In my past experience as an academic adviser, it was difficult to explain to a disappointed family why their child did not make an admissions cut-off when the student’s overall high school average was over 80 per cent. I also accompanied students who got into their programs of choice through the many hurdles they faced […] … learn more→
Unrealistic striving for academic excellence has a cos
Aussie parents are under pressure to buy their kids academic advantage too
Allegations of parents cheating and bribing top-tier universities in the US to secure their children’s admission have caused a media storm in recent weeks. Those indicted included members of the Hollywood elite. The US attorney said “there can be no separate college admissions system for the wealthy”. The parents’ actions were denounced, in a system that claims […] … learn more→
Blogging in an education niche: How not to get lost among the competitors
With more and more gadgets getting connected to the internet of things (IoT), it means there are many ways of accessing the web today. At the center of it are bloggers who understand that everyone is looking for new information relating to among other things, breaking news, healthcare, home remedies, fitness tips, education, and technology. […] … learn more→
Journalism needs to practice transparency in a different way to rebuild credibility
Public trust in media continues to hover near all-time lows, driven by perceptions that the news industry is partisan and peddles inaccurate information (“fake news”), as well as ambivalence about news from social media. According to a new Knight Foundation report on news media trust, transparency is a key factor in restoring trust. Although media organizations promote the inherent value of transparency, they […] … learn more→
Read on paper, read on screen: how is it different?
The screens of mobile phones, tablets and computers invade our daily lives, and here are dictionaries, class sheets or even literature classics just a click away. Should students be encouraged to take 100% of these unprecedented access to knowledge, and return the paper to the past? Nothing is less certain if we look at the […] … learn more→
Student loans warping society
I’m often asked about the long term effects on our culture from the huge student loan scam. I don’t have a crystal ball, so I have only conjecture, but a recent article from Buzzfeed (bear with me, I’ll be making corrections) tries to address this problem: Jen’s story is like a lot of people’s stories. […] … learn more→
Britain has its first new deep coal mine in decades – a result of pretending climate change isn’t political
The UK is widely seen as a climate leader. Its Climate Change Act, which passed into law ten years ago, is the envy of the world. It has targets for carbon reduction enshrined in law, and recently, the government hinted that it would adopt a target of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (the current target […] … learn more→
Universities must stop relying on software to deal with plagiarism
Educational software – whether it’s a teaching aid or a program designed to help teachers with administration – is big business. The recent multi-billion dollar acquisition of Turnitin, a program that is used around the world to flag possible evidence of plagiarism, is further proof of this. But does this application mean that universities are actually dealing with […] … learn more→
We need more teachers of color, so why do we use tests that keep them out of the classroom?
Students of color seldom see teachers who look like them. This is because many aspiring teachers of color are pushed out of the profession before they have a chance to start. It’s not poor performance in college courses or teaching internships that take the biggest toll. It is the standardized tests aspiring teachers must pass to earn a teaching license. Critics say these […] … learn more→
5 ways summer camp makes a difference – and what to look for in a camp
In popular culture, summer camp is often portrayed as a place where pranks are played, romances unfold and underdogs triumph. Classic summer camp movies such as the 1979 film “Meatballs” or, more recently, the 2012 movie “Moonrise Kingdom,” are just a couple of examples. Movies aside, summer camp can be a meaningful experience that helps kids learn important […] … learn more→