Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the U.S. were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing typically taught to young children today. Some people at the time thought a person’s character could be evaluated based on […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Cursive is making a comeback. But does it deserve one?
Class, let’s watch a short video – more than 75% of teachers say they use YouTube in the classroom
Approximately three-quarters of 393 preschool and K-12 teachers in the U.S. say they use YouTube for instructional purposes, with roughly half using it on a daily or weekly basis, according to our new nationally representative survey. Those findings come from our new research, published in June 2026 in Educational Researcher, an academic journal. Our sample included […] … learn more→
Schools are rethinking whether every student needs a laptop
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed to have their own laptops or tablets in order to interact with teachers and complete assignments. Most states used federal pandemic funding to address the digital divide. This refers to the gap between students and families who had their own tablets, computers and high-speed internet, and those who did not. […] … learn more→
‘Critical thinking’ is all the rage: what does it really mean and how is it taught?
Any debate or reflection on the impact of artificial intelligence on education and intelligence inevitably leads to a discussion of critical thinking . This technology is changing how students learn and how teachers assess learning, and in the face of this transformation, critical thinking is often presented as the appropriate pedagogical response. But as AI changes the […] … learn more→
How UCAT Tutoring can help you boost your score in less time
Preparing for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) can be one of the most demanding parts of applying for medicine, dentistry, and other healthcare-related university courses in Australia. With strict time limits, unique question formats, and intense competition, many students find that simply studying harder is not enough. Instead, studying smarter through professional ucat tutoring […] … learn more→
College professors face an emerging challenge: We know students are no longer reading entire books
Anyone who has spent time on a college campus lately has probably heard laments from faculty about their students’ reading habits, or rather nonreading habits. Such complaints are more than an unfounded nostalgia for a bygone age. Reading – not just any kind of reading, but reading long, complex, challenging books – is quickly vanishing from the American […] … learn more→
Mona’s new library is spectacular. But does it work as a library?
Lo Lo What do our bookshelves say about us? Which of our books do we choose to display and why? And what happens to a private collection when it becomes a public exhibit? Mona founder David Walsh’s new private library at the Hobart gallery raises all of these questions and more. A lifelong avid reader who spent much […] … learn more→
Despite the growth of some AI schools like Alpha, research doesn’t show that AI tutors are better than human teachers
Over the past decade, the AI-focused, for-profit Alpha School has grown from one campus in Austin, Texas, to a growing list of more than 15 schools across the country, including in major cities like New York and San Francisco. Alpha School joins other AI-centric K-12 private schools, like Unbound Academy and the Khan Lab School, that parents can now choose for their children, […] … learn more→
Teachers are worried about students cheating with AI, but my survey suggests the deeper issue is learning
The risk of students using AI to cheat tends to get a lot of attention – with good reason. A student can simply copy and paste a prompt into a chatbot and receive a polished paragraph, a five-paragraph essay, a lab summary or a reading response almost instantly. Teachers may then be left wondering whether the work reflects the […] … learn more→
Many students listen to music to focus and stay motivated while they study – but it doesn’t always help
Walk into any college library and you will likely see students wearing headphones and listening to music. The idea that music can improve learning has been around for decades. The “Mozart Effect,” is the pop psychology myth, first hypothesized in a 1993 paper, that listening to classical music can help people retain and process new information. As an educational […] … learn more→
