Monday, November 22, 2010

Kindergarten Success Stories

Robert King continues his excellent series about the kindergarteners at Indianapolis School 61 this week in Secrets of Success. King writes that "two factors seem to connect these success stories: involvement in a preschool program, or a parent and/or other adult at home who took the time to work with them before they entered kindergarten" as he profiles eight success stories.

Previous articles in the series include:

• A kindergarten's revolving door at Indianapolis Public School 61
• IPS kids repeat kindergarten at a high rate, but does it help?
• Kindergartners' 1st test shows who's set to read
• A difficult start for one child at IPS School 61
• Challenges clear for School 61 kindergartners
• Playing it smart

Black Friday Shopping Advice

CNN Money's Parija Kavilanz has some good information for prospective Black Friday shoppers in Black Friday 2010's Dirty Little Secrets. Her words may also give a little satisfaction to past Black Friday shoppers who have been stung by retailers semi-shady Black Friday stocking habits. I wrote a similar piece, A Rant about Shopping for Freebies, in 2003 in which I shared my frustration in shopping for "free after rebate" and "while supplies last" sale items at a couple of office supply chain stores.

Odds 'n' Ends

A Recent NASA Image of the Day featured LEGO spacecraft built by students during NASA's Build the Future Day on November 3, 2010, at the Kennedy Space Center as part of pre-launch activities for the STS-133 mission.

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Short Week

If my previous experience is any indicator, many of you are probably working harder and are more fatigued during this three-day week before Thanksgiving than during a normal, full week. It just seems to work out that way.

The short week also reduces pertinent education postings online, although I've run across a few items worthy of links:

• Education Week: Class Sizes Show Signs of Growing by Sarah D. Sparks
• eSchool News: Researchers aim for earlier autism diagnoses by Jenna Zwang
• Washington Post: Student transfers from failing schools via No Child law swamp successful ones by Michael Birnbaum
• Washington Post: Schools chief returns Race to the Top money -- for his teachers by Valerie Strauss

I was looking around the web for a free animated turkey gif, but came across The Gobble Song video by Spencer the Gardener. The song is from Gardener's Organic Gangster "album," available on iTunes (but not free). It made me grin.

Thursday, November 25, 2010 - Thanksgiving Day (U.S.)

Like many of you, we will have family home for Thanksgiving Day and will be celebrating the many blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Happy Thanksgiving

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Calories

I'd call Valerie Strauss a spoilsport for posting An education on Thanksgiving calories, but I noticed that she didn't post it until after 12 noon yesterday. By that time, it was much too late to save most of us from overindulging. And the article actually is an interesting listing of what our caloric intake might be on Thanksgiving Day.

Jupiter "Finds" Its Lost Stripe

I reported here last May about the disappearance of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt (SEB). In what has been a slow week for education news, NASA fortunately decided to release photos and information on Wednesday about the SEB reemerging from clouds that had hidden it for some time. In Stripes Are Back in Season on Jupiter, JPL research scientist Glenn Orton explained that "The reason Jupiter seemed to 'lose' this band - camouflaging itself among the surrounding white bands - is that the usual downwelling winds that are dry and keep the region clear of clouds died down." The JPL article also related:

This white cloud deck is made up of white ammonia ice. When the white clouds float at a higher altitude, they obscure the missing brown material, which floats at a lower altitude. Every few decades or so, the South Equatorial Belt turns completely white for perhaps one to three years, an event that has puzzled scientists for decades. This extreme change in appearance has only been seen with the South Equatorial Belt, making it unique to Jupiter and the entire solar system.

NYC Chancellor Update

Javier Hernandez and Sharon Otterman tell in Education Chief Raises Doubts on Pick by Bloomberg that the state education commissioner and the committee he picked to review Cathie Black's qualifications for NYC schools chancellor both have serious doubts as to whether she should be granted a waiver to hold the post. New York law requires school supers to have a passing involvement in K-12 education, which Ms. Black does not.