By some accounts, education is a $7 trillion global industry ripe for disruption. Others see it as a sacred pursuit, nurturing developing minds while preserving tradition. Around the world, education means equal rights and opportunity.
People risk their lives for it every day.
In the U.S., the public education system is changing dramatically along with our understanding of how learning happens, and we here at the NPR Ed Team have made it our mission to explore these changes — in school, at home, at work and in the brain. And now we want to send our best work directly to your inbox.
Let’s say you subscribe to our newsletter this week. Here’s what you’ll get:
Life Isn’t Fair. New research shows that pretty girls make higher grades. But guess what happens when students take their classes online …
Inside College Admissions. What happens when you (or your kids or grandkids) finally send off those college applications? Who reads them and what are the conversations like when they weigh prospective students against each other? We take a look behind the curtain at one school in Massachusetts.
Lots Of Education Talk In The State Of The Union. President Obama wants every student to learn computer science. We explain how that might work. And fewer than 10 percent of America’s high schools offer computer science classes. Educators say adding courses isn’t enough — it will take teachers who inspire.
Great Teachers. Also in POTUS’ speech: “We should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids.” For the past year, we’ve been profiling great teachers (part of our #50GreatTeachers project). Check out this Arizona teacher who draws from a deep well of Navajo culture or this Bronx-based, self-described “science nerd” who is teaching kids to grow and cook fresh vegetables.
And because we’re not the only ones reporting on the day’s big education ideas, we’ll let you in on what we’re reading from other news outlets — so you can read it too.