These schools are havens for public school students who have struggled in conventional classrooms. There is a waiting list to get in and once they do, not only do they have one of the highest attendance rates, but there is also a 98% college acceptance rate. What’s more, unlike many graduates of traditional schools, Big Picture graduates say they feel prepared for college and career success.

What’s their secret?
Connect school life to real life by doing things differently. 

When I first returned from teaching abroad for a few years, I remember standing in the cereal aisle at Target, paralyzed by the unbelievable number of boxes with cartoon characters, healthy families in puffer vests, and neon-colored O's that claimed to lower my cholesterol. In Japan, I had two options: Cheerios (the regular kind) and a local brand that looked like Kashi. That was it. In Target that day, I looked up and down the aisle, or rather walked up and down the aisle, and eventually said, "Forget it." I grabbed some granola bars and got the heck out of there. 

It is International Day of the Girl! What would you tell your 15-year old self? It's important for young girls to have strong female role models, both in their families and in their lives. Here are some words of wisdom from a few notable women. Who would you add to this list? 

Though this article is about UK education, it hits on similar points that are under discussion in the US and other countries of the world. The UK is trying to provide a national curriculum, while avoiding the tracking system of Germany that tags a certain demographic as low-achieving before they've had a chance to begin. Similarly, this quest for a national curriculum that sets high standards for everyone (and the path to meet them) surrounds one challenge: metrics. We can only demonstrate a successful education if we provide numbers. SAT scores. Grades on a 4.0 scale. Number of AP classes or college credits achieved.

Reading: the original software update. Have a good weekend!...

Homeschooling isn't easy. As Michael Douglas said in The American President, "You gotta want it bad."

Amidst the flurry of Republican candidate Rick Santorum and homeschooling a few months ago, a writer commented on the poor education homeschoolers were getting. More so, that it was hard to even evaluate since "many home-schooling families choose not to comply with the law by submitting to state home-school regulations, or even report their home-school activity to the state."

Not for the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon...

Teenagers of the future find a book. Funny or sad or both? From the folks at Grammarly, a proofreader and grammar checker with sass. Have a good one!...