Reflections... Landscape Factors Impacting Today's Youth

Research: Short Online Interventions Can Improve Student Achievement

Researchers at Stanford University and the University of Texas, Austin studied the effect of short, online interventions on high school students at risk of dropping out and found that students' grade point averages increased after only two 45-minute sessions.

The researchers used two types of online interventions, one involving the development of a "growth mindset" and the other involving the development of a "sense of purpose."

The growth mindset is the belief that intelligence can be developed rather than being fixed at birth, and that struggling through challenging tasks is an opportunity to improve intelligence. In the study, researchers asked the students to read an article about the brain's ability to grow intellectually through hard work and effective academic strategies.

The sense-of-purpose intervention asked students to write about how they thought the world could be a better place; to read stories about the effect of academic achievement on their ability to make a positive impact on the world; and to think about how school could help them achieve their goals.

The study involved 1,594 students in 13 high schools and measured changes in their grades in core academic subjects. "The results showed that among students at risk for dropping out (one-third of the sample), both interventions raised grade-point-averages and increased the rate at which the students performed satisfactorily in each course by 6.4 percentage points," according to information from Stanford University. >> READ MORE

Meet the four immigrant students each accepted to ALL EIGHT Ivy League schools who want to pay back their parents who moved to the U.S. to give them a better life

Their parents came to the U.S. for opportunities and now these four teens have them in abundance.

The high-achieving high schoolers have each been accepted to all eight Ivy League schools: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Yale University.

And as well as the Ivy League colleges, each of them has also been accepted to other top schools.

While they all grew up in different cities, the students are the offspring of immigrant parents who moved to America - from Bulgaria, Somalia or Nigeria.

And all four - Munira Khalif from Minnesota, Stefan Stoykov from Indiana, Victor Agbafe from North Carolina, and Harold Ekeh from New York - say they have their parents' hard work to thank.

Now they hope to use the opportunities for good - whether its effecting positive social change, improving education across the world or becoming a neurosurgeon.

The teens have one more thing in common: they don't know which school they're going to pick yet.

>> READ MORE

AltSchool Promises To Re-imagine Education For the 2030s

One of the hottest new startups in the Bay Area is a school. The AltSchool was founded by a former Google engineer and he's raised $100 million to build these for-profit microschools.

TRANSCRIPT:

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. What exactly do you get when you combine a software company and a school - maybe the AltSchool. It was created by a former Google engineer named Max Ventilla. The AltSchool blends a traditional Montessori education with high-tech tools. This week, Ventilla announced he's raised $100 million to build more across the country. The ultimate goal here appears to be to re-define the American classroom and also make a profit. Anya Kamenetz from NPR's Ed team recently visited an AltSchool classroom in San Francisco.

ANYA KAMENETZ, BYLINE:

On the one hand, they're running four schools in and around San Francisco. They're opening four more. And then on the other hand, they have a few dozen engineers who are working really closely with the teachers and building and testing a software platform for education. >>READ MORE

141 Students from Across the Country Named 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholars

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the 51st class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 141 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics or the arts.

"Presidential Scholars demonstrate the accomplishments that can be made when students challenge themselves, set the highest standards, and commit themselves to excellence," Duncan said. "These scholars are poised to make their mark on our nation in every field imaginable: the arts and humanities, science and technology, law and medicine, business and finance, education and government-to name a few. Their academic and artistic achievements reflect a sense of purpose that we should seek to instill in all students to prepare them for college, careers, civic responsibilities, and the challenges of today's job market."

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 4,300 candidates qualified for the 2015 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers or the National YoungArts Foundation's nationwide YoungArts™ competition. >>READ MORE

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS OF WEST'S WORLD OF EDUCATION!

Middle School Renaissance 2020 for Richmond Public Schools. It is Week 5 of the fourth session. The focus is entrepreneurship as the pathway to enhance critical thinking, decision-making, teamwork, time management, reading, math and more Students are engaged and ready to learn as they understand that the ROI on their investment in learning will be to roll out their selected group stores. Monies earned are matched by WEST and given to a charity selected by students. This WEST engagement is led by Mr. Julian House and assisted by Justin House and Meaghan West.
M. H. West & Co., Inc. Sponsorship of the Living Legacies Breakfast of the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation that recognizes and applauds Richmond Public Schools alumni who exemplify the criteria of living extraordinary, honorable lives as inspirational leaders. Among the honorees for 2015 were School Board Chair, Donald Coleman and award winning TV anchor, Sabrina Squire.
Parent Engagement Workshop, "Maintain Relationships with Effective Communication," held recently in Henrico County. Justin House, workshop facilitator challenged parents to embrace the privilege of parenting and provided tips on how to deal more effectively with the expected and unexpected with their school-age children.
Award-Winning Young Entrepreneur Program of WEST to soon Kick-Off summer program in the Norfolk Public School System.
M. H. West & Co., Inc. staff members volunteer time to support Miles Jones Elementary School's Head Start Program through a Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce Initiative.

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.

The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter

and made her batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter makes better batter.

So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter

making Betty Botter's bitter batter better.

Interactive Science: See What Students Are Learning About Animals

Alana Jensen came to Summit Elementary School on Tuesday and brought with her the sights and sounds that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark might have seen in Idaho more than 200 years ago.

Jensen, an environmental educator, taught the students about animals the Lewis and Clark expedition might have encountered on its journey west and shared entries from their diaries. >>READ MORE

Athens Students 'Dig' Local Produce

Second graders from The Plains Elementary turned up freshly plowed dirt with their hands and learned how to compost and garden at the Chesterhill Produce Auction Wednesday morning on an interactive field trip to learn about the local food system and how it impacts the community.

Compost and gardening was just one of the rotating stations the students experienced. A second station was all about healthy cooking and taught the youngsters how to put together a healthy salad made with local greens. >>READ MORE

Steelcase Foundation Awards $2M to Education Group to Raise Achievement

The Steelcase Foundation has awarded Education Trust-Midwest, an education advocacy group, a $2 million grant for a new program to provide greater support and coaching to local teachers and administrators and promote collaborations to raise student achievement.

ETM's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning will develop district and school leadership through the Kent County Learning and Innovation Network (KCLIN).>>READ MORE