I know at least some of the experts quoted in this Daily Mail article are worth listening to, as they join the video games and social networks are making our kids stupid chorus (alarmist title of the week: “Social websites harm children’s brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist”). But there’s a lot in Continue reading

There’s a lengthy article in yesterday’s NYT talking about California’s new “post-partisan primary” law:  One outgrowth of California’s budget agreement may have set the table for something the state does often and well: force a national re-examination of a public policy issue, in this case ridding state capitals of partisan gridlock. In approving the budget early Continue reading

In an education world dealing with the impending burst of the tuition bubble, the New York Times decides to cover grade inflation: Prof. Marshall Grossman has come to expect complaints whenever he returns graded papers in his English classes at the University of Maryland. “Many students come in with the conviction that they’ve worked hard Continue reading

There’s a lot of talk about pay-for-performance scenarios lately. Oh, heck, there’s always been a lot of talk about it. But with a new administration in place and higher ed insitutions tightening their belts, it’s newly back in play. Which makes reading this article by Thomas Frank in the WSJ today interesting. Particularly this passage: Continue reading