NRU mostly education

There is so much "information" floating around about "college" and "loans." Yes all of these words are purposefully in quotation marks because of the lack of definition applied to reporting on these issues.  And, then, I opened a piece in the education section of the NY Times, warily, and within two paragraphs, I was ready to share it.  There are dangers out there about loans ... but they apply to specific situations ... and we should definitely educate students preparing for college about these situations.  It is part of a much larger conversation I have had here about why we need to be careful not to either too quickly defend or damn college for all. 

For all those who do not understand why Black folks (and folks of many other colors) are disturbed by the Ferguson and Staten Island grand juries' decisions, here is something for you to ponder. We live in a country where the so-called justice system routinely metes out punishments soley or inordinately based on race, saving compassion and empathy for white perpetrators.  And, this starts very early, in school.  This is not new, and it will never go away if we are unwilling to admit to it and face it.  And mass demonstrations may not be the most effective measure, but if they move anyone to contemplate, consider or research, then it is worth it.

People frequently ask how algebra or geometry are part of real life -- in an attempt to say that we should not require math for all students, or at least not that much math.  I am not a math fan.  I happily got out of math as often as possible.  However, I understand that math is not only an integral part of life, that it can help us to solve problems, large and small.  This article about how game theory helped the high school application process in New York amplifies this argument. And it is fascinating and fun ... I said that -- about MATH!