It’s been eight years since the Common Core State Standards were unveiled and states began adopting them for use in their evaluation programs.  The firestorm of controversy which initially greeted their introduction into American education from both sides of the political aisle seems to have died down somewhat and presently the Common Core appears to...Read More

The concept of neurodiversity emerged in the 1990’s as a way for autism advocates to affirm their identity as people with neurological differences rather than as disabled individuals.  The idea has spread as other advocates (including myself) have sought to articulate the ”diversity rather than disability” message to a broader segment of the population than...Read More

The Common Core Curriculum states that ”[b]y the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.  The question is, how many students actually know them?  One adult scientist has noted:  ”I’m 49 years old, have a PhD in physics, and teach math and physics for a living. When I need...Read More

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2001, there’s been a requirement that schools (at least those receiving federal funds), use ”evidence-based” research to back-up the effectiveness of an instructional intervention in the classroom.  The evidence-based research most often regarded as optimal is the experimental or randomized control trial (RCT).  This...Read More

A study in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry last month reported that”extended use of medication [for ADHD] was associated with suppression of adult height but not with reduction of symptom severity.” So basically, it stunts growth and it isn’t effective. So why isn’t there a bigger hue and cry about this? There are...Read More