Standardized Parent Conferences, Soft Skills, Online Education, Scientific Research Funding, and the New Face of Astronomy: Required Reading 04.06.14

How much data driven assessment is too much?  Some parents are getting worried.

We’ve been hearing a lot about “grit” lately, stemming in part from Paul Tough’s book How Children Succeed; and now Google is weighing in, arguing that we should be teaching leadership, teamwork, humility, innovation, and ownership.

Online education has been growing since Salman Khan gave a TED talk in 2011.  He recently spoke with the TED blog to give his thoughts on where we stand.

Reauthorization of the FIRST Act (Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science and Technology) is moving forward in the House of Representatives, but academics find it to be impotent.  In a statement released by the AAU (Association of American Universities), opposition claims that the Bill falls short in funding the NSF and NIST, inhibiting real growth.  Further, they state that the Bill handcuffs the NSF in a way that “would impede NSF’s ability to perform its mission effectively.”  Maybe the House should read a new study suggesting that federal grants to fund scientific research make an immediate, positive economic impact.

And finally, CUNY’s AstroCom NYC program is attempting to inspire a new generation of Neil deGrasse Tysons by providing scholarships and one-on-one mentorships to low-income and underrepresented minority students to become astronomers.  (By the way, House of Representatives, it’s funded by NSF).

Required Readings are a list of links that you might find interesting! Look for them to appear every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday morning.Have some links you’d like to share? Submit them on our contact form!