Eighth Graders Trade Textbooks for iPads
Posted on September 20th, 2010 by Jaimie Schock
As California students return to school this month, 400 eighth graders from four districts — Long Beach, Riverside, Fresno, and San Francisco — will tote something different in their backpacks: an iPad. It’s part of a pilot program meant to determine whether Apple’s popular device can replace traditional algebra textbooks.
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Tags: education firsts, Education Policy, Technology, Technology for Learning
American educators too often fail to identify and cultivate potentially high-achieving students who could become tomorrow’s Thomas Edisons or Marie Curies, the National Science Board says in a new report. As a result, the country risks losing innovators key to U.S. economic growth and global competitiveness.
Science writer Benedict Carey says there is no empirical evidence that grinding study schedules, quiet work spaces, and hard-set goals help students learn. There are, however, at least four effective approaches that are backed by cognitive-science research. “But they directly contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and they have not caught on.”
The College Board, which administers the SAT test, recently released a breakdown of this year’s results. And, how did the class of 2010 fare? Exactly the same as the class of 2009. The average total SAT score was 1,509 points out of a possible total of 2,400 — the same as last year.
There are 6.5 million teachers in the United States, but only 9 percent are black. Yet, in many urban areas, black students are, far and away, the single largest cohort. Does this matter? Some educators emphatically say it does.
With a new school year started and the White House pushing for school reform, a look at past reforms reveals little positive change. Why haven’t they worked? Will this attempt be any different? Student motivation may hold a clue.
How is Tennessee, one of two first round winners of the Race to the Top competition, spending its $501 million? $37 million is earmarked for creating innovative new ways of teaching STEM subjects. The state will use at least five test schools, including troubled Stratford High School in Nashville, to test the programs before other districts adopt them.
A growing number of teachers are moving beyond the classroom and into the main office. Teacher-led schools have recently opened in Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston. Districts are taking a chance on these grassroots experiments to see if teachers themselves can turn around troubled schools. 
NBCLearn and the NSF have teamed up with the NFL to show that science and sports do mix in a new 10-part documentary that examines the science involved in pro football. The free videos feature top discussions with football players, followed by scientists who explain the science and math behind certain plays, rerun in super-slo-mo.
