Blog 3 Columns

32 Million U.S. Adults are “Functionally Illiterate”… What Does That Even Mean?3
- August 26, 2015
In a few of our blog posts we’ve mentioned the statistic that 32 million (1 in 7) adults in the U.S. are considered “functionally illiterate.” There have been some questions about the meaning of this mysterious term “functionally illiterate,” so I have provided something in the way of an explanation below. The most frequently referenced
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“Shut Up, Bigot!”: The Intolerance of Tolerance 0
- August 26, 2015
America is in the midst of a raging national debate on issues surrounding sexuality and gender. If you dare to suggest that gender is determined by sex and is immutable, that same-sex sex acts are immoral, or that marriage is a permanent, exclusive union of husband and wife, then you will be called an intolerant
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Twin Cities School District Thinks Students Should be in Front of a Screen ALL OF THE TIME 0
- August 25, 2015
Public school districts today are increasingly identifying screen time with education. Across the country, many districts are spending a lot of money to provide each student with an iPad or laptop. I live around one of them. The other day I received in the mail the 2015-16 calendar for the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school
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Plato: Fix Yourself First 0
- August 25, 2015
A passage from The Republic, Book IV, 443d-e, which has been highly influential on the Western tradition. According to Plato, a man first “sets his own house in good order and rules himself” – harmonizing the various parts of his soul – before he can ensure justice in his actions toward others: Save this
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Let Them Play!0
- August 25, 2015
By now, many of us are convinced that kids need more recess time than they currently have. A recent article in the Washington Post confirms this. According to Debbie Rhea, when it comes to solutions and strategies to improve education, more time for play is crucial. She notes: “Kids are built to move, and having
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Is the School Day Inefficient?0
- August 25, 2015
Is the public school’s institutional approach to education inefficient? The life of Denver high school junior Nick Bain suggests it certainly is. According to NPR, last school year Bain recognized the assembly-line process that he was being subjected to in the classroom and “decided to write down what he was doing every 15 minutes” while
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Flee the schools?0
- August 25, 2015
People homeschool for a variety of reasons: academics, socialization, religion, finances, and so on. Whatever the case, if you’ve found yourself considering homeschooling, you’ve probably considered all of the other options and feel a little overwhelmed. Where do you even start the process? How do you find curriculum? Are you qualified? You’re not alone in
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Stillness Lost 0
- August 24, 2015
The frequent texting, the flipping back and forth between apps on your tablet, the intermittent glancing at notifications of social media updates. What these actions both cause and represent is a lack of stillness – that inner state of restfulness needed to focus on an activity for a significant amount of time. Chances are that
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Should We Switch New Year’s Day Back to September 1?0
- August 24, 2015
Let’s face it: January 1 is a lame day for celebrating the New Year. In our Northern hemisphere the weather is cold, and promises to get colder, and many people are still worn out after the celebrating Christmas for the past month. And with changes in the college football playoff system, sports enthusiasts are now
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32 Million U.S. Adults are “Functionally Illiterate”… What Does That Even Mean?3