Via Russo, let me heartily endorse Greg Toppo’s article in USA Today about people who preface this or that agenda with the assertion that students today are stupider than they’ve ever been, which they know because some study indicates that many students are ignorant of some historical or geographical fact that they happen to care [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Cultural Literacy'
Teaching Religion
Boston University Professor Stephen Prothero’s new book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know–And Doesn’t, argues that, despite high levels of religiousity, Americans on average are shockingly ignorant about both the religions they profess to believe and world religions. Prothero further argues that this ignorance is dangerous at a time when religion is [...]
Wherein Prudery Trumps Cultural Literacy
It’s old news, but, if I were an advocate for teacher unionism, I’d be highlighting this incident till the cows come home as an example of why teachers need protection against capricious firings. Is it any wonder our children don’t know anything about Ancient Greece, Rome and the roots of Western culture? I mean, [...]
Shameless Self-Promotion
Nope, I’m not complaining about CNN’s latest sensationalist “teacher-does-stupid-things” headline. I’m just putting in an utterly shameless plug for folks to come see me perform in a community theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this weekend (more info and tickets here).
It’s a family-friendly production, so if you have children (or just know some) [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.