A little more than one month ago, the Dallas Morning News’ education blog drew my attention to a frightening trend in student achievement demographics.  Namely, based on the results of the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – which bi-annually ascertains performance in mathematics,Read More

As a counterpoint to an article Thesis published on October 28th about waning literacy, numeracy, and ICT competence among American adults, the New York Times recently highlighted the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which found that American high-school students seem to be outperforming their internationalRead More

The observation that American society seems to place a higher premium on extroversion (and, by extension, extroverts) than on introversion (and, you guessed it, introverts) should hardly be cause for debate.  After all, this is a culture that has produced and retained the likes of the elevator pitch, the businessRead More

With the Common Core Standards kicking in this year, a lot has been made about the new model, both good and bad, but the most interesting aspect to a lover of literature, such as myself, is the debate about the new Reading Lists that were constructed for students K-12. DavidRead More

I do a lot of test prep tutoring, and it amazes me how similar my students’ concerns are regardless of age, gender, skill foundation, and even the test they’re taking. This is for them. An open letter to the kids taking standardized tests: You are somewhere in the middle ofRead More

With the Fall Semester kicking off for thousands of college students across the country, it is time for many of them to start asking themselves: “So what classes do I take?” Some will have a definitive future goal in mind: the law; marine biology; teaching. But for every student thatRead More

An article by the New York times examines a number of research studies to look at the link between exceptionally involved mothers and fathers, “helicopter parenting,” and successful students.  The authors conclude that parents should help their children, but that their help should not supplant their child’s own innate driveRead More

Do you know when to use “less than” vs. “fewer than?”  For example, should you say, “there are less than 5 marbles in this jar” or “fewer than 5 marbles in this jar?”  The correct answer is “fewer than.” Generally, you should use “fewer” for items that you can countRead More

There are essentially three aspects to language acquisition: writing skills, verbal skills and listening comprehension skills.  When learning a foreign language, the written component is comprised of producing written material, while verbal is, of course, speaking.  Both of these components form their own separate challenges due to the fact thatRead More

Time management is a skill that everybody seems to think is important and few people seem to have mastered.  As a student, it’s one of the most important improvements you can make not only to increase your current academic performance, but also to become more effective in your extracurricular activities,Read More

Learning to take notes correctly is a simple but necessary step to becoming a successful student.  Not only do taking good notes allow you to study for tests more effectively, the act of taking notes actually helps you to learn the material in class, as you write it down.  TakingRead More

Public speaking is an activity that inspires fear in nearly every student.  Developing public speaking skills, however, does not require you to be active in the theatre department, committed to the debate team, or interested in a future of politics and speech crafting.  In this guide we discuss a fewRead More

Beginning middle school is an important milestone for both students and parents.  The transition to increased academic responsibilities, new social pressures, and a variety of new extracurricular opportunities can seem like an intimidating path to navigate.  We hope the tips contained in this guide will help you turn the beginningRead More

The state of Texas treats home schools the same as non-accredited private schools.  To this extent, parents have great flexibility to teach or have an instructor teach their children in the manner that they see most fitting.  However, parents planning to interact with accredited public and private schools will wantRead More

Applying to colleges in today’s competitive environment can be an overwhelming process. With the huge volume of paper mailings, test dates and scores, e-mail information, and online and offline application materials to contend with, many students find themselves spending as much time sorting through a box full of papers asRead More

In high school, it’s important to decide whether or not you should take AP Classes and AP Exams.  You have to decide if you can handle the difficulty level of an AP course, determine if an AP course will hurt your GPA, and figure out how an AP Exam willRead More