $1.63bln
2.) Harvard University $1.05bln
