A Sweet Approach to Holiday Learning
As a kid, I was thrilled at the thought of winter break. I dreamed of beginning and ending my day in the same pair of pajamas, taking to the streets on my bike to find a friend – this was pre-cellphone, mind you – and catching up on my favorite cartoons. I can...
Jingle All The Way to New Year’s Day
The word “holidays” conjures up thoughts of my favorite foods, nostalgic holiday movies and songs, time spent with family, cookie baking, decorating, gift wrapping, and… a heaping helping of heartburn. The dizzying pace of all I try to accomplish in a too-short...
Parents or Children: Who is Teaching Whom?
I am a mom of three children - boy/girl twin tweens and a 17-year-old-daughter. I struggled with infertility when my husband and I first started trying for children, which left me with even longer to dream about what parenting our firstborn would be like. I pictured...
Austin ISD Enrollment, Why the Decline?
Austin ISD is grappling with a decline in student enrollment. According to its 2023-24 School District Demographic Analysis report, the district is projected to enroll 73,495 students for the upcoming 2024-25 school year, a decrease of 212 students over last...
Meet the Mean Girls, Now What
In the movie “Mean Girls,” the ruling girl clique, known as “The Plastics,” reinforces its social standing by deliberately excluding and deriding other students. The movie is based on the nonfiction book “Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman and...
What is the Role of a School Board?
Many parents are aware that their school district has a school board comprised of members known as trustees, but that is often where their knowledge of trustees ends. Simply put, trustees are elected representatives and advocates for the school district....
Top 4 Benefits of Scouting
My youngest daughter is still going strong in her seventh year of Girl Scouts, and I’ve managed to land myself in the role of troop leader for the last six of those years. I’ve seen our troop of 11 girls grow up together, make incredible memories and...
The Benefits and Drawbacks of School Uniforms
School uniforms have typically been the purview of private schools, but they are being adopted by U.S. public schools in increasing numbers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 20 percent of all American public schools now...
Why Fine Arts Matters in Education
When we think of school subjects, most likely the core academic classes of math, language arts, science and social studies come to mind. Often, the fine arts – music, dance, theater and visual arts - are an afterthought. These special subjects, however, can...
How AISD is Making Our Schools Safer
In November 2022, Austin voters approved $2.44 billion in bond funds for improvements across the Austin Independent School District. With those funds, many of AISD’s older campuses will be modernized, and all of its campuses will receive safety and security...
Why is Common Core Controversial?
Based on its name alone, one might expect the term ‘common core’ to represent something that is essential for everyone to understand. In fact, that was exactly the idea behind the creation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative in the early 2000s, more commonly...
Let’s Chat about ChatGPT
The launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) platform in November 2022, has raised a number of concerns regarding the use of artificial intelligence by students. Will AI mean an end to authentic work? Will it degrade students’ abilities to think...
