Catastrophe Award Strikes a National Nerve
Christina Valdez, the mother of an 8-year-old girl who was singled out by her teacher for not doing her homework with a “catastrophe award,” says she is shocked by the attention this story is receiving. Two weeks ago, her daughter, Cassandra came home from school distraught with a certificate given to her by her teacher [...]
Gaming & Education: A Match Made in Heaven
Just about every parent of a video game enthusiast has pondered the level of genius their child could attain if he or she put the amount of focus, determination, and time into educational pursuits that they put into gaming. Well, as the following infographic beautifully illustrates, the scholars at MIT and Gamification.org have put some [...]
MIT-Bound Latina Wants Latino Students to Beat the Odds
Growing up in East Palo Alto, an area south of San Francisco with one of the highest crime rates in the nation, Silvia Vazquez remembers cringing when her friends and family called her a nerd. It was not considered cool to study. But now, the 17-year-old high school grad is off to a nerd’s paradise: [...]
Smartest 2-Year-Old Ever!
This little darling is not only smart, she’s politically savvy and well rounded. She can answer questions not only about who holds the nation’s highest offices but what wrestler Ric Flair says. In addition to being up on pop culture, she shows a flair for acting and does a mean Homer Simpson impersonation. Doh! For [...]
Memorial Day: What It Means
Since it was first declared a national holiday on May 5, 1868, Memorial Day has come to mean many things for Americans—a three-day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, a trip to the beach, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. Most important, however, Memorial Day is a time to remember veterans of past and present wars and [...]
How Play Can Help Schools Combat Bullying & Improve Learning
Researchers have found that investing in recess and organized play can prevent bullying, improve students’ behavior at recess and readiness for class, and provide more time for teaching and learning. Playworks, a national nonprofit that provides coaches who implement healthy recess and other playtime to schools in 23 cities nationwide was the focus of this [...]
Teacher Gifts That Don’t Suck
The last day of school is drawing near and with it comes that age-old dilemma: What to get your child’s teacher in appreciation of a year’s worth of service? I went straight to the source and asked the teachers themselves what type of gift they enjoy getting the most. Perhaps their answers will surprise you…or [...]
High School Graduation: How Much Has Changed in 25 Years?
High School seniors across the country are poised to make their first big leap into adulthood—graduation. Graduating from high school is an almost mythic milestone for most teens: the ceremony, the celebrations, embarking on their last carefree summer with childhood friends, prepping for college in the fall—and stepping into the great unknown of a limitless [...]
Congratulations to Our Madagascar 3 Movie Ticket Winners!
Congrats to the six lucky winners of the Madagascar 3 movie tickets. Each will receive four tickets and a bag of movie goodies! Evelyn Cortez, New York Alejandro Ayala, Miami Xzenia Fernandez, Houston Shannon McMahan, Dallas George Ramos, Chicago Cindy Reyes, Los Angeles All movie screenings will take place in the cities above on Saturday [...]
Teaching Teens About Personal Finance: It Pays Off!
We’ve all learned some hard financial lessons over the past few years, yet 20 percent of Americans are still living beyond their means and a staggering 50 percent are operating without a budget. While the economy seems to be slowly recovering, our children are facing a more uncertain future than recent generations. Knowledge is power [...]
