Government stupidity clearly knows no bounds. We have tens of millions of people now with student loan debt, a debt which is often too large to pay back thanks to government interference, and cannot be cleared via bankruptcy. But the government wants “its” money, and gets to create the laws. We’re already seeing students loans […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Losing your job to student debt
Charter schools exploit lucrative loophole that would be easy to close
While critics charge that charter schools are siphoning money away from public schools, a more fundamental issue frequently flies under the radar: the questionable business practices that allow people who own and run charter schools to make large profits. Charter school supporters are reluctant to acknowledge, much less stop, these practices. Given that charter schools are growing rapidly – from 1 […] … learn more→
A look at the most predatory student loan lender
Most people are entirely unaware of how serious the student loan problem is, so allow me to put it in context. Smoking tobacco is universally agreed to be a very bad thing to do. We have almost 38 million smokers in this country, and over 80% of smokers regret taking up the habit. We have […] … learn more→
Teaching archaeology in care homes, I learned how older people are often the best students
As health care improves and more people live healthier and longer lives, the elderly population of Earth will balloon. There were 66m people in the UK in mid-2017, and nearly 12m – or 18.2% – of them were aged 65 years and over. By 2040, that number is expected to rise to 24.2%. Many of these […] … learn more→
Striking teachers in Denver shut down performance bonuses – here’s how that will impact education
Nathan Favero, an education policy expert at American University, answers three questions about the effectiveness of performance-based pay and how its elimination will impact education in Denver. How did performance affect teachers’ pay? While teachers’ base salaries were mostly determined by their education levels and teaching experience, in Denver public schools, teachers also got substantial […] … learn more→
Workshops “cooking” in college: the key to learn to consume better?
At a time when obesity is a real public health problem and where agri-food marketing promotes quick and easy consumption, based on ready-made meals and ultra-processed products, it is crucial to encourage young people. to adopt good eating habits. Repeated at school or during information campaigns, the messages of the National Program Nutrition Health (PNNS) gives them some […] … learn more→
Just what are ‘zero tolerance’ policies – and are they still common in America’s schools?
When parents and educators discuss school discipline, one of the things that comes up most are “zero tolerance” policies. This term is often misused and misunderstood, according to new research I published recently. Zero tolerance policies are also thought to be widespread. But, my work and a recent report show they are actually less common than frequently thought. Zero […] … learn more→
A prickly path towards integration for EdTech
By now, most people that own a computer have heard of one or two EdTech companies. EdTech, despite being an industry that’s often not as glamorous as subjects in other technological fields such as machine learning or space exploration, still stands as an important piece of how humans normalize their interactions with the exponential nature […] … learn more→
Face recognition technology in classrooms is here – and that’s ok
Recently, the Victorian Government brought in new rules stating Victorian state schools will be banned from using facial recognition technology in classrooms unless they have the approval of parents, students and the Department of Education. Students may be justifiably horrified at the thought of being monitored as they move throughout the school during the day. But a roll marking […] … learn more→
Blanquer, “read, write, count” and “fundamental knowledge”
As part of the discussion of the French bill “Blanquer”, an amendment was adopted in committee with the approval of the Minister of National Education: the creation of “public institutions of fundamental knowledge” (ranging from CP to the third). The title could have been “Common Core School” or “Compulsory Schooling”. But these are the “fundamental knowledge”, an expression that […] … learn more→
