Making Education Relevant

The 2011-2012 school year has begun.

Have you noticed how different kids' backpacks are these days? And no, I'm not talking about the size or style - I'm talking about what's inside.

When I was in my primary and secondary years of schooling, my back-to-school shopping list contained items like #2 pencils, highlighters, fat pink erasers, a spiral-bound planner, a 2-inch binder, several reams of ruled paper, and maybe some folders and dividers.

All of these things were necessary to keep track of old and new assignments, in-class notes, daily handouts, and the coveted semester syllabus that would only be handed out once: don't lose it!

But things have changed. Kids now have smart phones and computers, electronic text books and digital calendars. Assignments are posted online, and papers can be researched and completed without setting foot in to a library. Students can skype their foreign academic pen-pals in real time instead of waiting weeks for paper mail.

Other parts of the world - different cultures, languages, methods of learning and teaching, ways of thinking and living have become so immediate and accessible that change in every realm (including the contents of a backpack!) now occurs at the speed of light.

The question these days, then, is not "how can we make kids focus and learn in a manner that follows tradition and present society " but "how can we make what we've learned from tradition and history relevant to an ever-changing social and economic educational environment?"

A lecture I attended a few months ago that focused on "educating students with learning challenges" played this animate by Sir Ken Robinson. The goal was to illuminate the concept that it's not that the kids with learning challenges are failing in our system, but more that our system is failing those kids - and more truly, all kids. Check it out!

Another thing I learned from the lecture, is the importance of Private SAT tutoring and how it can tremendously increase the mental preparation of a child. The SAT is a test that has changed over the years, becoming more and more focused on logic and reasoning, thus increasing the difficulty

Football Season, Fandom, and Fall Commitments at School

Going back to school is hard. You have higher expectations from teachers, parents, private SAT tutors, and coaches, and the stakes grow each academic year. Coming after the ease of summer, the fall tends to be an intense time.

Complicating these pressures is the incredible excitement of football season. Being a serious football fan is a serious commitment – at least 4 hours on Saturday and/or Sunday and perhaps more.

Growing up a diehard Michigan and Patriots fan, missing a game was just not an option. Unfortunately, neither was missing any homework assignments or sports practice.

Here are my battle tested tips for staying on top of your academic life while still being an awesome fan:

1. Keep your fan focus sharp. Don’t get sucked in by games that don’t REALLY matter to you. Knuckle down and do your homework during the other games – that will allow you to kick back and relax when YOUR team is playing. Doing your homework while your team is playing is like being the dad on his Blackberry at his daughter’s soccer game – be present!

2. Know your schedule. Is your team playing a night game? Early game? Know this so you can plan accordingly. You don’t want to procrastinate on your homework until Sunday afternoon only to realize your team is playing the night game. That leads to either doing your homework during the game, staying up way too late after, or not doing an assignment – all subpar outcomes. Being a good fan is like being a good student – you need to know your due dates.

3. Take advantage of commercial breaks. The NFL loves commercial breaks and so should you. Commercial breaks are a great chance to mute the TV and go through a set of flashcards or vocab words. There are probably 20 four minute commercial breaks during each game – great opportunities to get some quick studying in.

4. Use the TiVo if you have to. Sometimes, missing a game is unavoidable and totally necessary. School and extra-curricular commitments should always take priority in your life. Lucky for you, there is always the TiVo as a lifeline. If you have to go this route, remember to turn off your phone, email, and don’t go to ESPN.com!

Hello, high school!

High school used to feel so far away, and now, here you are at its forefront. For many of you, going into ninth grade means a lot of big changes -- a new building, new classes, new teachers, new peers and new expectations. I know the transition can be a little scary, so I thought I'd share a few tips to help smoothen the ride.

First, forget those dreadful slushie scenes you saw on Glee, and go in with a positive attitude. In the words of Peter Pan, think happy thoughts about your freshman year, and things will be more likely to go your way.

