Research

The Business Case for Reading Novels

Posted on January 16, 2012 by edfivecs90

FINALLY!!! An answer to all of the metrics-driven, bottom-line, how will this help my child be successful in REAL life questions regarding reading.  That noise you hear is librarians and English departments celebrating…

I’ve been a devoted, even fanatical reader of fiction my whole life, but sometimes I feel like I’m wasting time if I spend an evening immersed in Lee Child’s newest thriller, or re-reading The Great Gatsby. Shouldn’t I be plowing through my in-box? Or getting the hang of some new productivity app? Or catching up on my back issues of The Economist? That slight feeling of self-indulgence that haunts me when I’m reading fake stories about fake people is what made me so grateful to stumble on a piece in Scientific American Mind by cognitive psychologist Keith Oatley extolling the practical benefits to be derived particularly from consuming fiction.

LINK: The Business Case for Reading Novels by Anne Kreamer

Post Source: Harvard Business Review

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Sex Education Standards Encourage Teaching ‘Safe Sex,’ Sexual Identity, Anti-Bullying In Schools

Posted on January 16, 2012 by edfivecs90

Start with the overview of the standards by Kimberly Hefling that appeared in HuffPost Education. Links to the actual standards as well as another summary by Nirvi Shaw in EdWeek below.

Young elementary school students should use the proper names for body parts and, by the end of fifth grade, know that sexual orientation is “the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender,” according to new sexual education guidelines released Monday by a coalition of health and education groups.

The non-binding recommendations to states and school districts seek to encourage age-appropriate discussions about sex, bullying and healthy relationships – starting with a foundation even before second grade.

LINK: Sex Education Standards Encourage Teaching ‘Safe Sex,’ Sexual Identity, Anti-Bullying In Schools.

Download the National Sexuality Education Standards in PDF format.

LINK: Overview of new Standards by Nirvi Shah in EdWeek

Post Sources: HuffPost Education.  Education Week

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Are Teachers Overpaid? A Response to Critics

Posted on January 16, 2012 by edfivecs90

If you haven’t had a link to the original article forwarded to you yet, you will soon.  The link below actually takes you to the response to the response to the original article about teacher-pay.  This is one case where you can start at the end of the story…

It is a view as ubiquitous as it is simplistic: To improve public education, pay teachers more—a lot more. Union officials, education reformers, scholars, laypeople, and politicians of all stripes endorse this principle in one form or another.

However, as we determined in a study released Nov. 1, 2011, by the Heritage Foundation, “Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers,” the average public school teacher already is paid more than what he or she is likely to earn in the private sector. Although some may well be underpaid, the typical public school teacher makes roughly $1.52 for every dollar made by a private-sector employee with similar skills.

LINK: Are Teachers Overpaid? A Response to Critics.

LINK: Assessing Compensation (original study)

LINK to NYTimes op-ed by Nicholas Kristof referencing the study: The Value of Teachers

Post Source: Education Week

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Do schools need a longer school day?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by edfivecs90

Some background information the next time someone says, “our problem is that we just don’t have enough time in the school day…”

A policy brief released last month concluded that contrary to popular perception, most U.S. public schools require at least as much or even more instructional time for students than countries touted for their high performance on international tests, including Finland, Japan and South Korea. There were a lot of caveats in the report but the thrust of the brief was that calls for a longer instructional day for children in the United States to match what students in other countries get may be misguided.

LINK: Do schools need a longer school day?

Post Source: The Answer Sheet

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Education Week: 2011: The Year in Review

Posted on January 3, 2012 by edfivecs90

When you get a moment to come up for air during the first week back, here’s a “7 for 1.” This page is a “Best of” the “Best of” collection so it will serve as the sole post this week. Topics list link directly to those lists.

Most Memorable Stories

The editors at Education Week have handpicked memorable articles from 2011. Below are collections of the most significant stories from coverage of education over the past year.

via Education Week: 2011: The Year in Review.

The 10 Most Memorable Stories of 2011 Topics:

The 10 Most Viewed of 2011:

**Editor’s Note:  Click on links within the post field.  The post “title” hyperlink opens another window in Edfive.**

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