Denise Fawcett Facey

What was once the purview of only the wealthy is now gaining popularity with middle-class students: the gap year. A period of exploration, self-discovery and just a respite from the daily grind of books, lectures and studying, the gap year occurs right after high school graduation, affording students a break before beginning college. In fact, many colleges, including those in the Ivy League, now encourage students to indulge in this time to do volunteer work, learn a new skill or just relax, on the premise that students will be refreshed and ready for the rigors of college after having a break.

Although I had no interest in a break when I began college, the idea really does have merit. Lacking any genuine idea of what they want out of life upon graduation from high school, many students initially flounder in college, directionless and confused. A gap year may provide the needed direction. It also allows students to discover new paths that might not previously have been considered and to take time to give to others through volunteer work rather than focus solely on themselves.

While some fear that students will become mentally disengaged from academia and therefore, never return, I tend to think the opposite is true. They’ll begin college with a bit more maturity, along with a clearer understanding of who they are and what they want out of life. All in all, I support the idea and I’m gratified to find that not only are colleges noting the value in this endeavor and allowing students to defer admission, but increasing numbers of students are availing themselves of this opportunity.

That’s my opinion. What do you think?

Regular readers of this blog know my disdain for “teaching to the test.” So, naturally, I cheer when I find a school that bucks the trend by restoring learning to the center of education and putting tests where they belong — on the periphery. One such school is in Maplewood, New Jersey. And I love their results. (more…)

Steadily and quietly, public schools of single gender (and single-sex classes within public schools) have begun to multiply across the country and not everyone is pleased to see them return. Reigniting an old debate about gender differences — whether they exist academically and, if so, whether this necessarily indicates that one gender is inherently inferior — these same-gender classes have expanded from a mere 11 in 2001 to 540 now. (more…)

With the news so often filled with negativity concerning education — low test scores, high dropout rates, educators found cheating on high-stakes exams — I’m thrilled beyond measure by the achievements of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men. Begun four years ago on Chicago’s very tough South Side, the school opened with 150 African-American boys, 85 percent of whom came from low-income families and only 4 percent of whom read at or above grade level at the time. (more…)

What’s the best way to prepare students to compete in a global economy? Increasingly, the answer among educators across the U.S. is engineering, and they’re teaching it as early as kindergarten. In fact, teachers have come up with some very original ideas for doing it. (more…)

Nowadays, with parents so actively involved in every detail of children’s lives, play dates have taken the place of children just simply playing outside with whomever happens to be around and parents orchestrate the details of their children’s social lives. Now, schools have entered the mix. In addition to school counselors mediating such situations as when a parent complains about an “unkind” text message received by his or her child, schools also are now actively discouraging “best” friends. (more…)

While incidences of cheating may not actually be more numerous than in times past, the means by which students do it are. Indeed, with technology offering so many new ways to cheat, teachers have had to become much more savvy in discerning this activity. For example, despite the prohibition against the use of cell phones in most schools, we know that students still bring them to school. But I recently read about at least one student who used his cell to cheat by taking photos of answer sheets inadvertently left on the teacher’s desk. Other students have used the internet (once again via cell phone) to get answers to test questions. And still others text message answers to friends. (more…)

When you combine the current economy, summertime and kids, this summer looks rather dismal. With the recession refusing to release its stranglehold on our economy, many school districts have decided to forego summer school and other summer programs, in the interest of budget cuts. So, I’m very enthusiastic about San Francisco’s solution to the problem of how to occupy children’s time this summer: summer camps and much more. (more…)

The start of educational efficiency seems to have arrived . . . finally. Last June, when I wrote about the imminent arrival of national education standards, 46 states favored standardized goals, agreeing essentially to teach the same topics during the same grades. Since then, all states have gotten on board, except Texas and Alaska. Moreover, last week, Maryland joined Kentucky in endorsing the new educational standards for reading and math, which is a precursor to actual adoption and implementation of the standards. Each state that participates will create its own curriculum, based upon the common standards. Then, once teachers have been trained and textbooks modified, students in every grade in the country will have one standard. (more…)

Do you remember an old public service commercial with the tag line, “Reading is Fundamental?” I was reminded of it recently by a wonderful reading program in Oakland, California, targeting at-risk children, and I was elated. Then I discovered, to my dismay, that our current dismal economy jeopardizes the program’s existence for the upcoming school year. So, the program’s sponsors, a non-profit group called Oakland Parents Literacy Project, may have to end their eight-year quest to raise reading ability in their school district. (more…)