Crack the books. High school courses are more challenging than those you encountered in middle school, so be prepared to kick the studying up a notch. All of those organizational skills and study habits that your teachers kept pestering you about will come in really handy now that you're an independent high school student. And no matter what year of high school, it is never to early to start private SAT tutoring!

Get involved. Take advantage of what your new school has to offer by joining a club or a sports team. What better a way to make new friends? And don't be afraid to talk to your peers. Chances are everyone else is just as nervous as you.

Finally, remember to have fun! Although high school can be stressful at times, it can also be a great experience. In this next phase of your academic journey, you'll get to meet new people, try new activities, and you might even learn a thing or two.

Guest Blogger: Karen Berlin Ishii - Teacher and Test Prep Expert

With this year’s October SAT test date earlier than anticipated, many students and parents are feeling the pressure. Thankfully, Launch Education guest blogger, Karen Berlin Ishii, has provided some full-proof tips on how raise your confidence and scores before October 1st rolls around.

How to prep for the October SAT in less than two months

September and school are looming on the horizon, with the October SATs just beyond. But even if you didn't spend your summer studying, you can still make great gains in your scores. Here's how:

Approach the test with confidence: Your spring SAT scores may be reasonably strong in one or two of the test sections. Great! Colleges will cherry-pick your best scores for each section – Critical Reading, Math and Writing. So focus your studies now on the areas you most need to improve upon. Also, take comfort in the fact that you are nearly a half year older than you were last time you took the test, which often has intangible effects on scores. Many students who studied hard in the spring see their big score improvement in the fall.

Take practice tests: Take full, timed practice tests to build your skills in pacing and identify specific areas to improve on. Take each test in a single sitting, using a pencil and the bubble answer sheets. Turn off cellphones and don't take more than a couple short breaks – make it real! Use the first three tests in the CollegeBoard book of practice tests, if you can, as those are the most recent, real, published SAT tests. Furthering understanding of how questions and answers are formulated, Private SAT tutors can prepare you for any tricky questions. 

Don't just score, learn more! Review your errors, analyze your pacing. Review the math for the CollegeBoard tests 4-10 at khanacademy.org/sat, review all answers and explanations for tests 1-3 at ShowMeSAT.com, or use a great book of explanations to all the tests, "Tutor Ted's SAT Solutions Manual." When you find question types that you repeatedly have trouble with, look for more of those questions in other drills and then do lots of them, reviewing answers and explanations after each.

Be physically prepared for test day: So, you're mature and prepped. Now the single most important factor affecting your score is your physical and mental condition on test day. Get a good night's sleep all week before your test so you have energy in reserve if you can't sleep well the night before the test. Have everything ready to go the night before: lots of sharpened #2 pencils, test ticket, ID, calculator and fresh batteries. Wake up a few minutes early on test day and do a couple practice questions in each test section to warm up. Eat a good breakfast, then go to your test with an energizing snack, a sweater, and a watch (so you are in control of your own test pacing).

If you've done this homework, you can walk into your test with confidence, and you can be proud of whatever you achieve as you move on to the next tasks in your studies and your college applications.

by Karen Berlin Ishii

Karen Berlin Ishii, a graduate of Brown University, has more than 25 years' experience as a teacher and test prep tutor. Karen teaches students in New York and internationally for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT and GRE, and also offers tutoring in reading and writing skills, math, and college application essay consulting. Learn more about Karen at www.karenberlinishii.com.

Twitter Newsfeeds - Staying Apprised of the World Around You

Ah, Twitter. That enigmatic piece of 'social media technology' that is on the tip of everyone's tongues these days. Whenever I peruse the web, I am confronted by two opposing narratives: 1) Twitter as invaluable marketing tool, news source, and networking masterpiece; and 2) Twitter as collective trash heap of unintelligible web banter (i.e. 'tweetspeak'). While I think that both aficionados and dissenters make important points, it's often difficult for the layperson (a.k.a. me) to discern practical ways to utilize Twitter.

To help average folks like you and me navigate the complexities of the Twitterverse, Launch intern, Caroline Tan, explores one of Twitter's most basic (and powerful) functions: the newsfeed.

