Study: Math Scores Matter More for Adult Earnings Than Reading, Health Factors
When it comes to factors that affect a student’s well-being in adulthood, better math skills might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But as it turns out, increasing math scores helps deliver stronger long-term returns for students — especially related to earnings — than improvements in reading scores and factors involving health.
That’s one of the top-line findings from a 2024 report from the Urban Institute, which sought to understand whether devoting resources to children’s health and social development yields greater benefits than devoting resources to their cognitive development; the study also looks at what aspects of a child’s cognitive development play relatively larger roles in their adult outcomes.
3.2.1: On savoring your victories, being adaptable, and doing things cheaper, faster and better
I.
“At any moment, you are one good choice away from a meaningfully better life.”
II.
“Savor the little victories as much as you criticize the little mistakes.”
III.
“If you keep showing up, you’ll almost certainly break through — but probably not in the way you expected or intended. You need enough persistence to keep working and enough flexibility to enjoy success when it comes in a different form than you imagined.”
Report: Kids Check Out of School as They Get Older, and Parents Are in the Dark
A new study from the Brookings Institution finds that parents and children differ massively on how much learning happens in school.
American parents are far more bullish about the quality of learning in schools than their kids, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. While substantially less than half of all high schoolers say that they believe they’re learning a lot each day, over 70% of parents say they are.
The report, released Monday by the Washington think tank’s Center for Universal Education, shows that parents also appear to overestimate how much students “love” going to school. The divergence in perceptions between adults and children only grows with age, mostly driven by a sizable drop in the numbers of students reporting positive experiences in school after the elementary years.
Change begins with the campus leader
Real instructional change begins at the classroom level. However, school-wide efforts create the climate that supports these classroom-level changes. We’ve worked with principals and teachers for more than 35 years and seen countless ideas for improving schools.
Schools are in a constant state of change. They are shaped by the demographic, social, political, and economic milieu of contemporary American society especially their local community. As such they change a little each day in response to things like state or national standards, research on student learning, and parent and community demands.
Superintendents’ New Year’s Resolutions for 2025
Superintendents are taking advantage of the start of a new year to refocus and set goals to be better leaders in 2025.
From taking more time to celebrate the accomplishments of staff and students to advocating for their schools, district leaders are determined to make this a year of professional growth, creating deeper connections with their communities, and ensuring everyone feels valued.
But they also have personal goals, like carving out time for exercising, putting their phones down to spend time with family, and investing in their own mental health.