How can data increase college access for all?

There are real questions about the value of a college education, Getting Smart reports. Is it worth the debt that students take on?  Does it prepare students for today’s or tomorrow’s work environments? Is a portfolio better for getting jobs than a GPA? As I’ve been providing my own kids with an eclectic education outside of traditional schooling, whether or not they go to college is certainly on the table. However…

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Joy & rigor: The And-Both solution

Is it possible to create a high-engagement school where students do interesting and relevant work and meet high expectations? Erin Mote and Eric Tucker are a smart duo developing Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School (LAB) and they think the answer is decidedly YES, Getting Smart reports. Admittedly, they haven’t figured it all out but they have seven months before 132 sixth graders show up at their school in the heart of downtown Brooklyn near the Farragut housing projects. The joy-rigor paradox that they have embraced reminds me of another favorite Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) winner—a “no excuses” blended Montessori mashup launching in Austin…

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You may be a 21st century educator if…

Getting Smart reports: 1. You have theoretically received an #edchat doctoral degree from the “University of Twitter.” However, your monthly checks do not indicate an increase in pay that is equivalent to your acquired knowledge via the social media giant. 2. Google Maps on your smartphone is required to locate the nearest digital copier in your school because you haven’t visited the trance-inducing copy room in months. 3. Words like “flipped,” “blended,” “asynchronous,” “differentiated,” and “MOOC” are not words to describe how you feel after inhaling a chili hotdog just before riding a roller coaster called the “Vomit Van.” Instead, these words are part of your ever-increasing #edtech vocabulary…

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