Florida's FCAT results. Lowering standards instead of raising them?

The state of Florida just released the results of the FCAT writing scores. Only 27% of fourth graders earned a passing score. The state commissioner is proposing to reduce the passing score from 4 (out of 6) to a 3.5 (out of 6). Lowering the standards to make it appear the students are doing better than they actually are. Is this the solution? I say no. Share your thoughts in the comments section.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/14/2799146/fcat-writing-scores-plummet.html

Here's a YouTube video talking about this issue as well:

Kid-friendly Way to Teach About Logic

Teaching what logic is to an adult is complicated enough...much less to teach it to a child. Here are a few videos that cater to teaching about logic to children ages 8 and up. Have fun with it!

Will Your Child BE Smart Enough for the Future?

Let Your Child Surprise You!

Interesting! Is your child academically equipped to enter those fields?

John Stossel on ABC's 20/20, did a story on the American school system. This report on the state of the US education was done back in 2006.  It has been 5 years since the 20/20 news report and not much has changed.  Most of the problems addressed in this report are the same exact problems that are covered in the the recent documentary Waiting For Superman.  Why do you think it is taking so long for education reform/change?

Excellence in Education

Shanghai's secondary school students were the top performers in the PISA 2009 tests. Chinese society as a whole is committed to excellence in education, and Shanghai's education authorities consistently seek ways to help low-performing schools and students improve their results.

Programme for International Student Assessment (2009)[1] (Top 10; OECD members as of the time of the study in boldface)
Maths	Sciences	Reading
1.  Shanghai, China 600 2.  Singapore 562 3.  Hong Kong, China 555 4.  South Korea 546 5.  Taiwan 543 6.  Finland 541 7.  Liechtenstein 536 8.  Switzerland 534 9.  Japan 529 10.  Canada 527	1.  Shanghai, China 575 2.  Finland 554 3.  Hong Kong, China 549 4.  Singapore 542 5.  Japan 539 6.  South Korea 538 7.  New Zealand 532 8.  Canada 529 9.  Estonia 528 10.  Australia 527	1.  Shanghai, China 556 2.  South Korea 539 3.  Finland 536 4.  Hong Kong, China 533 5.  Singapore 526 6.  Canada 524 7.  New Zealand 521 8.  Japan 520 9.  Australia 515 10.  Netherlands 508

TWO MILLION MINUTES: A GLOBAL EXAMINATION

This groundbreaking, controversial documentary film takes an in-depth look at how students in the United States allocate their high school years (approximately four years or two million minutes) compared with India and China. The film forms a picture of the various levels of global education and addresses the implications of these differences on the 21st century global economy.

Also check out this USA Today article about the film. 


Even though this documentary was filmed back in 2008, do you think the issues are still prevalent here in the USA?

The Finland Phenomenon

Finland's education system has consistently ranked among the best in the world for more than a decade. The puzzle is, why Finland?
A new documentary about this phenomenon looks very interesting.  Check out the trailer and interview with the director.  What are your thoughts?

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Peter Thiel Gives Whiz Kids $100K To Quit College, Start Businesses

It sounds like a reality show pitch: The legendary Facebook investor, PayPal founder, and thorn in the side of college deans everywhere announces what happens when 24 people, picked to live among mentors and innovation experts, stop going to school and start getting real--in business.

One climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Another started college in third grade. Another opened a business at age 9. And yet another scored 5580 on the SATs (on a total of 5 tests, but still).

Now they're all getting two years of mentoring from a network of tech and entrepreneurial experts and $100,000 to start a business. The benefactor? PayPal founder, early Facebook investor, and Stanford's least favorite alumnus, Peter Thiel. Least favorite because Thiel has been making waves by arguing that college is an overhyped, overpriced bubble, and that the world needs better ways to recognize young talent. It's all been great fodder for debate, but little more.

Read more here

Algebra on the IPad

Students in Riverside, CA are learning algebra on iPads and the school is saying their grades are improving.  Check out the video clip.  

Why We Are Having Problems Teaching Math to Elementary Level Students

I had a meeting with the chair of the Math Education Department at a neighboring University recently. I learnt, to my HORROR, that elementary math teachers are only required to take a maximum of 2 Math classes in their whole college career that devotes to Math teaching. They may choose to take more or an advisor may suggest they take more classes but the requirement is only 2 classes. I ask what the stats were of teachers who do take more advanced classes. Shockingly, he replied that it was rare to none. He told me that this is a huge problem his department is facing and as such they concentrate more on educating secondary level teachers. Wow!!! I then asked if this was universal in many other universities. He said he recently went for a conference and found that this was a similar problem many universities faced. And we wonder why we're rank 25th...oh sorry...recent stats show we are now 31st in Math out of 35 developed nations. Hmmm...  

Please continue to spread the word on our Giveaway! We want to get more fans for our Facebook page so we can continue to spread our revolution. More than ever, I am more convinced Abacus Prodigy will bring a more valued and quality Math education to our children!

A World of Learning

This is an interesting short documentary about how technology is influencing our classrooms and affecting the way our children learn all around the world.  It mainly focuses on the use of the electronic white-board. Check it out.

A World Of Learning from David Betteridge on Vimeo.

KNO Tablet

There's a company named Kno that is creating a tablet for students.  It appears the textbooks are loaded onto the tablet and the student can take notes and highlight things right on the tablet.  It looks really cool!  Check out the videos.  www.kno.com

Changing Education Forever from Kno Tablet on Vimeo.

State of Education

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, talks about the state of education across the country.

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