We all know how magic (or tragic) having the ‘right’ (or wrong) teacher can be for student learning. Professionalism, a sense of purpose and service, and a love for learning and teaching are all ‘must haves’ to ignite student learning. I recently read an interesting blog post that referenced a 1982 survey that contrasts the [...]

It always amazes me when I read ‘research’ on something that, for parents at least, is completely intuitive. But research they must. The latest finding tells us… “play and down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence [...]

I was just reading a post on The White House blog about a recent visit by President Obama to a successful charter school in Washington, DC. He noted that Capital City Public Charter School is “an example of how all our schools should be.” Yes. Innovation. A focus on problem solving, writing, math, and science. [...]

This holiday season’s economic forecast is dismal at best. With folks uncertain about jobs and grappling with losses in the stock market, expensive gift giving is taking a backseat to economic frugality. As part of this re-thinking, consider giving your child’s teachers and mentors what they want more than anything this holiday season – the [...]

A recent study has shown that young children’s academic skills were stronger when they had positive, sensitive, supportive teachers. This ‘relationship’ factor seemed to matter more than standard measures of ‘quality’ such as class size or educational levels of the teachers. “Using a sample of more than 2,400 4-year-olds in 671 pre-K classrooms in 11 [...]