I was going to put this in my Weekly Political Update, but decided it deserved a post of its own: Officials from the Lexington, Massachusetts school district asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit of two couples who claim their parental rights were violated when books depicting same-sex families were discussed in their children’s
Some parents in the Evesham School District of Marlton, New Jersey are up in arms about part of the diversity curriculum that includes a film showing same-sex parents, reports WCAU-TV/NBC 10 Philadelphia News. Garden State Equality has posted a clip of the coverage to YouTube. The film shows children and their parents, with the children
As those of you know who have been reading this blog for a while, my family and I are in the process of moving from New York to Massachusetts. One of our prime considerations in choosing a new town is the quality of the schools. Luckily, there are a number of online resources for comparing
Today marks the start of No Name-Calling Week, “an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.” The event was created three years ago by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight
My son’s latest favorite read is Wild About Books, by Judy Sierra. It’s the cheerful, rhyming tale of a librarian who accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo. The animals discover the fun of reading, and the zoo is never the same. Marc Brown, author of the popular Arthur series, illustrated the book, but you’d
Several bloggers, including Mike the Mad Biologist, Shakespeare’s Sister, and Amanda at Pandagon, have written about the Discovery Channel Store’s appalling choices in science gifts for girls. The top boys’ gifts include things like the Discovery Whodunit? Forensics Lab and the Discovery Speed Detector, while the girls have the Discovery Deluxe Nail Salon and the
In the face of poor test scores and a lack of basic math skills among secondary-school students, educators around the country are rethinking math curricula, the New York Times reports. Math reforms a decade ago that emphasized letting students solve problems their own way, without necessarily teaching basics like long division, have not had their
Americans under 30 voted in the largest numbers for midterm elections in at least 20 years, and may have made a difference in the many close races. Young people favored Democrats by 22 points, nearly three times the Democratic margin among other age groups. Some say this indicates a rising Democratic bloc that could be
“For the wealthy with lots of financial assets, college costs less than it used to. For those who depend on their jobs for income, the opposite is true.” That’s the conclusion of the College Board, a research firm, as reported in Saturday’s New York Times. When expressed as weeks of pay needed to finance four
The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and its student clubs are celebrating October 15-21 as Ally Week. GLSEN says: “Ally Week is about identifying and supporting allies and asking them to sign the Ally Pledge to intervene in bullying and harassment throughout the school year.” Students and clubs are encouraged to register for Ally
