The economic impact of post-secondary education

WASHINGTON, DC - Cutting the nation's high school dropout rate in half would have tremendous benefits for the economy. But as a new economic analysis released today by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows, cutting the dropout rate in half and ensuring that those "new graduates" meet national goals for postsecondary attainment creates new jobs, increases earnings for individuals, and boosts states' tax revenues.
"Just crossing the finish line and earning a high school diploma is no longer enough in today's global economy," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. "Today, a high school diploma must be the jumping-off point-the ticket to the additional education students need to compete for and land good-paying jobs." (from the Alliance for Excellent Education website)

The above refers to a report that was released December 14, 2011. To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Click here to see statistics for North Dakota. Click here to see statistics for Minnesota.

Note: This blog will be on hiatus during the winter holiday break for Grand Forks Public Schools. Posts will resume January 3, 2012.

Perhaps it's winter at midnight

Winter begins! The name "winter" comes from an old Germanic word meaning "time of water" and refers to the seasonal precipitation. The winter solstice—the moment when the sun's apparent path is farthest south from the equator—is used to officially mark winter's beginning. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter begins on the "shortest day" of the year, which most frequently falls on December 21, but occasionally occurs on December 22. Winter lasts until the vernal, or spring, equinox--equal night--around March 20, thus marking the beginning of spring when day and night are equal in length. (from the Library of Congress)

National Archives of the United States teaching resources

Teaching With Documents:Lesson Plans

This section contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.

Teaching with primary documents encourages a varied learning environment for teachers and students alike. Lectures, demonstrations, analysis of documents, independent research, and group work become a gateway for research with historical records in ways that sharpen students' skills and enthusiasm for history, social studies, and the humanities. (from the National Archives of the United States)

The above is literally the "tip of the iceberg" of resources at the National Archives. To explore, click the hyperlinked text and then move around from there.

Interesting science resource

Science NetLinks is a premier K-12 science education resource produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At Science NetLinks, you'll find teaching tools, interactives, podcasts, and hands-on activities, and all of it is free!
Who is it for?Science NetLinks provides K-12 teachers, students, and families with quality resources for teaching and learning science. (from the Science NetLinks about page)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Picture book resources

Picture books have been used in the primary grades for decades, but they are a quick and convenient way to help older students activate their prior knowledge.  There is a new focus on picture books that deliver difficult content in simple language.  Picture books are a great model for student writing, as they contain vivid language and a variety of text structures.  The beauty of using picture books in the upper grades, middle and high school, is that they can be read in a few minutes and provide students with information connected to the concept or skill being introduced.  (from the West Virginia Department of Education)


If you're considering using picture books with older students, you'll find the resource linked above helpful.

A site to inspire

InspireMyKids.com is a place where people can find inspiring, age-appropriate, real-life stories, videos and projects to share with the children and teens in their lives to help them take positive actions and become the best people they can be.
We created this site because it’s something we wanted for ourselves and our kids. Like all parents, we want to try and do whatever we can to help our kids become people who value what matters most, whether it’s helping others, showing compassion, acting bravely, being a good citizen, or persisting in challenging times.
We choose each story for this site because we feel it offers a great example of behavior or values we admire and want to instill in our kids (like courage, determination, honesty, humility, kindness, responsibility, tolerance, etc.).    The idea – which has proven out in our families – is that sharing these stories with kids will spark the kind of meaningful discussions that can really help shape a kid’s perception of what it is to be a good person. (from the "about" page at Inspire My Kids)

Resource for educational videos online

The Vision behind WatchKnowLearn is simple:
Free educational videos delivered over the Internet. Viewed any time, from anywhere.
We believe that everyone should have the same opportunity to learn. The best way to make this possible, we believe, is to organize into one, super directory the hundreds of thousands of good videos currently available on the Internet. To make this a reality, we invite teachers, instructors and educators to suggest videos for inclusion into our directory, and then to review, approve, and assign those videos into appropriate categories using a wiki framework and philosophy. The videos are the highest quality found on the World Wide Web, cover all major educational topics from elementary to secondary schools (or age range 1 – 18), and are Kid Safe! (from the "About" page at WatchKnowLearn)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

