Educational Debates

It is interesting to note that AP exams are becoming more common. However, contrary to the Washington Post article, AP classes are not necessarily more difficult than their honors counterparts.

For many years, honors courses have been an attractive compromise for American high-schoolers. They have sampled the choices like Goldilocks: Regular courses? Too easy. Advanced Placement courses? Too hard. But honors courses were just right.

As one educator noted, it is up to the school to follow the guidelines of the AP curriculum, but it is not rigid. Do the financial resources of the schools have any effect on the outcome of the students' AP and college careers? Variation between schools is a critical factor. Nor does this emphasis on AP exams take into consideration students' interests. Rather it focuses on an end goal, college entrance, rather than students liking what they learn. Yes, valuable skills are gained from classes that may not be of interest. However, I would support the person who said that it is best to take at least one AP exam... not the push for all AP classes.


On a slightly different note, South Dakota did not pass their version of the "Academic Bill of Rights."

Lawmakers who backed the measure had argued that it would make clear that the Legislature values intellectual diversity, which the bill defined as "the foundation of a learning environment that exposes students to a variety of political, ideological, and other perspectives." The measure's supporters, who were mostly Republicans, had said the legislation would allow for better oversight of how well the state's campuses were protecting diverse views.

South Dakota certainly seems to have their share of headline-grabbing legislation lately...


Finally, the New York Times prominently featured an article on multiples (siblings) in the classroom. On one side of the argument, you have parental choice.

Advocates of parental choice point to studies in the past few years that have suggested that twins, for example, may actually benefit from being left together in their early years.

Yet, the same people go on to argue that the bond between twins is "is intense and thus privileged" and therefore it may be better for the twins to be together. I can understand the parental choice argument, though it does invite micro-managing parents into the equation. However, to say that twins (or triplets) will fluorish more in the classroom with his or her sibling(s) may not be accurate. Some children become more socially engaged and are more confident with friends present, while others merely become shadows in their friends' wake.

On the opposing side, parents argue that multiples should not have the constant comparisons with one another, which often occurs when the children are placed in the same classroom. Stories abound on both sides of the issue. As you are reading this, you probably already have a bias, based on experience....