As a parent trying to do the best you can for your children, there is a jungle of advise, experts and books out there telling you what to do, what not to do and how to parent your children. Parenting is something for which we all have an instinct, but due to our own childhood pain, trauma, and the cultural burdens of our societies, we disconnect from that inherent wisdom in many ways, and thereby…
Read More »In the fall of 2019, four high schools in a San Francisco Bay Area district shook up many of their ninth grade math classes. Students had traditionally been separated into more than five math courses by achievement level, from remedial to very advanced, and the district wanted to test what would happen if they introduced mixed ability algebra classes, combining their bottom three levels into one. Half of the students in those levels were randomly…
Read More »in LGBTQ+, Mental Health
Everyone deserves to live in a welcoming, loving world, and organizations like the Trevor Project strive to help make it so. The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. If you are interested in learning more about being an ally to LGBTQ+ youth, please read on for excerpts from the Trevor Project’s guide for allies. The first step to becoming an…
Read More »in Mathematics, News, Reading
America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card. The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam…
Read More »A new $2.5 billion plan will modernize public universities and colleges across Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey announced January 1st, 2025. An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation, known as The BRIGHT Act, will modernize the UMass system, state universities, and community colleges. It will create approximately 15,000 construction-related jobs, Healey said in a statement. The $2.5 billion bond bill represents the largest proposed investments in capital improvements in Massachusetts’ public higher…
Read More »in Events
There are many fun activities for families to enjoy in the Boston area over winter break. Check out our list of activities and events happening in the Boston area in February 2025. Have a great winter break! Lunar New Year Festival at the Peabody Essex Museum When: Saturday 2/15/25 Where: East India Square, Salem, MA Age: all ages Cost: general admission Come welcome the Year of the Snake with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings…
Read More »in Mental Health, News
As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation skyrockets across the country, so do suicide attempts and other mental-health concerns among LGBTQ+ youth. A 2022 national survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth, ages 13-24, paints a clear, distressing picture of the trauma endured by LGBTQ+ students in America. Nearly three-quarters reported symptoms of anxiety; 58 percent reported symptoms of depression; and 45 percent said they had seriously considered committing suicide within the past year. However, the survey also shows that…
Read More »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…
Read More »in Study Tips, Teachers
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…
Read More »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…
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