The Skinny on Twitter Newsfeeds

Most of you have heard of Twitter, which is a social networking tool that uses the concept of microblogging. The point of microblogging is to post messages that are short (hence the “micro”) and easy to read. These short posts are amicably called “tweets.”

At first glance, you may think this is just another social networking tool like Facebook and definitely another way to waste time by stalking your friends online. Yes, stalking your friends online is a good way to procrastinate at your desk, but that’s not the only thing Twitter is useful for. Different people use Twitter for various purposes. Some people use Twitter to update others about their lives, a lot of businesses use Twitter to market themselves, and job seekers even use Twitter to look for potential jobs.

What do I use Twitter for, you ask? I personally find Twitter useful for accessing news. Here are a few tips on being up-to-date with the news you are interested in and pointers on how to organize them.

Identify Your Interests

Make a list of what you’re interested in reading about. Maybe it’s sports, politics, tips on getting into top colleges, private SAT tutoring, or even news on Lady Gaga. Now click on the “Who To Follow” tab at the top of your Twitter page and search for feeds to follow by entering those interests in the search box. For example, if you type “education” into the search box, you will get feeds like @usedgov (education information straight from the government), @tedtalks (follow amazing speakers through this feed!) and @USNewsEducation (research on college rankings to help you during the college application process). The list of feeds goes on and on. If you are uncertain of what to add to your list, you can choose to browse by interests or view suggestions that Twitter has generated for you based on who you are already following or who your friends follow.

Create Twitter Lists
If you find that you are following too many users and have a hard time organizing the news you read, then maybe it’s time you started categorizing them into lists. Under the “What’s Happening” text box, there is a tab for “Lists.” Twitter Lists allows you to filter the news you read based on what you feel like reading at a certain point in time. For example, if you only wish to read news pertaining to Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Beyonce, then you would make a list named “Celebrities” for just them.

If you’re not up to making your own list, consider following someone else’s instead. For example, I follow the Wall Street Journal’s politics list that features 32 different users discussing U.S. politics and policy on Twitter. The WSJ also has lists on various other topics of discussion such as business, investing, and healthcare. You just have to search around to see what cool stuff you can find.

Utilize Twitter Apps
Call them Twitter add-ons, plug-ins or whatever it is you prefer. They are simply websites with built-in scripts that complement Twitter. One of the most popular Twitter apps out there is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck allows you to organize your social media life because it not only allows you to organize your Twitter account into sections like “Direct Messages” or “@Replies,” it allows you to integrate your Facebook, FourSquare, LinkedIn etc. with the application. You have the ability to create or delete columns and name them so you can have total control over your social media experience. Pretty cool, huh?

Guest Blogger: Maxine Ficksman - Editor of 'The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy'

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Maxine Ficksman - educational therapy guru and creator of EducationalTherapyClinician.com. Maxine is one of the founding members of the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) and continues to be a prolific writer on the topic of educational therapy. In this post, Maxine provides an entrypoint to readers unfamiliar with educational therapy, its practices, and its desired outcomes. Maxine's book, The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy, is a must-read for families, educators, and therapists who seek to enhance the learning and development of their children.

The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy
Educational therapy is a burgeoning and transformational profession that bridges the fields of education and psychology. This trans-disciplinary practice considers the treatment alliance between therapist and client as being paramount. Only 30 plus years young, the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), the national professional association, sets the standards for training and practice.

How is the work of an educational therapist different from that of a Private SAT tutor? Often parents and professionals ask this question. A brief explanation of this significant issue follows this paragraph. For a more complete explanation, see the text edited by Ficksman & Adelizzi, cited below.

Tutors usually work with children who need help with homework and specific academic skills, whereas educational therapists search for the source of the disconnect in learning which often has a social/emotional component that impacts self-esteem. The main goal of a tutor is higher test scores, while the psycho-educational goals of an educational therapist might include:

1. An augmentation of self-esteem by creating opportunities for success and the recognition of one’s unique islands of competency (Brooks & Goldstein, 2004);
2. A self-awareness of resiliency and an elevated level of coping skill when recovering from a disappointment or self-perceived failure;
3. A decrease in anxiety related to academic and social demands;
4. A self-awareness and strengthening of executive functioning skills;
5. An increase of self-advocacy skills;
6. An expansion of autonomy in meeting academic and social demands.
(Ficksman, M., & Adelizzi, J.U. (2010). The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy: A Teaching Model. New York: Routledge.)

