Why is most education research so useless? Conflict of interest

Every time I read an article about public school, I assume I’ll run into research from people who have a conflict of interest. Here are three studies that made me nuts this week.

Guest post: I quit homeschool and sent my kids to private school

This is a guest post from a long-time reader. It stems from an email exchange we had about her kids going to a top private school for high school. I learned so much from her that I edited the emails—with her permission—into a post. I am a single mom—very single with two sperm-donor kids—and I […]

Should I use Classical Curriculum? No. It sucks.

Before we can even talk about the merits of Classical Curriculum we need to talk about the mob-like business of creating confusion to generate profit. There are laws governing trademarks so that people don’t trademark names that cause confusion. For example, people constantly grab Penelope Trunk when there is a new social platform, and they […]

Why homeschooling fails when it comes to diversity

The case against Harvard that’s going through the court system right now is fascinating. Rejected candidates are suing Harvard for systematic discrimination, and in order to defend itself, Harvard had to reveal salacious details of its arcane system for ranking applicants.

Homeschooling is harder if you don’t get along with women

If you are a woman who gets along better with men than women, you know who you are. Girls became weirder and weirder to you. Until you found your spot with the intellectuals. The logical thinkers. The people who did math and science, perhaps. Or the people who memorized stuff. The groups that—science explains—are mostly […]

Try low-brow art as an on-ramp to cultural literacy

Did you always dream of playing video games with your kids all day long? Then homeschooling is your dream come true! The whole family can learn together! But for everyone else, homeschooling turns out to be each family member learning on their own, because if you want to learn what someone else wants you to […]

Join me (and my kids!) in Asperger heaven

This post is about a new course I’m doing. Oct 22. But first, I have stuff to say. I recently wrote about the breakfast table effect, which explains why kids who have great science projects before college have parents who are scientists: they talk about science over breakfast because that’s what the parents like to talk […]

Don’t bother teaching kids to take notes

I didn’t teach my kids handwriting. I assumed they would learn to write when they had things they wanted to say on paper. I assumed that would come soon. I have 50 volumes of handwritten diaries going back to preschool, and writing was my lifeline from drowning in a dangerous family.

Show respect for the jobs kids will have in the future

I am a huge fan of hiring someone to teach me a skill. I learn a lot faster if someone watches me do it and tells me what I’m doing wrong. So, for example, I’ve had a professional show me how to do street photography (thanks, James), I’ve had someone show me how to create […]

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