Curriculum and Academics

Voucher programs have become a subject of significant interest in education policy, with almost a quarter of states implementing such programs. These initiatives aim to give parents more educational choices for their children, allowing them to use public funds to enroll their children in private or parochial schools.

This article overviews voucher programs in thirteen states—Arizona, Colorado, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In addition, it highlights the year each program became law and provides a brief description of each state's voucher program.

Arizona (1997)

Arizona's voucher program, the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA), was established in 1997. Initially limited to students with disabilities, the program has expanded to include other eligible student populations, such as children from military families and those attending low-performing schools. ESA provides parents with public funds through education savings accounts for various educational expenses, including tuition, textbooks, and tutoring services.

Colorado (2003)

Colorado's voucher program, the School Choice Grant Program, was enacted in 2003. The program aims to provide educational options for students from low-income families attending low-performing schools. Qualified students receive tuition grants at private schools participating in the program.

District of Columbia (2003)

The District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) was established in 2003. It is the only federally funded voucher program in the United States. The OSP offers scholarships to low-income families residing in the District of Columbia, enabling them to enroll their children in participating private schools.

Florida (1999)

Florida's voucher program,

I've often wondered how my education would have turned out if computers and STEM had been part of the course offerings in the 50s and 60s. Of course, engineering is part of my DNA, with my father, uncles, grandfather, and great-uncles all having been chemical, mechanical, or civil engineers. Music and Latin were the subjects that interested me as a high school student. Fast forward to 1980. When IBM introduced the PC in 1980, I was awestruck. Then came the DARPA project called the Internet. I never looked back. I devoured technology and all its manifestations with an enthusiasm I had never experienced before. Against that personal backdrop, in this essay, I aim to see how I would integrate STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) into my grandchildren's educations.

Why is a STEM education important?

An education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is important for several reasons: Pair STEM with AI, and your students will be well-equipped to handle the career challenges of today's work environment.

It provides career opportunities

The workplace is changing rapidly. Education in STEM subjects can provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in fields that are in demand.

STEM extends far beyond the classroom. There are many places where STEM shows up in the real world, and many students already unknowingly engage with it in their day-to-day routines. Highlighting how everyday experiences can relate to their STEM education is another way of

Susan D'Agostino's article in Inside Higher Ed, Designing Assignments in the ChatGPT Era, got me wondering how teachers will handle their students' use of ChatGPT. ChatGPT is so easy to use and its answers so precise that it's inevitable that ChatGPT's answers will show up in essays and term papers. That's fine as long as students attribute their answers to ChatGPT as they must do with any source. However, our digitally adept young people will find workarounds to make ChatGPT's work appear to be theirs. I hate to be cynical, but that's the way things work.

Here are some suggestions on how to design assignments in the ChatGPT age.

Use pop quizzes frequently.

Pop quizzes are a valuable tool on many levels. With a group of students you know well, a pop quiz allows you to spot-check retention and identify material that needs to be retaught or explained. As you do with all your teaching materials, design your pop quizzes, so they are systematic and comprehensive. While informal oral quizzes can be effective, a written pop quiz provides the documentation you will need if a dispute over ownership of the answers arises.

I asked ChatGPT the best way for a teacher to use pop quizzes. Here's the answer:

Pop quizzes can be a useful tool for teachers to assess students' understanding of material and ensure that they are paying attention in class. Here are some best practices for using pop quizzes effectively:

1. Use pop

Artificial Intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, is knocking on school doors everywhere. So, rather than let some reporter tell us about AI and ChatGPT, I asked ChatGPT to explain itself to you and me. Here are the questions I posed, followed by ChatGPT's answers, all of which I have put in blockquotes. The questions are mine. The answers are ChatGPT's.

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. AI systems are able to perform tasks such as perception, problem-solving, decision-making, and language understanding. There are various subfields of AI, such as machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, which are used to create specialized AI systems that can perform specific tasks. AI has many practical applications, such as in self-driving cars, speech recognition, and image recognition.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer) architecture, which is a type of neural network designed for natural language processing tasks. ChatGPT is trained on a massive dataset of text from the internet and is able to generate human-like text in response to prompts. It can be fine-tuned for specific language tasks such as question answering, conversation, and text completion. ChatGPT has a wide range of potential uses, such as in chatbots, language translation, and content generation.

In this video, Adam Twarog explains ChatGPT.

Will your child be going to high school in a few years? Are you looking at the academic options available in your local public and private schools? If so, then I recommend that you take this IB quiz. It will help you decide the best college prep approach for your child.

In education, one size does not fit all because children learn differently. Some children do well in a school offering a curriculum centered around Advanced Placement courses and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation. Others thrive in the non-traditional educational experience that progressive schools provide. Finally, some children find that the substantial academic experience that the International Baccalaureate program offers is the right option for them. Your answers to the following questions will help you make the right decisions about your child's academic future and preparation for college.

Why should I consider a school that offers the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme?

For several reasons, you should consider sending your child to a school that offers the International Baccalaureate® Programme, or IB as it is affectionately called. First of all, you have decided that you want your child to learn how to do serious academic work in high school so that she is well-prepared for the rigors of tertiary-level academic work. Secondly, you are uncomfortable with her only learning how to do well on tests. Thirdly, you want her to develop superior writing and research skills.

Where is the IB Diploma Programme offered?

Most American public and private