by Laura Maniglia | Oct 25, 2022 | learning, math, NAEP, public schools, school calendar, teachers
Despite the alarming level of pandemic-induced lost (or unfinished) learning, the American school system clings to the agrarian academic calendar that has been in use for more than 100 years. The most recent devastating NAEP results indicate that students are, on...
by Laura Maniglia | Oct 14, 2022 | active learning, attention & focus, cognitive skills, instruction, learning, NAEP, public schools, reading, retrieval practice, study skills, teacher training, teachers, testing
The disappointing reports from NAEP and more recently, the ACT, point to a frightening learning loss that occurred during the pandemic. The NAEP reading scores are the lowest in thirty years, and the math scores showed a first-ever decrease. The ACT scores have also...
by Laura Maniglia | Oct 6, 2022 | academic standing, active learning, attention & focus, cognitive skills, instruction, learning, note-taking, reading, writing
In 2010, the Common Core included keyboarding skills as part of the new standards. With the proliferation of computers, instruction shifted from handwriting to keyboard skills. Consequently, a generation of Americans can neither read nor write cursive. I...
by Laura Maniglia | Sep 27, 2022 | academic standing, Child development, instruction, language, learning, NAEP, PISA, public schools, student engagement
Since the inception of the Bilingual Education Act (BEA)) in 1968, the Federal government has provided grants to states for English language instruction for immigrant students. Methodology for teaching children with “limited English proficiency” (LEP) may...
by Laura Maniglia | Sep 19, 2022 | academic standing, Child development, classroom management, instruction, interpersonal relations, learning, parents, PTA, public schools, students, teacher effectiveness, teacher training
Parenting is a very complex, challenging, and rewarding experience. According to the American Psychological Association, The three major goals of parenting include: “Ensuring children’s health and safety, preparing children for life as productive adults, and...
by Laura Maniglia | Sep 11, 2022 | classroom management, instruction, interpersonal relations, learning, parents, public schools, student engagement, students, teacher training, teachers
A previous blog focused on the importance of discipline and critiqued a popular program known as “restorative justice,”(RJ) or Restorative Practices (RP). This alternative to traditional discipline centers upon a non-punitive approach that focuses on supposed...
by Laura Maniglia | Aug 29, 2022 | academic standing, grading system, homework, instruction, learning, math, student engagement, students
A previous blog discussed grade inflation and its consequent effect on college admissions. Over the last decade, a new version of grade inflation is entering the halls of academia: the “no zero policy.” The argument against the use of zero on a 100 point scale was...
by Laura Maniglia | Aug 12, 2022 | active learning, attention & focus, cognitive skills, creativity, instruction, language, learning, math, mindset, whole brain learning
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published an article that questioned the widely held view that a person’s left or right brain dominance determines a way of thinking and his/her personality. “Left-brained”...
by Laura Maniglia | Aug 1, 2022 | active learning, attention & focus, instruction, learning, reading, student engagement
A previous blog compared paper-based books with digital books for reading comprehension and concluded that the former had advantages over the latter. Evidence from the past 20 years shows the advantage of paper based comprehension. (The exception: narrative-only...
by Laura Maniglia | Jul 25, 2022 | academic standing, active learning, attention & focus, cognitive skills, homework, instruction, language, learning, math, PISA, reading, student engagement
A previous blog presented the advantages of introducing math concepts to preschool children not only for promoting math ability but also for reading as well. While domain specific skills such as counting, number fact knowledge, and calculation skills are...