Educational therapists are skilled in contextual analysis, assessment, remediation/intervention, collaboration, and case management in working with clients who have learning and memory difficulties including dyslexia, AD/HD, nonverbal learning disabilities, Tourette, and Asperger Syndrome. Serving as a resource for parents, educational therapists provide consultation to parents regarding enhanced home routines, socialization, prioritized interventions, referrals, as well as appropriate school placement. Additionally, educational therapists are trained to work with adults, in postsecondary settings and in the workplace, who may experience difficulty with academic tasks, executive functioning, social interactions, and compromised self-esteem. ETs work closely with families, school personnel, and allied professionals to enhance the psycho-educational process of the treatment alliance.

In my first sentence above, I described this profession as transformational. This holds true for the educational therapist as well as the clients. Every day, we as educational therapists learn and improve our own self-concepts. The joy and love we give our clients comes back to us in spades. We are truly blessed.

Last week, one of those wonderful moments occurred when I received a note from a former parent informing me that my former student graduated magna cum laude from a prestigious university! We began our work together when he was in the first grade, just after he had a stroke and underwent life-saving surgery. It took most of his elementary years to regain his self-esteem and motivation in order to reach his potential. While his journey was not that of a student with learning disabilities, his struggles required similar approaches, interventions, and supports.

To further clarify the dynamic of educational therapy utilizing fascinating case studies by a diverse group of accomplished educational therapists, I again refer you to The Clinical Practice of Educational Therapy: A Teaching Model.

Maxine Ficksman, MA, BCET, FAET
mbfet@aol.com

Less as More?

Here at Launch Education, we believe in helping students achieve their potential. While this might sound vague, I think the best way to approach it is to think of it as broad. For example, I am often approached with questions that seek me to predict an outcome: How high will my student's score go with private SAT tutoring? When will he become "independent"? When will she "get" Geometry? Which colleges will he get in to?

As you can see, students are working toward their potential in many areas of life - and while I can usually predict with some accuracy a "result," most times I'm wrong - but not in an overestimation - which has led me to answer a lot of questions regarding potential with the preface that I don't want to say anything for certain because I don't want to cap your student's potential.

Indeed, how many times have you surprised yourself with what you are capable of? Often, we can do and go a lot further than we (or someone else) can imagine. In the same facet, children have endless potential. Therefore, I encourage you to guide your student so they can find that potential themselves - in whatever area it may be in, however high it may be.

Below is a fascinating article that discusses children, growth, guidance, independence, and potential. Don't let the title scare you, and don't let the length turn you off. Feel overwhelmed? this might just be the read you need, as the theme is that "less" may actually be better.

How to Land Your Kid in Therapy

Guest Blogger: Alexis Lauricella - Founder of PlayLearnParent.com

This week's blog is a real treat. Alexis Lauricella - founder of PlayLearnParent.com and Postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University - shares her insights and research on parent involvement in education. Specifically, she reviews the Family Engagement in Education Act (2011) and suggests ways in which parents can improve their students' academic performance.

The Crucial Role of Parents in Education
It’s pretty clear that the education system as a whole in the United States is struggling to provide youth with an adequate, let alone quality, education. For decades, the US government has enacted policies and programs with the goal of “fixing” our education system by creating new rules and procedures for schools and teachers. Only recently, after decades of continuously failing schools, a new bill was introduced to the House of Representatives that recognizes the crucial role that families, and particularly parents, have on children’s academic achievement. The goal of the Family Engagement in Education Act of 2011 is to provide incentives for schools and districts to engage parents in children’s education with the hopes of closing the achievement gap. This bill is clearly only in its infancy, but the message is clear: parents and families are crucial factors in the academic success of children.

