Ed NRP

It would seem we are in a time, internationally, of re-evaluating the import of education and, luckily, also the kind of education that is useful for our time.  This article from the NY Times takes a look at the French system ... in part, because it is a standard (the International baccalaureate - IB - is based on it and taking over for the AP system in places where middle class parents feel that too many undesirables are getting access), and, in part, because it seems more and more irrelevant.  Consider this snippet:

"It focuses too little on logic or creativity, many complain, and too much on rote knowledge and the esoterica that thrill the Parisian cultural aristocracy. Some critics say it has grown too easy, with a pass rate of about 90 percent last year; others contend that it now serves as little more than an exceptionally inefficient way to weed out the least-proficient students."

This musing about the educational system goes hand in hand with both the discussion of the common core and with the salience of a college education.  Speaking of college and its relative value, Oregon is getting creative about how to fund students' college education.  What I love about this article is that it assumes that these students will get a job after they graduate.  Theoretically giving any type of loan for educational purposes implies the assurance of a way to pay it back, but this is a measure that goes beyond the usual unstated expectation.

some other ed pieces I have been mulling

Summer courses for college students... in this article, you will find much more than the enticing bit about going to the beach for a summer course, like the fact that summer courses are attractive (or can be attractive) to students even though they are not covered by financial aid ... should give some college administrators food for thought. Sadly I don't think it will, but it could.

I have long been arguing that unchecked racism would lead to our economic downfall ... particularly with regard to educating black and brown people.  Looks like I am not the only one that noticed, though these folks are about 8 years late to the game ... it's not too late to fix it, but it will take the acknowledgement that this is actually what is happening.  Long shot, at best.

I am going to resist sending this piece right on to the provost who loves to send out positive coverage of the MOOCs ... just going to share it here and say, hmmm.....seems like these online courses are not the perfection some would like to make them out to be.