With back-to-school season fast approaching, let us help you get up to speed — we’re sharing some of our favorite education reads right here.
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Online charter school leaves Georgia parents in the lurch
At Georgia Cyber Academy, the state’s largest charter school, with 10,000 students, “computers froze, email stopped working and student records disappeared just before school started last Monday,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. These setbacks come amid a legal fight with K12 Inc., the national corporation that used to operate the Georgia school.
When back to school means back to debt
Across the country, parents are paying more than ever for school supplies — and the annual shopping season is stretching families thin, the Tampa Bay Times reports. This year, the average family is expected to spend just under $700, about $150 more than 10 years ago. And not all parents can make it to events where supplies are donated for free. The Tampa Bay Times looked at one family’s mathematical gymnastics, tallying the decisions they made at a Walmart one day.
Reading on paper really does help
Digital books might be cheaper, but there’s now even more evidence that it’s harder to retain words we read on screens, according to The Hechinger Report. A survey of 33 research studies found that, nearly universally, students remember more when they read on paper — especially if it’s nonfiction. The research “clashes with textbook publishers’ long-term plans to emphasize digital texts,” Jill Barshay writes.
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