Smith College, Wake Forest Are Latest Universities To Drop SAT/ACT Requirements

According to this piece in The New York Times, Smith College and Wake Forest University are the latest universities to drop the SAT and ACT requirements for admission.  Of course, there are several hundred other schools that have already done so, but this bodes well for the future as more top schools see that dropping [...]

The Tragicomedy of the Mindless Quest For That College Degree

Notice I said mindless.  See, that’s the big issue.  Too many students who are not prepared for college–and for whom it might not be the best option–are going into debt to pursue that golden bachelor’s degree.   
Marty Nemko is my new best friend.  Well, we’ve never met, but I like what he has to say. 
Marty wrote a great [...]

How Would You Rule the Admissions Universe?

I know I’d do things differently.  Most adults who have been through the college admissions process and are now the proud owners of hindsight, would agree that the hoop jumping is silly, the college choice is not critical, and your happiness and success in life are not proportionately related to how much you spent on [...]

Mini-Term: An Experiment In No-Pressure, For-Its-Own-Sake Learning

This post by Anthony Chivetta, one of the students over at Students 2.0 provides a glimpse of the kind of learning experiences that are surprisingly simple but result in a great deal of both real learning and satisfaction. 
He describes a mini-term in which two or three teachers with a shared passion teamed up to offer a short course [...]

Is There A RIGHT Way To Study Abroad?

Well, there are better ways to do it, and better times to do it, but study abroad is valuable even under the “worst” circumstances (living and studying with other Americans, traveling with other Americans, and avoiding contact with locals or time alone.)
And don’t get me started on those $50,000 full-year abroad experiences (which would cost you [...]

Dan Pink’s “Johnny Bunko” Career Advice (Comic) Book Looks Like a Winner

I’m a huge fan of Dan Pink and his work:  Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind are brilliant. 
Dan’s been busy working on a very creative new book called “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko:  The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need”—all done up like a comic book using the art of Rob Ten Pas.
I [...]

Clay Burell, Apple Distinguished Educator, Riffs On the Pitfalls of “Schooliness”

Found this great guest post on “schooliness” by Clay Burell, an Apple Distinguished Educator who now teaches in South Korea and blogs at www.Beyond-School.org, on Wesley Fryer’s Speed of Creativity blog. 
Key quote:
“I’m not sure how much longer I want to work for schools.  I’d so much rather teach.”
Exactly.  Read the full post here. 

High School Depression–or Meaning Crisis? Eric Maisel Shares Tips For Students Seeking Relevance

For more than 25 years, Eric Maisel (the godfather of creativity training) has been looking at the realities of the creative life and the make-up of the creative person in books like Fearless Creating, Creativity for Life, Coaching the Artist Within, and lots of others.
In The Van Gogh Blues, Eric explores the idea that meaning [...]

Bill Farren On the Role of Sustainability in Education For Well-Being

Bill Farren, the articulate activist encouraging a deeper awareness of the world through education on his Education for Well-Being website, wrote this great piece as a guest blogger for Beyond School.
Bill focuses on sustainability as a cornerstone for education that truly prepares students for the future.  Check out his excellent video, Did You Ever Wonder?
The [...]

Arts Education Boosts Relevance For US Students In A Global Economy

I appreciate this recent editorial in Eduweek in which Stephanie Perrin, the head of the Walnut Hill School, in Natick, Mass. (one of the oldest secondary schools for the arts in the nation) calls for more emphasis on arts education in public schools. 
I love the fact that she points to the arts as a means of connecting with [...]