The Chatterbox

The Chatterbox

News and views from the staff of FamilyEducation.
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archives

September 30, 2011
Look Who's Failing Now: No Child Left Behind
States can now apply to opt out of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), thanks to a new executive order that President Obama signed last month -- and they're lining up in droves to ditch the program. It's no wonder almost 30 states have already said they're going to leave NCLB in their dust. In the 10 years since President Bush signed the NCLB Act -- setting rigid but underfunded national standards for public schools -- the program has drawn criticism for countless reasons. A few things come to mind when most of us think of NCLB: - Mathreadingmathreadingmathreadingmath... - It...
Education, educational policy, No Child Left Behind, Obama
September 23, 2011
Exercising Your Old Soul in the New Technology Age
I've just about had it with technology this week. My computer's mouse keeps freezing. Mark Zuckerberg keeps messing with Facebook. And now people are starting to migrate to Google+ (very Facebookish), so now I have yet another social media platform to participate in. So, what am I to do when I'm ready to short circuit from technology overload? My computer can't give me a hug. But it certainly can help transport me to the good ol' days... Here are some of my favorite things that have been helping me exercise my old soul lately in this new media world: - Watching Antiques...
History, Technology
September 16, 2011
Chicago's Crib Bumper Ban -- and What to Do with Your Bumpers
Let's be honest: Crib bumpers are the cutest part of baby bedding sets. An adorable bumper -- blue ticking stripes with embroidered monkeys -- came with the crib bedding I bought for my sister's baby just over a year ago. But bumpers may soon become a thing of the past. Last week, Chicago became the first city to ban crib bumpers due to safety concerns -- mainly the possibility of a baby's suffocation in the plush but pretty crib liners. The city council's unanimous move to ban bumpers followed a Chicago Tribune investigation that found that dozens of U.S....
crib bumper ban; Baby Safety Month; baby products
September 8, 2011
Resources and Tips for Explaining 9/11 to Kids
Explaining 9/11 to kids born after it or those who were too young to remember it is tricky, to say the least. It was a nightmarish day, and the last thing we want to do is give our kids nightmares. But it was an important day in history, and one that many children are confused about, so it's wise to keep the lines of communication open with kids as we approach the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. An online search for good resources and tips for tackling the topic proved to be a wild goose chase -- which shows how scary it is that some kids are Googling to...
9/11, Grief, Parenting, September 11, tough subjects