TNTDF: The week of Sept 23

• A LOST ART: INSTILLING RESPECT

By Patricia Dalton Special to The Washington Post

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - There's been a fundamental change in family life, and it has played out over the years in my office. Teachers, pediatricians and therapists like me are seeing children of all ages who are not afraid of their parents. Not one bit. Not of their power, not of their position, not of their ability to apply standards and enforce consequences.

• UNACCEPTABLE - MANY TEENS AREN'T EMOTIONALLY READY FOR COLLEGE: It's time to redefine "college prep."
by Jill Flury

from the September 2007 Edutopia - the Magazine of the George Lucas Educational Foundation
August 28, 2007 - In dorm rooms and shared apartments across the country, anxious college freshmen are unpacking their bags and moving into the next phase of their academic journeys. Having successfully navigated the educational system thus far, these budding intellects are ready to take on the demands of higher education.

Or are they?

• REPORT: SCHOOLS AREN'T PREPARING KIDS FOR COLLEGE: Better alignment is needed between high school and college standards, panelists say

By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News

The Alliance for Excellent Education convened a panel On September 12th to discuss a new issue brief highlighting the disconnect that exists between the way high school teachers prepare their students for the future and how students actually achieve success. An emphasis on college readiness, panelists said, is needed to inform, assess, and improve high school teaching for the 21st-century.

September 13, 2007—Students are taught to believe that earning a high school diploma means they are prepared to enter college, and many policy makers and school leaders still believe that multiple-choice assessments are adequate measures of students' skills. But at a panel discussion convened by the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) on Sept. 12, researchers and education professionals said this is too often not the case.

• SCHOOLS CAN'T BE COLORBLIND: Narrowing the achievement gap in schools requires acknowledging race, not ignoring it.

Opinion from the Los Angeles Times

September 16, 2007 - The achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white peers is stark and persistent. It has existed for decades, and it's growing more pronounced. The data refute what would be reassuring explanations. The gaps in reading and math test scores are not due to income disparities, nor are they attributable to parents' educational levels. The simple fact is that most black and brown children do not do as well in school as most whites.