Teaching, Curriculum, and Leadership

EXCERPTS: Research suggests that elite colleges don’t really help rich white guys. But they can have a big effect if you’re not rich, not white, or not a guy. Ivy League and equivalent institutions provide more than world-class instruction. They confer a lifetime of assistance from prodigiously connected alumni and a message to all future employers that you’re a rarified talent. College isn’t just an education; it’s a network, a signal, and an identity. Elite schools seem disproportionately responsible for minting the American elite. About 45 percent of America’s billionaires and more than half of Forbes ’s list of the most powerful people attended schools where incoming freshmen average in the top first percentile of SAT scores. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/12/does-it-matter-where-you-go-college/577816/

Working to curb teen dating violence by Michael Strickland From the February 18, 2007 Idaho State Journal Michael Strickland is a writer and teacher from Pocatello. We are having big problems here in Bannock County. Over the last four years, my work as an educator has brought me close to many Idaho State University students and several high school students around Pocatello who have fallen into the trap of sexual violence. Now here's the good news. Bannock County, Idaho, has a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force. Special thanks are due to Judge Robert Naftz, Kim Talbot of Idaho State University's Project Hope Advocacy Program, Jeff Young from the Bannock County Sheriff's Department, Cassia Morton from the Bannock County Courthouse, Victim/Witness Coordinator Vicki Rice, Sarah Leeds and Dawn Smith from Family Services Alliance, and numerous others who have logged countless hours to address the public health problem of violence within relationships. ...

EXCERPTS from I pay my kids to get dressed, do homework and more. It’s the best decision I ever made. “Positive reinforcement is reinforcing a positive behavior with a positive response, which makes the behavior more likely to happen in the future,” says Lauren Mosback, a behavioral specialist. “That can look like anything from verbal praise and encouragement to offering a tangible reward.” I do both. I praise my kids for a variety of simple things they do well and reward them with money for behaviors I’m shaping. For example, whenever my kids listen right away or do something well, I praise them. But I also use personalized responsibility charts so they can be at school on time. As they complete tasks, they check them off and earn money. “One of the biggest concerns I hear from parents is, ‘Isn’t this bribery?’ ” says psychologist Cindy Graham. “Basically, yes. But then I ask them how many adults will go and work out of the kindness of their heart if they weren’t g...

Increasing transparency has been a watchword for good government for the last several years. Apparently, no one at the Anaheim Elementary School District has gotten the memo. A basic element of local government transparency is making it simple and easy for the citizenry to witness their elected officials conducting the public’s business. Thanks to modern technology, there is no technical or even financial barrier to live-casting city council or school board meetings over the Internet, and archiving the video online so the public can watch board meetings, discussions and votes at their convenience. http://www.anaheimblog.net/2017/05/31/anaheim-elementary-school-district-needs-transparency-transfusion/