In case you're wondering

Did you ever wonder why a camel has a hump? If you can really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or why our joints make popping sounds? These questions deal with everyday phenomena that we often take for granted, but each can be explained scientifically.
Everyday Mysteries will help you get the answers to these and many other of life's most interesting questions through scientific inquiry. In addition, we will introduce you to the Library of Congress' rich collections in science and technology.
All of the questions presented on this Web site were asked by researchers and answered by librarians from the Library's Science Reference Services. (from Everyday Mysteries at the Library of Congress)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

A closer look at education in Finland

Over the past decade, students in Finland have soared on international measures of achievement. They've continued to post some of the best scores in the developed world in reading, math and science, according to a respected international exam. The country has one of the narrowest gaps in achievement between its highest and lowest-performing schools, and on average spends less per pupil than the United States.
The country's education system has come to be regarded as one of the highest-performing in the world, and a growing number of foreigners are trying to figure out if and how they can emulate it. (Erin Richards at Education Week)

Edutopia's Common Core resources

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of dense information out there about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? You're not alone. Here's Edutopia's guide to resources that will help you make sense of the initiative and join the conversation. (from Edutopia)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked test.

Thinkfinity Education Speaker Series

The Thinkfinity Education Speaker Series brings the most interesting voices in education to you.

The Thinkfinity Education Speaker Series, a series of video interviews with nationally known individuals with a passion for education, is available exclusively to all members of the Thinkfinity Community. Enjoy our  video interviews and supporting resources as they become available simply by logging in – no additional registration or live participation is required.

Visit the Speaker Series section of the Thinkfinity Community: thinkfinity.org/speakerseries

Each of the interviews is available as video on demand on the dates listed for each speaker and will be archived for future access by Thinkfinity Community members. To receive an email reminder when each interview is posted, sign up for the Thinkfinity newsletter. (from the Thinkfinity website)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Tips for improving student engagement

The educators at Cochrane Collegiate Academy, in Charlotte, North Carolina, have developed an instructional model called Interactive Learning (IL). It is a collection of their ten best practices, which they call their non-negotiables, and teachers must implement them in every lesson, every day.
Shana Oliver, the school's academic facilitator, runs the training sessions for these best practices, and she helps the teachers see and experience how they can incorporate all ten into one lesson. Here are Cochrane's IL non-negotiables, with additional comments from Oliver. Watch the video to see what they look like in the classroom and go to our Resources and Downloads for a sample lesson plan that includes all ten practices.(Mariko Nobori at Edutopia)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Free Rice provides vocabulary practice and more

About FreeRice.com

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme.
FreeRice has two goals:

• Provide education to everyone for free.
• Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Word clouds in science

Should arts be added to STEM

The acronym STEM—shorthand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—has quickly taken hold in education policy circles, but some experts in the arts community and beyond suggest it may be missing another initial to make the combination still more powerful. The idea? Move from STEM to STEAM, with an A for the arts.
Although it seems a stretch to imagine STEM will be replaced in education parlance, momentum appears to be mounting to explore ways that the intersection of the arts with the STEM fields can enhance student engagement and learning, and even help unlock creative thinking and innovation. (Eric W. Robelen at Education Week)

Jamie McKenzie on the right words

Our capacity to grasp complex ideas or deep concepts is tied in part to the shades and distinctions supported by our vocabularies. As we add new words to our collection, we can appreciate the difference between enchantment and charm, delight, capture and fraud.
If our brains are filled with simple word lists, we are likely to see things in simple terms and respond eagerly to those who give us simple answers to complex problems.

The above comes from a piece at Visual Thesaurus. To read more, click the above hyperlinked text.