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The edu-buzz of the week

Laura McKenna
Apr 18, 2022
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Hi all! I’m still recovering from a vacation week that was busier than it should be. So, rather than writing a long piece about schools, I’m going to give the links to the hot topics of the week.

What’s Going on With College Students?

College students still have not recovered from the pandemic. Professors are reporting record levels of disengagement with coursework and trying to find ways to get students motivated again. From a great article in Inside Higher Education, Bethie McMurtrie wrote:

In 20 years of teaching at Doane University, Kate Marley has never seen anything like it. As many as 30 percent of her students do not show up for class or complete any of the assignments. The moment she begins to speak, she says, their brains seem to shut off. If she asks questions on what she’s been talking about, they don’t have any idea. On tests they struggle to recall basic information.

Does this explain why Biden’s approval ratings with young people are tanking?

Twitter avatar for @schmangee
Angie Schmitt🚶‍♀️ @schmangee
It shouldn't be puzzling at all. What we did to college students alone is so nonsensical and alienating.
Twitter avatar for @DKThomp
Derek Thompson @DKThomp
Something very interesting and troubling happening with Biden's approval rating among young people, which has collapsed by more than any other age group since Jan 2021: 18-34 all: -19 points ...no college: - 20 points ...Hispanic: -26 points ...Black: - 30 points https://t.co/ZXUFS4zXpZ
2:03 PM ∙ Apr 18, 2022
64Likes9Retweets

We’ve heard a lot about learning lag with K-12 students, but this is also a huge issue with first year students at colleges. They didn’t learn anything for their last year or more at many high schools, so colleges are having to clean up this mess. The Hechinger Report reports that many incoming college students are unprepared to complete college-level work.

Do Democrats Have an Education Problem?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece in my personal newsletter about how my party loyalties were being challenged by my family’s experiences with the hard lockdowns for schools in New Jersey. Andy Rotherham from Eduwonk thinks that the Biden administration’s position on charter schools are at odds with public opinion. The Wall Street Journal writes, “School Reopening Mess Drives Frustrated Parents Toward GOP.”

Twitter avatar for @laura11D
laura mckenna @laura11D
“Democrats have an education policy problem.”
eduwonk.substack.comCategory ErrorsLife is more complicated than your priors
3:18 AM ∙ Apr 16, 2022
3Likes1Retweet

Gender Studies for Seven Year Olds

Here in New Jersey, there was a lot of drama around whether schools were going to implement a new sex-ed curriculum for elementary students, that would introduce kids to gender-fluidity and transgender identity. The uproar of twitter grew so great that Governor Murphy was forced to take a public position on the topic. What exactly is that position? I have no idea. You can check out his word-salad response here.

Education leaders in New Jersey are focused on gender studies for seven year olds, while the latest round of state tests in the state show that students are not even close to meeting benchmarks for reading and math. 57 percent of African American students in fourth grade got the lowest possible score for English. 74 percent of African American students in fourth grade got the lowest possible score for math. The full numbers are here.

Twitter avatar for @ChristinaPushaw
Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 @ChristinaPushaw
This is 2nd grade (7-8 year olds!) public school curriculum in New Jersey. It’s not optional. Parents: do you find this appropriate?
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6:26 PM ∙ Apr 8, 2022
1,830Likes822Retweets
Twitter avatar for @laura11D
laura mckenna @laura11D
Gov. Murphy responds to the edu-drama in Jersey. https://t.co/599tYJI0tX
Twitter avatar for @GovMurphy
Governor Phil Murphy @GovMurphy
New Jersey’s world-class public education system is the best in the nation because of our strong school communities where everyone – parents, students, educators, administrators, and coaches – is heavily invested in the academic and social success of our kids.
5:06 PM ∙ Apr 13, 2022

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Me, Elsewhere

Want to see pictures of our trip to Charlottesville, VA? More pictures of the insanely busy vacation week throughout the week.

I’ll continue writing about transitioning the autistic kid to college on Wednesday. Here’s the first piece on this topic.

The Great Leap
Community College and The Autistic Student
Over this past year, I wrote a few newsletters and blog posts chronicling our challenges getting our son fully integrated into the local community college. The challenges were bureaucratic (not enough administrative support), academic (oops, can’t pass the entry exam for reading), and social (one should not correct the grammar of a professor). This week…
Read more
a year ago · 1 like · Laura McKenna
Apt. 11D
The Healing Power of Home Brew and Baby Back Ribs
As he started a nation-wide job hunt for a university position, a grad school friend once told me that he would never live in an area where he could not find arugula in the supermarket. Arugula, that bitter sharp lettuce, was Lawrence’s shorthand method for narrowing down his options for jobs. Any position must be located in areas with a sophisticated c…
Read more
a year ago · Laura McKenna

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