Is too much coddling making students fragile?
Educators and parents should “prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child,” write Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, authors of the book “The Coddling of the American Mind.” They assert that students are too protected from experiencing harsh realities and that social media and other technologies are taking a toll on students’ mental health.
Full Story: Scientific American
Survey finds dissatisfaction among most teachers
Slightly more than a quarter of educators say they would recommend a friend or colleague take up teaching as a career, according to the 2018 Schooling in America survey, which was run by a research firm and a group that advocates for school choice. The survey did not investigate the reasons that teachers were dissatisfied, but it did show that teachers have a hard time trusting other education stakeholders.
Full Story: Education Week (tiered subscription model)
How educators can support students facing trauma
The effects of childhood trauma can spill over into the classroom, says Patricia Jennings, associate professor at the University of Virginia. She offers several ways to develop trauma-sensitive classrooms, including by eliminating zero-tolerance discipline policies, reconsidering the root causes of students’ behavior, and learning to model compassion and resilience in the classroom.
Full Story: KQED-TV/FM (San Francisco)
Charter-school teachers strike in Chicago
About 500 teachers from the Acero Schools charter network went on strike this week in Chicago — marking the first teacher strike at a charter school in the country. The teachers, who make about $13,000 less than their peers at the city’s public schools, want pay raises, smaller classes and more resources for special education.
Full Story: U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)
Should all AP students take AP exams?
Students who take Advanced Placement exams improve their learning and achievement, writes education columnist Jay Mathews. In this commentary, he mentions Gregg Robertson, principal of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va., who says that students who know there will be an exam at the end of a course are more committed to mastering the subject.
Full Story: The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)
Audrey Altmann is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
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