New on Thesis

Episcopal High School’s Jay Berckley Espouses the Value of the Arts in the Well Rounded Student

Episcopal High School’s Jay Berckley Espouses the Value of the Arts in the Well Rounded Student

Private Schools, Recommendations, Schools December 19, 2014 at 4:30 pm

How has Episcopal High School managed to earn accolades and recognition locally & nationally? The school’s Dean of Arts, Jay Berckley, would likely use two words to describe EHS’ Arts program’s goals: vision and intention. The view from Mr. Berckley’s office is quaint. The sun is shining brightly and theRead More

Texas Loses Controversial Bid for Federal Pre-K Grant (And What This Means for You)

Texas Loses Controversial Bid for Federal Pre-K Grant (And What This Means for You)

Last week, it was announced that Texas would not be among the 18 states awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant for the expansion of Pre-K programming. The Houston Chronicle‘s Ericka Mellon has more. Pre-K has come to be a contentious issue within education policy; during the recent gubernatorial race, itRead More

Curie, Einstein, and Encouragement for Girls in STEM

Curie, Einstein, and Encouragement for Girls in STEM

Travel & Culture December 17, 2014 at 12:06 am

As is frequently discussed in the media, there are fewer women than men, on average, in STEM fields. As of 2011, less than a third of all STEM jobs in the US are held by women. Of course, today’s high water mark of 30% is a considerable improvement on theRead More

Texas Universities and Colleges Rank Nationally, Globally

Texas Universities and Colleges Rank Nationally, Globally

College, Collegiate, Education News, Recommendations December 16, 2014 at 6:03 pm

2014 was a banner year for Texas colleges and universities as several institutions throughout the state earned high rankings in nationally recognized polls listing the best higher education options throughout the country and world. As expected, both Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin are among the mostRead More

Fun and Challenging Trivia for Your Holiday Party

Fun and Challenging Trivia for Your Holiday Party

Opinion, Resources for Parents, Travel & Culture December 15, 2014 at 1:29 pm

The holiday season is in full swing, and many want their holiday party to be both enjoyable and unique. At General Academic, we always make room for trivia at our parties–have to keep our people on their toes, after all! This year, I’ve decided to share that trivia with you,Read More

Resources for Parents: Helping Your Child Manage ADHD

Resources for Parents: Helping Your Child Manage ADHD

This article is the second entry in our Resources for Parents series. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in a future Resources for Parents article, please let us know in the comments. Attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, or ADHD, affects at least 5% of children in the United States.Read More

Study: Arts Education has Measurable Positive Effects

Study: Arts Education has Measurable Positive Effects

As an undergraduate at Rice – an excellent school across the board, but particularly known for its STEM programs – I had many encounters with engineering students who disliked studying the arts. They would tell me they simply didn’t see the point – where were the practical applications? With theRead More

Texas Public School Enrollment Numbers Soar in 2013-2014 School Year

Texas Public School Enrollment Numbers Soar in 2013-2014 School Year

The 2014-2014 school year brought Texas its highest ever number of students enrolled in public schools throughout the state.  According to a November 2014 report published by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas public school enrollment has increased by almost 19% since 2003. Currently, there are over 5 million studentsRead More

Texas Pushes Programming Languages in New Graduation Requirements

Texas Pushes Programming Languages in New Graduation Requirements

Education News, HISD, Houston Schools, Technology December 10, 2014 at 9:00 am

Computer Science Education Week and Code.org’s “Hour of Code” are in full swing, reaching out to millions of people worldwide. Code.org hopes to demystify computer science for the masses and establish computer science as part of the core curriculum for all schools. This is particularly important for students in theRead More

Rice Reconsiders Policy on Advanced Placement (AP) Credits

Rice Reconsiders Policy on Advanced Placement (AP) Credits

College, Standardized Tests December 9, 2014 at 2:01 pm

Rice University’s Faculty Senate is reconsidering what type of credit, if any, to give to matriculating students who have scored highly on Advanced Placement Tests. In particular, the faculty is concerned that students entering Rice with more than 20 credit hours (or essentially 2 semesters) are spending significantly less timeRead More

Checklist for Preparing for Midterm Exams

Checklist for Preparing for Midterm Exams

Recommendations, Resources for Parents, Study Skills December 9, 2014 at 10:19 am

Winter break is almost here! Even if the weather doesn’t support this notion (currently 65° at General Academic’s office), students everywhere are excited about the coming break. They’d be even more excited if midterm exams didn’t come first. Having helped students prepare for midterms for nearly eleven years, we atRead More

K-12 Comp Sci Offerings on the Decline Nationwide

K-12 Comp Sci Offerings on the Decline Nationwide

This week, students in classrooms throughout America – including many right here in Houston – will be answering the challenge to complete an “Hour of Code” as part of Computer Science Education Week, an annual event championing computer science in K-12. Given the ascendance of computer science as an industry,Read More

Cramming for Tests is Less Effective than you Think

Cramming for Tests is Less Effective than you Think

Health & Science, Study Skills December 5, 2014 at 8:30 am

End-of-semester exams are fast approaching. When will your child start studying? At some time during their academic careers, almost all students cram for a test at least once – that is, they wait to study until the day or even the night before, then spend several hours intensely reviewing theRead More

Tips for Making Test Prep Fun!

Tips for Making Test Prep Fun!

Bubbling answers for hours at a time probably wouldn’t rank very highly for most students if you asked them about their favorite pastime. Most of us have come to understand testing as a necessary evil that must be endured in order to prove a student’s knowledge. If you’re finding yourselfRead More

Better Studying through Science: Making Flashcards More Effective

Better Studying through Science: Making Flashcards More Effective

Health & Science, Study Skills December 4, 2014 at 8:30 am

If your child is in middle school or high school, there’s a good chance they use flash cards to study for tests. Flash cards are a useful tool for reviewing material because it allows students to repeatedly go over individual concepts until they attain mastery. Most students follow the sameRead More

The Present and Future of No Child Left Behind

The Present and Future of No Child Left Behind

Education News, Policy, Research, & Analysis December 3, 2014 at 8:30 am

Remember No Child Left Behind, the comprehensive education reform passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002? I wouldn’t blame you for forgetting. While the law is still on the books, most states (including Texas) have obtained waivers allowing them to bypass the program’s toughest regulations. The original stated purpose ofRead More