If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the upcoming ACT changes, you’re not alone. With a new format rolling out, changes to super scoring, and the introduction of an “enhanced” digital test, it’s understandable that students, parents, and educators alike might be scratching their heads. The ACT is transitioning to a new digital format, with major changes taking effect starting in April 2025. Here’s what you need to know. 1. The paper vs. digital…
Teachers and parents can often forget what it’s like to be a student learning information for the first time. Many factors influence student retention, but “the more you know, the easier it is to learn new things,” said Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. When children learn new information, their ability to take in that information is informed by their prior knowledge of a related topic. However, when students lack…
During the 2022-23 school year, nearly 2.5 million high school students took college classes, simultaneously earning high school and college credits. That’s up from 1.5 million students in the fall of 2021 and roughly 300,000 students in the early 2000s. Figures released last week show that dual enrollment grew another 7 percent in the fall of 2024 from a year earlier, even as the number of traditional college freshmen fell. Alongside this meteoric rise of…
Youth mental health has steadily declined in the years prior to and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the worst affected are pre-teen boys and teenage girls, according to the August 2024 report, “A Nation’s Children At Risk,” published by the Center for Applied Research in Education at the University of Southern California. According to the study, teen girls were more than three times as likely to experience abnormal levels of emotional symptoms compared to the…
Looking back on 2024, young adult fiction readers saw many smart, thrilling, and fantastical books emerge. In this list, we have some of the most exciting reading available for teens and YA readers of all ages from the past year. Add these fast-paced, heartfelt, and fresh reads from our 2024 reading recap to your “to be read” pile. 1. Snowglobe by Soyoung Park. In Soyoung Park’s award-winning dystopian young adult novel, all is not what…
For parents, teens, and children alike, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety in our fast-paced, ever-changing world. Chances are that everyone is dealing with stress and anxiety in their bodies and minds at one time or another. Thankfully, there are tips and techniques to help children and teens respond skillfully to stressful situations. Dr. Katelyn Anderson, a pediatric psychologist at CHOC, offers various skills to help combat anxiety. Here are some techniques…
Communities around the country had been experimenting with free community college programs since 2005, usually with private funding, but Tennessee was the first to make it a statewide policy, and it inspired 36 states to follow suit. This year, Massachusetts was the most recent to make community college free. But as free-tuition programs have multiplied, so have questions and doubts. Are low-income students benefiting? Is free tuition leading to more college graduates? Unfortunately, we have…
On a spring afternoon last year, students in Melissa Alter Smith’s class bustled around the room, filling 16 ounce plastic bottles with hot water, food dye, glitter and glue. “You can mix colors if you want. Just use one whatever you think represents the theme of your poem,” Smith instructed as students moved between stations. This was English, not art class, and the goal was not just to make a pretty, calming bottle. Each student…
Last year, Roosevelt Middle School in San Francisco, California introduced a campus-wide cellphone and smartphone ban. That meant devices are “off and away at all times while you’re on campus,” said Emily Leicham, Roosevelt Middle School’s principal. Among those in favor of the policy was Marta Lindsey, whose child started sixth grade at Roosevelt in fall 2024. She said that the cellphone bans were the reason her family chose the school as their first pick…
There will always be some students that are revolted by the prospect of reading, and reluctant readers certainly have their reasons. Perhaps they haven’t found a book, author, or genre yet that they like, and they don’t know where to begin. Maybe they would prefer to occupy their time with different forms of media or more kinesthetic activities. Or they could find reading boring — not long after they start reading, they lose track of…
