Education News Roundup – January 2022
Time for another roundup of recent stories in education that have caught our attention and may help everyone better understand what’s going on around them.
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Writing at the New York Times, Ron Lieber works through the difficulties of acting on an early decision admission when the merit aid offer has not been made by the institution. Key takeaway: Early decision isn’t binding. If the money isn’t there, students can and should make a different choice. For more insight into the tangle of paying for college, check out Lieber’s The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make.
What to do about “gifted and talented” programs has become a politically fraught battle. Clara Hemphill argues that improved coverage of the issue, specifically alternatives to current systems, are keys to having a better debate.
In districts across the country, high school students are mobilizing in protest of the conditions at their schools. Writing at Wired, Pia Ceres takes a closer look at how students are organizing and what they’re asking for. On Twitter, Malcolm Harris compiled a thread highlighting actions in Oakland, St. Paul, Chicago, and elsewhere.
Related: “After Three Years of Chaos, Six US Teens Tell Us How School Could Be Different.”
We know we’re not the only ones obsessed with the new viral word game, Wordle, so if you’re looking for a tougher challenge, try Absurdle, an offshoot where the target word changes with each guess, while still remaining true to the previous feedback the player has been given.
For podcast fans: This American Life recently explored what’s going on at contentious school board meetings as the backlash to anti-racist movments rises up, “Talking While Black.” An episode of Have You Heard provides some historical context through an interview with Jon Hale, author of The Choice We Face: How Segregation, Race, and Power Have Shaped America’s Most Controversial Education Reform Movement.
Testing expert, Akil Bello (who previously proctored EE’s John Warner’s retaking of the SAT), illustrated the limits of a single test to reflect someone’s potential by comparing the SAT to NBA star, Ben Simmons of the (for the moment) Philadelphia 76ers.
Our friends at the Human Restoration Project have announced their “Conference to Restore Humanity!” from July 25-28, specifically designed for virtual learning.