The teachers and school systems clearly can’t do it all on their own. Government funding and regulation are attempting to “not leave any children behind”, but unfortunately, kids are getting left behind and no one is coming to pick them up. Recent reports from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (Fiester & Smith, 2010) indicate that 67% of all 4th grade students are not proficient readers and these numbers are even higher for African American and Hispanic children. Literacy isn’t the only issue. Students are also performing poorly in Science and Math, especially compared to children in other countries (Fleischman, Hopstock, Pelczar, & Shelley, 2010).

The US school system undoubtedly needs considerable work and there is no quick-fix answer to the problem. But, parents can help, and even when children in are highly competitive, wonderful academic institutions, parents have a responsibility to be involved and help their children academically. No one expects that parental involvement will fix the achievement gap or the failures of our education system as a whole, but their involvement is crucial!

Research demonstrates that parent involvement does help- significantly! When parents are involved in their children’s education, their children perform better academically and socially (Henderson, 1987; Jenyes, 2003). This doesn’t mean that parents have to volunteer at every school function or become the president of the PTA in order for their child to reap the benefits of education. There are thousands of fun, creative, and easy ways to get involved in your children’s educational success. Here are just a few:

Parent-teach Conferences. Parents can take the lead and work directly with their children’s schoolteachers to determine ways that they can enhance their child’s education at home. Parents can take advantage of the one-on-one time that is provided during parent-teacher conferences to determine what concepts will be taught in class that year and how to can expand upon these concepts at home.

Get Creative. The technological advances of the past decade have provided many new ways for children to learn. Take advantage of quality websites that offer educational worksheets or activities related to a particular topic your child is studying at school. Search for videos (either online or at your local library) related to the concepts your child is learning in school; maybe having the information presented in a new way will help your child learn. Take learning outside the classroom by bringing your child to the library to find related books on topics covered in class, to a museum to see a related exhibit, or even to a park where you can find real world examples of the science concepts being taught in class.

Combine subject areas and interests. If your child is learning multiplication tables in school but really loves to write, work with your child to write a story about multiplication problems. Similarly, if your child loves baseball encourage her to keep scores and calculate batting averages while you watch a game or ask her to write a newspaper article about the game you watched together using some of the new vocabulary words from class. Supplement their learning with private SAT tutors who tutor in multiple subjects, combining school preparation and SAT preparation all in one.

Teachers will educate and work with children at school, but parents need you to help; to expand upon the learning that is occurring in school and help your children prosper and succeed both academically and socially. It would be ideal if teachers and school administrators facilitated and encourage parent involvement with or without incentives provided by the potential Family Involvement in Education of 2011 bill. However, until this bill passes or other action is taken to encourage schools to include and incorporate parents, parents should take the lead and find ways to get involved!

For a list of all works cited, please contact Matt Steiner at matt@launcheducation.com.


Alexis R. Lauricella is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Ellen Wartella at Northwestern University. Dr. Lauricella earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Her research focuses on young children’s learning from media and parents’ and teachers’ attitudes toward and use of media with young children. Dr. Lauricella is also the founder of www.PlayLearnParent.com, a website that translates relevant child-development research for parents.

What Interested You Most in The Times This Week?

Was it the article about rising unemployment in the U.S.? The editorial about Derek Jeter’s 3,000^th hit? The correlation between SAT tutoring and improvement on test scores? Whatever it was, the New York Times wants to know what got your attention and why.

Every week this month, students (ages 13-25) will have the opportunity to share their thoughts with the world by participating in the Times’ Summer Reading Contest. Here’s how it works…

You see, hear, read, watch something—anything—that interests you in print or online. Articles, essays, editorials, photos, videos, podcasts, etc. are all fair game. You write about how it intrigued, irked or inspired you and submit your response. At the end of each week, the paper publishes its favorite submission(s) in a special post. Added bonus: winners are announced on Twitter and Facebook.

So, students, throw a little real-world, non-fiction onto your summer reading list. This is your chance to read and be read!

Click here to find everything you need to know about participating in the challenge.

