Holiday Weekend, or Atypical Beach Reading

Granted, most of us won't be taking our laptops to the beach this weekend (though, if someone knows of a beach with wireless internet access in the New England area, drop me a line. And a shield for my screen), however, as much of America has the next few days off, I thought that in between the lawn mowing, fireworks, and barbeques, one or two of you might want a little light reading to pass the quieter moments.

So, from the New York Times, a short piece on how Americans are becoming increasingly more lonely as time and society marches on. Are we moving away from the clique oriented society of our parents and older siblings? Has technology allowed those of us who are naturally more insular to stay that way? Is this really a problem? Personally, a few close friends are all I've ever really needed; however, I feel their abscence strongly. In the end though, I always have Post Secret to reveal my deepest, darkest fears to, should I ever want to let them out.

There is a new installment in the annals of loneliness. Americans are not only lacking in bowling partners, now they're lacking in people to tell their deepest, darkest secrets. They've hunkered down even more, their inner circle often contracting until it includes only family, only a spouse or, at worst, no one. And that is something the Internet may help ease, but is unlikely to cure. (source)

Next, since it is the anniversary of our country, another interesting article on dates that may actually be more significant than July 4. For example, let's take, June 20, 1790:

On this evening, Thomas Jefferson invited Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to dinner at his rented house on Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. In the course of the night, Jefferson recalled, they brokered one of the great political deals in American history. Under the terms of the arrangement, the national capital would be situated on the Potomac, and the federal government would agree to take on the enormous war debts of the 13 states.

Had that meal never taken place, New York might still be the nation's capital. But even more important, the primacy of the central government might never have been established, says Ron Chernow, the Hamilton biographer. "The assumption of state debts was the most powerful bonding mechanism of the new Union," he says. "Without it, we would have had a far more decentralized federal system."(source)

My mission this summer is to explore at least two places described in this article on Boston's South End. I have no excuse really; I only live half an hour from the city. The market sounds particularly interesting.

Regular readers know my focus on education and the current federal policies that are ruining it. The lack of objective research out there, or at least research reported objectively by the media, is frightening to say the least. This article from the Washington Post, which describes all the quotations and clarification Jay Matthews was prohibited from putting in the original piece due to space considerations, led me to this website. I'm in the early stages of exploration, but if it really lives up to its stated mission, this could be a regular and vitally important read for me. A quote from the original story:

A study to be released today looking at long-term trends in test scores and academic success argues that widespread reports of U.S. boys being in crisis are greatly overstated and that young males in school are in many ways doing better than ever. Using data compiled from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federally funded accounting of student achievement since 1971, the Washington-based think tank Education Sector found that, over the past three decades, boys' test scores are mostly up, more boys are going to college and more are getting bachelor's degrees. (source)

Some data Matthews didn't include:

"Ed Sector is right to call foul on all the crisis rhetoric, and we should stop using that word, though there are a few troubling statistics and trends that deserve further investigation, both those [Mead] mentions and those she underplays, such as the huge gap in writing skills and troubling trends in reading among older boys. And I agree with the recommendation that those issues deserve more study by researchers and attention by classroom teachers, rather than a full-scale assault with lots of new policies and programs, especially if it would pull attention and resources away from the racial and economic achievement gaps that dwarf all other educational problems." (source)

A link to Mead's study.

This is an article about preventing "summer brain drain" in students, the reason we teachers assign summer reading, ostensibly. As an interesting counterpoint to the last article I talked about, the story begins with an anecdote about a summer enrichment program for disadvantaged students in Harlem.

"One hundred years of research confirms that all young people are at risk of losing ground academically over the summer months," says Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

According to Dr. Harris Cooper, Professor of Psychology at Duke University and the director of the program in education, test scores were, on average, at least one month lower when students returned to school in the fall than when they left in the spring. (source)

Regardless of socio-economic status, however, it is important to emphasize that learning doesn't end in June when school lets out. Kids needs repetition and practice with basic skills. This doesn't necessarily mean summer school for all students, or private tutors, but it could. It could also mean math games in the car ride to the beach, or choosing word searches and crossword puzzles for vacation activities rather than portable video games. Certainly, it means doing your summer reading.

And, last but not least, a music post. I had been looking for this, and I finally found it. It's almost unrecognizable from the original, which may be why I like it.

More than a Feeling (Boston cover) - Sleater-Kinney


MP3 File