Academic Perspective

A Declaration of Independence from CollegeBoard
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to condemn the academic bonds which have connected them with another and to assume, among the rights of the Earth, the fair and just treatment to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, [...]

For most of us, waking up is unpleasant. The first thing we hear in the morning is a blaring alarm, or the radio turning on, or in many cases, someone walking in and yelling at us that it’s time to get up. With this type of emergence into wakefulness, it is no surprise that most [...]

“When I was your age and we needed to know something, we looked for it in books…books!”
Sorry Mom, but I never have spent hours in the library searching for facts and I doubt I ever will. I strive for efficiency, simplicity, and ease when completing tasks, and luckily for me, a paperless world allows for [...]

Back in elementary school there was a program for the “gifted and talented” math students called Enrichment. We were given the opportunity to proudly tell our teachers, in front of the entire class, “Excuse me, it’s 2:15. I have to go to Enrichment now.” There, we worked on logic matrices or converting the standard, base [...]

We’ve all gotten into one of these. The instructor faces the classroom with an enormous life question, and, generally, the result is that, A) a couple long-winded kids ramble for an hour on their own opposing views, B) the answer is left to each individual’s moral opinion, or C) the teacher doubtfully regards the class’s [...]

In the early years a child spends in school, nothing is emphasized more than his ability to read. Reading ability is frequently the sole determinant of a teacher’s perception of the child’s intelligence. But most importantly, the development of reading skills promotes a wider vocabulary and gives the child the initial taste of formal English [...]

Nearly a year in office plagued by the economic collapse and now focused on the fiery debate over health care reform has largely distracted the Obama Administration from focusing on education reform. However, this past week the President spoke in Wisconsin exclusively about the topic, hoping to convey the message that Americans must remain committed to the cause…

On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 Republican Chris Christie was elected Governor of New Jersey, beating Democratic incumbent John Corzine by 5.6% of the vote. But Christie’s vague, empty campaign has provided minimal answers as to how the State budget will be balanced. What will New Jersey look like if Christie’s few real solutions come to fruition?

A clear gap has emerged between students of low-income and high-income families. Because of general economic imbalances between caucasians and black in the United States, criticisms of America’s schools are frequently characterized by racial arguments. Whether it is simply correlation or true causality, our schools are, without doubt, failing black students.

This phenomenon is especially visible [...]

The idea of an “expert” is simple enough: one who spends time studying and practicing a particular field in order to gain more knowledge in that field than the average person. This “learning” could include personal education through extensive research or hands-on experience, possibly with higher level education through a university or some similar [...]