No bullying, no questionable photos, no posting after hours. When it comes to social media, parents often set strict rules for their kids, but ignore the same guidelines themselves . Today, why kids want more rigid boundaries for what their parents post online.
Plus, a new federal guideline requires schools to test students for at least one non-academic measure... Traits like empathy, self-control, and one important quality that education scholars are calling "grit". Put how do you score on a child's personality?
Plus, a conversation with James Felice of the folk and country-rock band, the Felice Brothers.
Listen to the full show.
Measuring Grit in Schools
Grit. Pluck. Mettle - all qualities associated with the Greatest Generation. They are also among the nonacademic skills that schools are required to measure, and will be judged on, under updated federal education law.
The debate over how to measure them is in full swing among educators and administrators, and all eyes are on California, where schools in several districts will begin testing grit, empathy, self-control, joy and other hard-to-quantify social emotional skills this year.
Kate Zernike is a national correspondent for the New York Times and has been covering a new set of questions over school testing.
Kids Don't Want You to Post About Them on Social Media
Parents often set strict rules for their kids when it comes to social media, but it is not a two-way street. A new study out of the University of Michigan reveals that children want more rigid guidelines for what their parents post on social media, namely potentially embarrassing photos and stories. KJ Dell'Antonia wrote about the issue for the New York Times"Well” blog.
Related Reading: Don't Post About Me on Social Media, Children Say.
Why We Pay Attention
There is no regulation length for academic classes - they can range from 40 to 90 minutes depending on the school and which grade is being taught. And teachers can't count on all that time being productive since class doesn't always start when the bell rings. This piece came to us from the podcast Sift and host Bishop Sand.
You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
Recess
When you think of grammar school, do you remember reading circle or doing long division, or is it easier to conjure images of the open-air clamor of recess? Maybe you can remember the bell ringing, unleashing peals of laughter, or those formative tests of daring and performance...those arguments over the rules...
Dan DiSorbo and Ben Applebaum think we should do less work and have more recess. They both work for fancy advertising firms, and have together written several books encouraging people to do things that aren't considered productive - like beer pong and bar hopping. Their newest is Recess: From Dodgeball to Double Dutch: Classic Games for Players of Today. It's a guide to help kids and adults reclaim the playground state of mind and share it with others.
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers are a relatively young band, but with a distinctive old-school feel. They made their way through backyard shows, busking on the streets and subways of New York, to a rollicking, rootsy sound that brings to mind Dylan and the Grateful Dead.
All that's coming to 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, New Hampshire this Friday, March 25th. James, the younger of two actual brothers still in the band, plays accordion and sings - and he spoke with producer Taylor Quimby about influences, traditions, and whiskey.
Making Good Songs Sound Great
In this story, producer Allyson McCabe profiles an industry expert who specializes in mixing and mastering - an invisible process that most of us never think about when we hit play on our favorite tunes.
You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
