Naptime, wooden blocks, and finger paint have returned to Capitol Hill as politicians debate the fate of Head Start – a kindergarten readiness program that targets children from low-income families. Due to sequester spending cuts, 70,000 young children will be denied access to Head Start. Additionally, 14,000 staff members will lose their jobs, causing an … Continue reading
Category Archives: Education
Why Senator Warren’s Student Loan Proposal Doesn’t Add Up
Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) unveiled her first piece of legislation on the Senate floor — a proposal to allow students to borrow at the same rates as banks. While this move galvanizes the populist movement, the economics behind it does not quite add up. The interest rate on direct subsidized loans for undergrads … Continue reading
Final Reflections on America’s K-12 Educational System
I recently heard a quote that went a something like this: You can’t come up with the solution, unless you understand the true nature of the problem. This quote practically sums up the current state of the American education system. There are competing views on how our educational system should be run and what is … Continue reading
The Importance of STEM Exposure in the United States
If you have been following my previous posts you know how important STEM education has become in the United States. I had also written about the importance of getting the private sector involved in American schools, even using the Brooklyn P-Tech School as an excellent example of how a local Brooklyn school partnered with IBM. … Continue reading
The Impact of the President’s New Budget on future STEM Education
On Wednesday, April 10th, President Obama released his $3.77 trillion budget, as the president begins the arduous process of getting it passed through the Republican controlled House of Representatives. In regards to education, the new budget contains very similar rhetoric used by the president during his 2013 State of the Union Address. For example, the … Continue reading
The Similarities between the New York Yankees and America’s Educational System
Baseball season is back and in full swing. And when one thinks of our national pastime, one team that comes into mind is the New York Yankees. Living in the tri-state area my entire life, the boys in pinstripes are my favorite baseball team. Tracking the progression of the Yankees for the last few decades, … Continue reading
Self-Evident? Walking the path to Citizenship in the United States
Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft together form a vanguard assembly of tech giants known to foster excited anticipation for 21st century innovation. However, at the tail end of 2012 these industry leaders all placed their signatures next to one another on a letter expressing support for a contemporary center-piece of American Politics: Immigration Reform. Up for … Continue reading
The Shifting Tide in K-12 Education
On Tuesday, March 23, 2013 the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Indiana’s statewide voucher program did not violate the state’s constitution. As a result, the voucher program redirects more than $38 million in state aid from public schools to private schools, with a provision that guarantees at least 10% of a school district’s per pupil … Continue reading
The Positive Effect of using a Market-Based Value System for Student Loans
With the looming threat of interest rates doubling on future subsidized Stafford loans (a loan where the federal government pays the interest during the student’s college tenure) from its current 3.4% to 6.8% has resulted in a debate on how interest rates on federally financed loans should be determined. With the expiration of a one … Continue reading
The Case to include Student Achievement Data in Teacher Evaluation Programs
The issue many local school districts and states are now being faced with is whether or not to include student achievement/performance in their respective teacher evaluation programs. Proponents for using student achievement as a teacher evaluation measure, rightfully contend that the new measure will help districts better evaluate their teachers, as well as locate areas … Continue reading
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