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There’s literacy and numeracy, and somewhere in the intersection of the two lies “financial literacy.” If you mess up your monthly budget in a mild way, and end up eating beans and rice for week, perhaps no great harm is done. But the consequences can be more extreme: if you don’t have the money to … Continue reading Financial Literacy: Still Low
The post Financial Literacy: Still Low first appeared on Conversable Economist.

As part of our series on covenantal pluralism, Chris PreJean looks at the situation in Morocco today. In this piece, Chris asks, how does a Muslim-majority state identifying as a constitutional monarchy integrate Christian religious minorities into its policies of pluralism, when its constitution only recognises Islam and Judaism? Morocco might seem to be an … Continued

There is no shortage of knowledge produced in various traditions and diverse scholarly communities. There is no lack of theoretical traditions and political thought that come from non-Euro-American and mainstream canons. There is also no shortage in theoretical concepts and approaches to global politics that are not produced in Anglophone spaces. Rather, there is still in mainstream IR a major problem of literacy to access, integrate, and dialogue with this wealth of IR scholarship produced in and from the margins

'Literacy is invisible ... the stigma means that those who need help instead [perfect] the art of keeping their poor literacy hidden. So, we need an international day to [hear] about literacy.

"Digital rights education is essential in Timor-Leste to empower individuals to protect their privacy, promote freedom of expression, and foster digital inclusion."

The challenges to American democracy posed by fake news and disinformation came to the fore during the 2016 presidential election – but the problem has not gone away. Looking to international examples of measures to tackle fake news, James J. Fisher writes that the US should learn from these and design and conduct robust public … Continued

"What is important in my view when discussing disinformation is addressing the structural problems, such as media literacy, because Western Balkans have some of the lowest media literacy rates in Europe."

Adopting a people-centered approach to building a shared future with Timor-Leste is in Australia's national interest. Developing platforms for enhancing literacy, job growth, health, and agriculture are just some of the ways Australia can build lasting relationships with its closest neighbours.

Over the past decade, it has become evident that although more children are gaining access to schooling, there needs to be improvement in learning outcomes. The recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) highlighted a decline in reading proficiency in 28 out of the 45 participating countries between 2016 and 2021. The current model…

Several schools in London, England, are offering summer literacy lessons that are open only to black students to "accelerate progress in reading and writing whilst also developing the children's knowledge of black history and culture." They are not offering a similar program for white students even though educational achievement is lower for whites from a…

Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. Here are two examples, polar amplification […]
The post Old habits first appeared on RealClimate.

Dr. Anna Julia Cooper was born into slavery at a time, when the 1831 Act prohibited the teaching of literacy to enslaved people in North Carolina in order to prevent rebellion and emancipation. Despite this, she was the fourth (known) Black female Ph.D. and the first African American woman to receive a doctorade from the Sorbonne University. She is still considered a mother of Black feminism and a formidable writer, activist, and educator.

The Program for International Student Assessment, commonly known as PISA, tests 15 year-olds (that is, mostly 10th-graders in the US) on reading, mathematics, and science literacy. It is done about every three years, and coordinated across 81 countries by the OECD. It’s high-level data for cross-country comparisons of what students know. The 2022 results are … Continue reading The Learning of US 15 Year-Olds in International Context: 2022 PISA Scores
The post The Learning of US 15 Year-Olds in International Context: 2022 PISA Scores first appeared on Conversable Economist.

Colleen Hroncich


Just like one size doesn't fit all students, one size doesn't fit all teachers, either. Shiren Rattigan experienced this first‐​hand. A fourth generation educator, Shiren says she was destined to be a teacher. It just took her some time to find the right environment.
"As an educator for over 10 years, I taught at public schools, private elite international schools, and a Montessori school, but none of them quite reflected my vision of education," she recalls. "I saw myself as Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus—whisking the students away on some great unforgettable adventure. I wanted to ignite the love of learning in children with deep connections, hands‐​on activities, and soulful experiences."









