For Vietnamese, the “Made in Vietnam” stamp holds little cachet. That goes double for higher education as the country’s stretched-thin universities struggle with talent shortages – a minority of lecturers hold PhDs and few publish research in international outlets – and decaying facilities. Stop a random Vietnamese parent on the street and ask where they […] … learn more→

Whatever salary the science teacher at your local public school makes per year, subtract US$450. That’s how much money the typical middle and high school science teacher spends out of pocket each year on science lab materials. The $450 figure is based on a study we recently conducted to determine if science teachers have adequate funding to […] … learn more→

A new study on second language learning has recently taken the mediaby storm. A range of headlines – from the BBC to the Daily Mail and The Guardian – all trumpeted the depressing message that it’s impossible to become fluent in a foreign language after around age ten. All of these reports dramatically misrepresented the findings from the study, and the message they sent […] … learn more→

I am sure that most of us have experienced that feeling of guilt and dread that comes from not getting down to a writing task. We find lots of other things to do instead. More important things. Like looming deadlines. Like people asking for our help. Like new and interesting writing. And when we do […] … learn more→

It takes more than just robust science to convince people to take on a certain point of view – consider topics such as vaccination, genetically modified foods and climate change. Our recent study looked how at the balance of evidence can shape the likelihood that people are convinced by it – and in particular how a psychological phenomenon known as “the […] … learn more→

The education committee of the Kentucky Senate is currently considering a bill for a “day of prayer” in the state’s schools. The bill known as HB 40 was already passed by the Kentucky House of Representatives. As a scholar who has studied school prayer this bill raises the ghosts of history. As far back as the early 19th century, […] … learn more→

After you manage to get out of high school, you’re going to want to go to college. After all, this is the only way that you’re going to make a good living in the future. Unfortunately, there are tons of hoops that you’re going to need to jump through. Finding a way to pay for […] … learn more→

It really is amazing how whatever Trump says is twisted by the media. I apologize for piling on here by doing some twisting as well in the title, though I’ll at least concede he has the right of it. The article I’ll be quoting from gives no such quarter, presenting only those who disagree, and […] … learn more→

The recent release of the Gonski 2.0 report has done an excellent job of re-opening the conversation around how our schools could better fulfil their purpose. Much of the commentary has centred on the report’s recommendations for teaching and learning in schools. But the whole chapter focused on “creating, supporting and valuing a profession of expert educators” has not […] … learn more→

In response to protests calling for police reform and accountability, some U.S. police departments are partnering with colleges and universities to develop anti-bias training for their employees. In Washington D.C., for example, officers will take a critical race theory class at the University of the District of Columbia Community College. The idea of providing liberal arts […] … learn more→