Posts Tagged curriculums
The Science Education Belief In America
Political leaders, tech executives, and academics often claim that the U.S. is falling behind in math and science education. They cite poor test results, declining international rankings, and decreasing enrollment in the hard sciences. They urge us to improve our education system and to graduate more engineers and scientists to keep pace with countries such as India and China.
Yet a new report by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, tells a different story. The report disproves many confident pronouncements about the alleged weaknesses and failures of the U.S. education system. This data will certainly be examined by both sides in the debate over highly skilled workers and immigration. The argument by Microsoft, Google, Intel, and others is that there are not enough tech workers in the U.S.
The authors of the report, the Urban Institute’s Hal Salzman and Georgetown University professor Lindsay Lowell, show that math, science, and reading test scores at the primary and secondary level have increased over the past two decades, and U.S. students are now close to the top of international rankings. Perhaps just as surprising, the report finds that our education system actually produces more science and engineering graduates than the market demands.
These findings go against what has been the dominant position about our education system and our science and engineering workforce. Consider reports on national competitiveness that policymakers often turn to, such reports as the 2005 “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” by the National Academy of Sciences. This report says the U.S. is in dire straits because of poor math and science preparation.
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What are the Price Considerations of Online Degrees
With over 600,000 students enrolled in online colleges, online degrees are gaining more and more recognition. And why shouldn’t they? In most instances, those that are earning online degrees are extremely motivated working adults. These working adults are seen as having that extra oomph as they have to efficiently manage their time to keep up with the demands of both work and school and in some cases, a family. When Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electrics, was asked about people who earned online degrees (Business Week, January 14, 2008), he stated, “…they’re hungry to break open new possibilities in their careers…. People working all day and studying online all night have the kind of ‘grr’ most companies could use.” Do you have the “grr?” If so, make sure to ask these questions to make sure the online college is right for you.
Is the online college accredited and if so, by which accrediting agency?
Diploma mills, as defined by Wikipedia, are organizations that award degrees with little to no study and are not recognized by accrediting agencies. Employers or colleagues do not respect degrees from diploma mills so make sure the online colleges you look into are accredited. The ed.gov site is a great resource for a list of accrediting agencies.
If you have college units, can you transfer your units over?
Most accredited online colleges will allow you to transfer any credit you have earned at another college towards an online degree depending on the degree requirements. To make sure, if there is a specific online college you are interested, call a counselor to see if the credits you have earned can be transferred. This can shorten the amount of time it will take you to complete your online degree.
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Home Schooling Curriculum – It's Your Choice – Be Sure To Choose Well
Finding the Right Curriculum
When choosing a curriculum, you need to keep in mind your teaching style and the learning style of your child. Some children work best with a lot of structure – others don’t. Some parents will find that a specific method works across all subjects – others won’t. In the beginning, you may not find “the” right answer for your child. You will have to pick something to start, based on your understanding of you and your child, and then you will have to experiment a bit.
Keep in mind that you ALWAYS have the option of making a change. If something you are doing is not working – then stop and do something else. Unlike a public school, you do not need to go through a committee and have it approved! You simply see that it is not working and make a change. Sometimes the change can be quite small, like allowing more freedom of choice for daily activities, and sometimes it can be quite large, like a decision to quit using a particular curriculum. Either way, the choice is yours!
There are three main curriculum choices available to you as a homeschooler.
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