Shiren Rattigan
Then came COVID-19. Shiren's three daughters were doing remote school while she was trying to teach her Montessori classes online. Some families asked her if she would tutor their children for the upcoming school year and she agreed. She created kits and dropped them off for the students every Sunday so they could have the Montessori environment right in their homes instead of trying to create it on a screen. She would then direct them to get the appropriate box for each lesson.
"This was working pretty well," she says. "We decided to meet once a week, then twice a week, and then three times a week. I wanted to offer this opportunity to more children and be accessible to a diverse socioeconomic background. I decided the best way to do that was to become a licensed private school and participate in Florida's school choice scholarship program."
Colossal Academy focuses on what Shiren calls 21st century foundational skills—literacy, numeracy, scientific literacy, cultural and civic literacy, and financial literacy. The more traditional academic classes are in the morning, and the students all have their own individual learning plans. They have an hour of unstructured time for lunch where they're able to just be together as a group. After lunch, they have specials, which can include farming, cooking, and textiles. While Colossal Academy is an official private school, Shiren welcomes homeschoolers as well with her three‐​day a week hybrid option.







The initial focus of Colossal Academy was middle school, but Shiren is adding a high school starting with ninth grade this year. "We are working towards relevancy‐​based education," she notes. "As we bridge into high school, all students will graduate as the CEO of their company. By junior year they will have decided formally what their business will be, created business plans, launched a website, and gone to pitch and raise money for their ventures or non‐​profits."
Shiren has also gotten external validation—Colossal received a Next Step Grant from VELA Education Fund and was a Yass Prize quarterfinalist. No wonder she's looking to help others start their own microschools. The Colossal Architect Accelerator assists with securing a space, designing a project‐​based curriculum, marketing, enrollment, and more. This will help teachers as well as other students.
"One exciting aspect that I've grown to understand is that I'm also creating a fertile ground for educators. A place where they can be creative, have deep connections, and thrive," Shiren explains. "I want to fortify teachers to be the professionals that they aim to be—that they thought they were signing up for when they went into education. So it's kind of two‐​fold: serving learners, but also creating a better environment for teachers."
The excitement and passion Shiren has for Colossal Academy is impossible to miss. She sees it as the learning sanctuary she wishes she'd had, the vision she had in becoming a teacher, and the educational environment she wants for her own children.
"In many ways, Colossal Academy is completing a circle," Shiren says. "My great‐​grandmother taught in a one‐​room schoolhouse on a farm. My grandma and mom taught in public schools like we see today. And now I've created a modern version of the one‐​room schoolhouse that lets me individualize education for my students. I guess it's true that everything old is new again."

Jennifer Huddleston


As headlines have gotten the attention of parents and policymakers, a new Surgeon General's report has raised concerns about children's and teens' time on social media. Some states, including Utah, Arkansas, and California, have introduced bills that claim to "protect children," but these bills would carry significant consequences for speech and privacy. Many parents and policymakers are wondering what could be done to help keep kids safer online without taking such a restrictive —and likely unconstitutional — approach.
The issue of keeping children and teens safe online is as unique as each individual child and family. The best answers for these concerns are not one‐​size‐​fits‐​all and thus will emerge from a variety of market and civil society forces that can respond to these unique needs. In my latest policy brief, I highlight some ways that policymakers who want to support parents and families navigating these questions could do so without the problems for speech, privacy, and parental choice.
Many great resources exist already, from parental controls to resources for having conversations about technology with children and teens, but parents are often unsure of what parental controls are available, how to have conversations with their children about technology, or where to look for guidance. Policymakers could help empower parents by collating existing resources or engaging in other educational opportunities so families can choose the right solutions for their concerns. These resources need not be developed by the government, as a wide array of both industry and civil society groups have already developed such resources.
Second, further research is needed to understand the underlying concerns around issues like teenage mental health and social media. It should not be presumed that technology is always to blame, and how technology can help with these same issues should also be explored. Not only should further research and conversations include scientific and social science research, but policymakers and trusted adults like parents, caregivers, and teachers should also ask children and teenagers why they prefer to spend time online and discuss the value they find in online communities.
Finally, many states already have a digital or computer literacy component in their curriculums. However, many of these curriculums and standards were developed before social media gained popularity. This year, Florida passed a law to include updated online safety and media literacy around social media in a way that allows schools and parents to be aware of and choose the curriculum. This flexible approach does not dictate to children and teenagers what choices they should make, but instead prepares them to both make responsible choices and understand the risks and benefits of using technology.
In short, it is understandable that many parents are concerned about what they hear about children, teenagers, and social media. It is not uncommon for these concerns to arise with technology or in popular culture. Similar concerns have played out over everything from the novel to video games.
Despite these concerns, many children and teens have found valuable online communities, educational opportunities, or new passions online. Rather than rushing to regulate or take away technology from teenagers, parents, and policymakers should look at the tools available to empower and educate all users on how to have a beneficial online experience.