From the inaugural issue of the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, Mark Carver (Cumbria): Edgy Humour in the Classroom: A Case Study of Risks and Rewards. Earle F. Zeigler (Western): Poor, Old “Physical Education”. Brian Culp (IUPUI): The Ever-Changing Nature of Physical Education in the United States. Should we teach Plato in gym class? Mark Edmundson wonders. Feminists killed Home Ec. — now they should bring it back for boys and girls. The idea of high-school home-economics courses seems outdated to some, but experts, including the first lady, are emphasizing the need for students to learn the skills taught in home ec. Jonathan Wai on the case for starting statistics education in kindergarten kindergarten class. Alexandra Ossola on the challenge of teaching science in rural America. Save the humanities in our public schools: Helen Vendler on how we're depriving students of their national heritage — here's how to fix that. The inaugural issue of the Journal of Philosophy in Schools is out. Don’t know much revisionist history: Conservatives are appalled by changes to the AP U.S. history exam — which is funny, because the changes are hardly revolutionary. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction encourages high school teachers to use Founding Principles, a history curriculum drafted by the Bill of Rights Institute, a group funded by the conservative billionaire Koch brothers. When the religious right co-opts the push to reinvigorate civics education, dubious legislation reveals the most powerful people in public schools. So Bill Gates has this idea for a history class: Should one of the world’s richest men get to dictate the future of how we learn about our past? Lyndsey Layton on how Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution. Buyer's remorse on Common Core for policymakers? High school students are all about computers but get little instruction in computer science.
