The UK has one of the most socially segregated school systems in the developed world, with academic selection – where children are admitted to a school on the basis of ability – and parental choice at its core. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) believes this has a negative impact on social equality and a young person’s ability to earn a […] … learn more→

While the hard sciences are not immune to the big problem in published scientific research—much of it cannot be reproduced—the “soft” sciences, that is to say the topics which didn’t even used to be called sciences (eg, they’re called “social sciences” now, but used to just be “social studies” a generation ago) are rife with […] … learn more→

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statementrecommending that parents not spank, hit or slap their children. The announcement created a flurry of media attention around the world with headlines such as “Spanking is Still Really Common, and Still Really Bad for Kids.” The statement is significant, but it’s also old news. It adds to already substantial research […] … learn more→

For years, it has been predicted the increasing number of students flowing into the graduate jobs market would result in falling salaries, underemployment, and students taking on second and third degrees to get an edge in the competitive jobs marketplace. But what of students who spend upwards of A$200,000 on obtaining a degree in Australia, […] … learn more→

“In front of a screen, the child is passive. He is dumbfounded, literally, and he does not learn anything “are the words of a brutal lucidity that the neuropsychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik holds in an interview given to Le Monde , at the” Assises de la maternelle “held in Paris last March. Our society is digitizing itself, it’s no […] … learn more→

When MOOCs ( massive open online courses ) first appeared in the early 2010s, some thought they were the death knell for some of the institutions of higher education. Clayton Christensen has, among other things, predicted the impending bankruptcy of many universities. This professor at Harvard Business School is primarily known for developing the theory of breakthrough innovation, often better known […] … learn more→

The first time that Nyah visited the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for a campus tour, there wasn’t much of a chance to see what takes place inside the classrooms. “We just walked by buildings and the guide talked about what goes on inside,” Nyah recalls of the campus tour this past spring. But […] … learn more→

I said, you said. Is conflict resolution about one side winning? It’s not. Usually, a good resolution involves identifying how parties have a concern for both self and others. Social psychologists Dean Pruitt and Jeffrey Z. Rubin discussed this as the “dual concern” concept of conflict management. The best resolutions involve this balancing of needs. I had […] … learn more→

I’ve written before that college graduate IQ is in freefall; within a decade it’s quite possible that the IQ of a college graduate will be below average. But what happens if “average” a decade ago is higher than it is today? The Great Endumbening IQ scores look to be on the decline. Is there a […] … learn more→

“We would like to wholeheartedly invite you to give the introductory keynote speech at our conference,” said the message on Research Gate. “Oh yeah,” I thought, “Another scam conference invitation!” But one that was not scheduled for Las Vegas or Bangkok. Working from the cautious maxim that I should not be so cynical, I decided […] … learn more→