Wither Lamed?

Since this blog went inactive a few months ago I've received a number of emails inquiring when we'll start it up again. ATID's newest initiative, WebYeshiva.org, has been taking a huge amount of time, and Lamed has been an unfortunate victim.
I hope to restart the blog at some point in the future. In the meantime, visit the WebYeshiva blog at: http://blog.webyeshiva.org/

To Read Or Not To Read?

The Joneses are college grads and have only ten books at home. The Smiths only went to high school but own 100 books. Whose kids have the edge?
NYT reports or read the full National Endowment for the Arts report (PDF).

Closing Mind + 20

On the canon wars, 20 years after The Closing of the American Mind.

Bittul Torah?

Can learning Gemara be bittul Torah?

Read here (and then check this out).

Duh! Dept.

This just in...
Cramming doesn't work for long-term memory retention

1st Day of School

"Blueprint for organizing schools for success..."

Turnover

The retirement of thousands of baby boomer teachers coupled with the departure of younger teachers frustrated by the stress of working in low-performing schools is fueling a crisis in teacher turnover that is costing school districts substantial amounts of money as they scramble to fill their ranks for the fall term. Click.

Hebrew School Halt?

Follow up to this post:
The Broward County, Fla., school board has banned a new Hebrew charter school from teaching the language for fear that it promotes the Jewish faith, thus violating federal rules separating religion from the government. But the school's founder, a former U.S. congressman, said the school's mission is to teach Hebrew and that it will continue to do so. More here and here.

Smart Kids

Time magazine features problems and failings in educating the super-smart.

LeDavid Revisited

Please read this public service announcement.

Abolish SATs?

For most high school students who want to attend an elite college, the SAT is more than a test. It is one of life’s landmarks. Waiting for the scores -- one for verbal, one for math, and now one for writing, with a possible 800 on each -- is painfully suspenseful. The exact scores are commonly remembered forever after. So it has been for half a century. But events of recent years have challenged the SAT’s position....

On the push to abolish the SAT.

Hebrew School?

More than 800 students applied to attend the new Ben Gamla Charter (Public) School in Hollywood, Fla., within weeks of its announced opening, but critics are watching carefully to see that the school stays focused on Hebrew language and culture, not religion.
More here.

Sunday School

Rather than bolstering the likelihood of students marrying other Jews, attending once-a-week Sunday school programs actually slightly increases the chance of intermarriage, according to a newly published study.

Ars Gratia Artis

Two researchers who found that art classes don't improve overall academic performance nonetheless advocate strongly on behalf of arts education in a new book, Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education.

School Saviors?

New research shows that Head Teachers (what the Brits call school principals) have little impact on public school performance, but make a big difference in private schools where a new head can have a dramatic influence, instilling a better sense of purpose and vigour.
The Financial Times reports...