Misguided by Higher Education is a great column about higher education. It has a number of interesting points.
For example the author proposes that by encouraing so many to attend columns our country has suffered in lost opportunities. He lists many successful high tech companies which were started by drop outs and asks if the students might have been more willing to take risks and start up a new business if they were not saddled by mountains of debt.
The column is a bit long, but well worth reading.
Monday, October 31, 2011
A little bit of science
This is kind of fun. When you let go of a hanging slinky the bottom doesn't move until the slinky collapses.
Because it's Friday: Anti-Gravity Slinky describes it this way:
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Here's an interesting quirk of Physics: if you hold a Slinky spring-toy in mid-air and then drop it, the base of the Slinky becomes momentarily suspended in mid-air, apparently defying gravity.
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Pretty cool:
Hat tip: Instapundit
Because it's Friday: Anti-Gravity Slinky describes it this way:
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Here's an interesting quirk of Physics: if you hold a Slinky spring-toy in mid-air and then drop it, the base of the Slinky becomes momentarily suspended in mid-air, apparently defying gravity.
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Pretty cool:
Hat tip: Instapundit
Combining the worst of two regions
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Washington [D.C.] is a city of
Southern efficiency and Northern charm.
-John F. Kennedy
Washington [D.C.] is a city of
Southern efficiency and Northern charm.
-John F. Kennedy
National Novel Writing Month
Each November there is a invitation to write a novel in a month. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. All three of my daughters have decided they are going to participate. (I think the older two are doing it for their English class.)
I will at least start this effort. I was awake last night for for over an hour as I was writing the introduction in my head.
If my mind continues to race with ideas and stops me from sleeping I might have to put the effort back on the shelf. We'll see.
I will at least start this effort. I was awake last night for for over an hour as I was writing the introduction in my head.
If my mind continues to race with ideas and stops me from sleeping I might have to put the effort back on the shelf. We'll see.
Drop Out rates
My only direct contact with the public school system has been with foster children. What I see scares me to death. Most people are shocked to know the drop out / graduation rates.
Data from the California Department of Education show that only 74.4% of students who start the 9th grade will graduate in 4 years. For many students, school is just daycare for teenagers.
Of those not graduating, 18% are considered drop outs; some are still enrolled in school (6.6 %); others are non-diploma special education students (0.5 %) or those who passed the General Educational Development Test® (0.4 %).
These numbers do not include the 3.5% of students that dropped out during 8th grade.
I could not find data on the graduation rates for the 6.6% percent of students still enrolled after 4 years. These statistics also don't reveal what percentage of high school graduates earned "soft" credits through alternative programs.
We have a local high school program that allows students to earn double credits so that they can potentially return to the regular high school and graduate with their class. Unfortunately, students are given "double credits " but it is high questionable if the students actually earn them.
Even though we homeschool, the government school problems effect my family. My tax money finances this system. These poorly educated youth are future voters.
Not all is bad. There are some good programs. There are many students with involved parents who navigate the school system well and come out relatively unscathed and are generally competent.
However, even in this group, that future voter issue still worries me. Without an understanding of history and the principles of government on which our country was founded, voting deteriorates into a popularity contest devoid of substance (which sounds suspiciously like high school).
I'm interested in education reforms that treat tax payer funded education as a privilege, are flexible, leave the responsibility with the parents, and yet provide options for students with less competent parents.
Any ideas?
Data from the California Department of Education show that only 74.4% of students who start the 9th grade will graduate in 4 years. For many students, school is just daycare for teenagers.
Of those not graduating, 18% are considered drop outs; some are still enrolled in school (6.6 %); others are non-diploma special education students (0.5 %) or those who passed the General Educational Development Test® (0.4 %).
These numbers do not include the 3.5% of students that dropped out during 8th grade.
I could not find data on the graduation rates for the 6.6% percent of students still enrolled after 4 years. These statistics also don't reveal what percentage of high school graduates earned "soft" credits through alternative programs.
We have a local high school program that allows students to earn double credits so that they can potentially return to the regular high school and graduate with their class. Unfortunately, students are given "double credits " but it is high questionable if the students actually earn them.
Even though we homeschool, the government school problems effect my family. My tax money finances this system. These poorly educated youth are future voters.
Not all is bad. There are some good programs. There are many students with involved parents who navigate the school system well and come out relatively unscathed and are generally competent.
However, even in this group, that future voter issue still worries me. Without an understanding of history and the principles of government on which our country was founded, voting deteriorates into a popularity contest devoid of substance (which sounds suspiciously like high school).
I'm interested in education reforms that treat tax payer funded education as a privilege, are flexible, leave the responsibility with the parents, and yet provide options for students with less competent parents.
Any ideas?
Resources for unschoolers
The Libertarian Homeschooler posted a link to a good list of The 10 Best Resources For Unschooling.
