"The history of American schools is a pendulum that swings between emphasizing character on the one hand and intelligence on the other. But over the course of the 20th century, testing– standardized testing of math and reading and other cognitive skills– grew and it grew until it dominated American education."
This episode of This American Life looks at what is and, perhaps more importantly, what is not being taught in today’s classrooms. Non-cognitive skills, such as social learning and grit, are among those being left behind. While more difficult to test and quantify, they are still valuable for students to learn and develop, and, ironically, their absence might be a large reason behind many students’ difficulties.
The Early Math Collaborative works to improve math instruction for young children in three ways:
