Express   September 20, 2013

"We agreed disarm him"

The United States and Russia have agreed a plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapons by the middle of next year. The American Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, meeting in Geneva, announced that...

The Telegraph UK   September 17, 2013

Internet Security: 10 Ways to Keep Your Personal Data Safe From Online Snoopers

The internet has changed our lives in countless positive ways, but it has a dark side. Personal privacy has been lost, leaving you at risk from shady individuals, companies and security agencies. But there are steps you can take to limit your exposure

The Telegraph   September 12, 2013

How to Eat in Restaurants on the Cheap
(Video)

Food critic and journalist Matthew Fort shares his secrets on how to get the most from any visit to a restaurant. From the importance of looking locally to understanding how to read a menu, he explains what to keep in mind in order to come away from a meal with great memories rather than a nasty aftertaste

The Atlantic   September 10, 2013

The Writing Revolution

For years, nothing seemed capable of turning around New Dorp High School's dismal performance - not firing bad teachers, not flashy education technology, not after-school programs. So, faced with closure, the school's principal went all-in on a very specific curriculum reform, placing an overwhelming focus on teaching the basics of analytic writing, every day, in virtually every class. What followed was an extraordinary blossoming of student potential, across nearly every subject - one that has made New Dorp a model for educational reform.

Express   September 9, 2013

SWAG

This cartoon by Bob from The Telegraph mixes two news stories: the break-in at Buckingham Palace, and the comments by UK Prime Minister David Cameron's passionate defence of Britain's...

The New Yorker   August 29, 2013

Inescapably, You are Judged
by Your Language.

From the first time we step into an English class, we're told that the rules matter, that they must be followed, that we must know when it's appropriate to use a comma and what it means to employ the subjunctive mood. But do these things really matter? Outside of the classroom, what difference does it make if we write "who" instead of "whom" or say "good" instead of "well"?

The New Yorker   August 28, 2013

LETTER FROM CHINA

Crazy English

The national scramble to learn a new language before the Olympics.

LETTER FROM CHINA about Li Yang Crazy English. Writer describes Li Yang, the founder, head teacher, and editor-in-chief of Li Yang Crazy English, speaking at an intensive-training course for volunteers to the 2008 Summer Olympics. China intends to teach itself as much English as possible before its...

New York Times   August 5, 2013

Testing, Testing

More Students Are Taking Both the ACT and SAT As if applying to college isn't taxingForgot your password? enough, the process seems to have been ratcheted upForgot your password? another notch. Ambitious high school students are no longer contentForgot your password? with just one college admissions test. Not a single college requires it, but many applicants to the nation's most selective colleges and universities are taking - and retaking - both the ACT and the SAT.

New York Times   August 2, 2013

Following the Money

What where to study, based on graduates' earnings Calculating the Net Worth of a College Degree.

It's not hard for a student today, facing an average single-year college bill of $21,657, to unwittinglyForgot your password? take on a life-altering amount of debt. Pick a college or field that doesn't set you up for a job that's lucrativeForgot your password? enough to pay back loans and you could spend years just scraping byForgot your password?.

New York Times   August 2, 2013

To Catch a Cheat

Educators Study Online Dishonesty

FOR his recent study, "Understanding Cheating in Online Courses," Bernard Bull asked his students to share their stories. Cut-and-pasteForgot your password? still rules, he found, but with a global twist that trips up plagiarism-detectionForgot your password? software. Students are finding papers online in another language and running them through Google Translate.