The first three resources are:
1. A good set of encyclopedias
2. Books
3. A Libary Card
The first three resources are:
1. A good set of encyclopedias
2. Books
3. A Libary Card
Contrasting poverty in the United States with the rest of the world
A couple weeks ago I wrote about a report on poverty in the United States. Attention, Protestors: You're Probably Part of the 1% reminds us just how blessed we are in America:
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The recent Occupy Wall Street protests have aimed their message at the income disparity between the 1% richest Americans and the rest of the country. But what happens when you expand that and look at the 1% richest of the entire world? Some really interesting numbers emerge. If there were a global Occupy Wall Street protest, people as well off as Linda Frakes might actually be the target.
In America, the top 1% earn more than $380,000 per year. We are, however, among the richest nations on Earth. How much do you need to earn to be among the top 1% of the world?
$34,000.
That was the finding World Bank economist Branko Milanovic presented in his 2010 book The Haves and the Have-Nots. Going down the distribution ladder may be just as surprising. To be in the top half of the globe, you need to earn just $1,225 a year. For the top 20%, it's $5,000 per year. Enter the top 10% with $12,000 a year. To be included in the top 0.1% requires an annual income of $70,000.
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The recent Occupy Wall Street protests have aimed their message at the income disparity between the 1% richest Americans and the rest of the country. But what happens when you expand that and look at the 1% richest of the entire world? Some really interesting numbers emerge. If there were a global Occupy Wall Street protest, people as well off as Linda Frakes might actually be the target.
In America, the top 1% earn more than $380,000 per year. We are, however, among the richest nations on Earth. How much do you need to earn to be among the top 1% of the world?
$34,000.
That was the finding World Bank economist Branko Milanovic presented in his 2010 book The Haves and the Have-Nots. Going down the distribution ladder may be just as surprising. To be in the top half of the globe, you need to earn just $1,225 a year. For the top 20%, it's $5,000 per year. Enter the top 10% with $12,000 a year. To be included in the top 0.1% requires an annual income of $70,000.
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
I wish Tom McClintock was my congressman
Congressman McClintock explains some of how we got into this mess and how to get out of it:
Friday, October 28, 2011
Interesting study on gun ownership by state
Janine and I took a pistol safety class a couple months ago. Once soccer season and the Christmast season have passed we are planning on signing our daughters up for the class in January.
Given our recent interest in guns I found this article interesting: Gun Ownership by State.
I won't have guessed there was such a dramatic difference in percentage of households which own guns. The DC district only has 3.8% and Hawaii only has 8.7%, but in contrast Wyoming has 59.7% and Montana has 57.7%.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Given our recent interest in guns I found this article interesting: Gun Ownership by State.
I won't have guessed there was such a dramatic difference in percentage of households which own guns. The DC district only has 3.8% and Hawaii only has 8.7%, but in contrast Wyoming has 59.7% and Montana has 57.7%.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Time to get rid of the TSA
We haven't flown for a long time. I am not willing to subject my daughters to the TSA agressive pat downs. I follow Boycott Flying on Facebook. It constantly reports abuses by TSA agents, but the sad thing is they rarely get punished.
TSA Creator Says Dismantle, Privatize the Agency is a good article, which starts:
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They’ve been accused of rampant thievery, spending billions of dollars like drunken sailors, groping children and little old ladies, and making everyone take off their shoes.
But the real job of the tens of thousands of screeners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to protect Americans from a terrorist attack.
Yet a decade after the TSA was created following the September 11 attacks, the author of the legislation that established the massive agency grades its performance at “D-.”
“The whole program has been hijacked by bureaucrats,” said Rep. John Mica (R. -Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
“It mushroomed into an army,” Mica said. “It’s gone from a couple-billion-dollar enterprise to close to $9 billion.”
As for keeping the American public safe, Mica says, “They’ve failed to actually detect any threat in 10 years.”
“Everything they have done has been reactive. They take shoes off because of [shoe-bomber] Richard Reid, passengers are patted down because of the diaper bomber, and you can’t pack liquids because the British uncovered a plot using liquids,” Mica said.
“It’s an agency that is always one step out of step,” Mica said.
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TSA Creator Says Dismantle, Privatize the Agency is a good article, which starts:
----------
They’ve been accused of rampant thievery, spending billions of dollars like drunken sailors, groping children and little old ladies, and making everyone take off their shoes.
But the real job of the tens of thousands of screeners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to protect Americans from a terrorist attack.
Yet a decade after the TSA was created following the September 11 attacks, the author of the legislation that established the massive agency grades its performance at “D-.”
“The whole program has been hijacked by bureaucrats,” said Rep. John Mica (R. -Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
“It mushroomed into an army,” Mica said. “It’s gone from a couple-billion-dollar enterprise to close to $9 billion.”
As for keeping the American public safe, Mica says, “They’ve failed to actually detect any threat in 10 years.”
“Everything they have done has been reactive. They take shoes off because of [shoe-bomber] Richard Reid, passengers are patted down because of the diaper bomber, and you can’t pack liquids because the British uncovered a plot using liquids,” Mica said.
“It’s an agency that is always one step out of step,” Mica said.
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Interesting article on the Moral Foundations of Occupy Wall Street
A friend sent me a link to a fascinating article about The Moral Foundations of Occupy Wall Street.
"In Our Law" A song about the constitution
Janine found this found site. They have a song about the Constitution: In Our Law.
Pretty cool.
I love presentations that teach useful information in an entertaining way.
Pretty cool.
I love presentations that teach useful information in an entertaining way.
A good question to ask when making decisions
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Ask not what the cost of doing this will be.
Ask what the cost of not doing it will be.
-Attributed to
Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
Ask not what the cost of doing this will be.
Ask what the cost of not doing it will be.
-Attributed to
Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The US gives economic aid to over 150 countries
As Representative Poe says it is time to reconsider who we give economic aid to. The United States is giving money to countries which hate us. With the hard economic times I think we should cut back.
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
Please remember to send in a post about homeschooling for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Next week's carnival will be held at HomeschoolBuzz.com
Next week's carnival will be held at HomeschoolBuzz.com
This will be the 305th edition.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Webinar on the IRS and Homeschool organizations
Carol, the HomeschoolCPA, has a Webinar tonight: The IRS and Your Homeschool Organization.
She'll talk about:
She'll talk about:
- Homeschoolers and the IRS
- What does 501(c)(3) mean?
- Is it needed for my group?
- The benefits of 501c3 tax exempt status
- The disadvantages too!
- Why your organization should consider becoming a nonprofit corporation
New study finds IQ can rise or fall significantly
IQ can rise or fall significantly during adolescence, brain scans confirm starts:
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Across our lifetime, our intellectual ability is considered to be stable, with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores taken at one point in time used to predict educational achievement and employment prospects later in life. However, in a study published today in the journal Nature, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) and the Centre for Educational Neuroscience show for the first time that in fact our IQ is not constant.
The researchers, led by Professor Cathy Price, tested thirty-three healthy adolescents in 2004 when they were between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They then repeated the tests four years later when the same subjects were between 15 and 20 years old. On both occasions, the researchers took structural brains scans of the subjects using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Professor Price and colleagues found significant changes in the IQ scores measured in 2008 compared to the 2004 scores. Some subjects had improved their performance relative to people of a similar age by as much as 20 points on the standardised IQ scale; in other cases, however, performance had fallen by a similar amount. In order to test whether these changes were meaningful, the researchers analysed the MRI scans to see if there was a correlation with changes in the structure of the subjects' brains.
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And it appears IQ may be able to change even into adulthood:
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"The question is, if our brain structure can change throughout our adult lives, can our IQ also change?" adds Professor Price. "My guess is yes. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that our brains can adapt and their structure changes, even in adulthood."
----------
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Across our lifetime, our intellectual ability is considered to be stable, with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores taken at one point in time used to predict educational achievement and employment prospects later in life. However, in a study published today in the journal Nature, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) and the Centre for Educational Neuroscience show for the first time that in fact our IQ is not constant.
The researchers, led by Professor Cathy Price, tested thirty-three healthy adolescents in 2004 when they were between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They then repeated the tests four years later when the same subjects were between 15 and 20 years old. On both occasions, the researchers took structural brains scans of the subjects using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Professor Price and colleagues found significant changes in the IQ scores measured in 2008 compared to the 2004 scores. Some subjects had improved their performance relative to people of a similar age by as much as 20 points on the standardised IQ scale; in other cases, however, performance had fallen by a similar amount. In order to test whether these changes were meaningful, the researchers analysed the MRI scans to see if there was a correlation with changes in the structure of the subjects' brains.
----------
And it appears IQ may be able to change even into adulthood:
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"The question is, if our brain structure can change throughout our adult lives, can our IQ also change?" adds Professor Price. "My guess is yes. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that our brains can adapt and their structure changes, even in adulthood."
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Do you find this true with your children?
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
The quickest way for a parent to get a child's
attention is to sit down and look comfortable.
Lane Olinhouse
Bits and Pieces August 2011
The quickest way for a parent to get a child's
attention is to sit down and look comfortable.
Lane Olinhouse
Bits and Pieces August 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Good thought on problem solving
From A.Word.A.Day:
A problem well stated is a problem half solved.
-Charles F. Kettering, inventor and engineer (1876-1958)
A problem well stated is a problem half solved.
-Charles F. Kettering, inventor and engineer (1876-1958)
Should I be blogging less?
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
Blessed is the man who,
having nothing to say,
abstains from giving
evidence of the fact.
-George Eliot
DailyInbox:
PAX Proverbs Plus
Blessed is the man who,
having nothing to say,
abstains from giving
evidence of the fact.
-George Eliot
DailyInbox:
PAX Proverbs Plus
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