An Insider's Perspective: Taking Community College Courses in High School

Launch Education's intern, Shawn Danino, shares how community college classes enhanced his high school education.

In my experience as a high school student at a public school in the suburbs of LA (Taft High School), one of the greatest experiences I had was getting to take courses at my local junior college (Pierce Community College). At my school - and many others across the country - there was a list of courses available to enroll at the community college that we would receive credit for and get the equivalent boost of an AP class. The subjects were diverse and interesting, from Business Fundamentals to Sociology, and the instructors were far more passionate and engaging than the majority I had in high school. In fact, my Introductory Sociology instructor is the man I credit with inspiring me to eventually become a Sociology Major at USC.

The experience of being on a college campus in high school was truly invigorating for me. In contrast to the overcrowded chaos that unfolded at my high school, (we had a shooting right outside the school my freshman year and a riot my junior year) going to a junior college offered a more mature, relaxed setting that was more conducive to learning. While many students opt into taking classes during the school year, I think the best time to enroll is over the summer. During the summer, you don’t have to worry about balancing coursework with as many other commitments.

Community colleges sometimes get a bad rap amongst folks aiming for a four-year school, but I think it’s an unfair bias. Honestly, many of the instructors I had at Pierce rivaled my more ‘reputable’ professors at USC. Furthermore, LAUSD actually pays the entirety of tuition for junior college courses taken during high school - so there’s really no excuse to not consider attending!

It gets better. The beauty of junior college courses is that they are often graded as college courses. At my high school, this meant that one extra grade point was added to my GPA. So essentially, an A was weighed as 5.0 GPA points and a B was 4.0. This was incredibly helpful to my cumulative GPA, which was negatively skewed by a couple B’s I had received in my high school classes. This takes off much of the performance-related stress that comes with AP tests and final exams, since there is much more of a cushion.

Without the regimented daily schedules and bells ordering us that we had 5 minutes to get to the other side of the school, going to junior college made me even more excited about going to a four-year university. The work load can be challenging, but taking two or three classes for a few hours a day makes planning to do your homework a lot more manageable.

Moreover, you have the opportunity to choose your classes, which allows you the time to figure out what you’re best at and what subject areas you enjoy most.

It might sound cliché, but it is a rare opportunity to have full autonomy over your schedule and what courses you take. Taking classes at junior colleges can give your application the edge it needs to get into your dream school. Also, my private SAT tutors not only helped me with scoring big, they taught me the value of time management.

Guest Blogger: David Montesano - Admission Strategist at College Match US

Last week, our Los Angeles office had the pleasure of meeting with David Montesano, Admissions Strategist and Founder of College Match US (http://www.collegematchus.com/). We were incredibly impressed by David's college admissions know-how and his unique approach to the school selection process.

Here, David shares more of his insight, explaining why it is a good idea to begin the college planning process during sophomore year.

Making the Case for Starting College Planning by Sophomore Year
Planning early for college can save you time and help ensure your student’s college admission success.

As the parent of a high school student, college admission is one of the most significant decisions that you and your child will make. Searching for the right college can be very time intensive. After all, you want to feel comfortable with your student’s choices about college admissions as you help your student transition into the next phase of his life.

Your experience making strategic business decisions has yielded positive results for your company. Don’t leave those skills at work. College admissions planning, beginning sophomore year, can help your student find the best college. Competition for college is at an all time high with 100,000 new students applying each year for college until 2014. The average high school counselor serves 300 students, but your student deserves more attention. Timing is everything. By starting to plan sophomore year you can improve your student’s chances of finding and getting in to the right school for him. Here are things that you can do:

Start early – in college admissions timing is everything. Begin planning for college admission sophomore year with your student to develop his talents and interests. Colleges' admissions representatives want to see leadership and depth in a student’s out-of-class involvement. This doesn’t mean that they have to do a lot of different activities. The best tactic is to focus and start at the beginning of high school. By starting early, your high school sophomore may develop leadership and depth rather than breadth. Colleges form a well-rounded class by choosing individuals with depth in their activities and interests.

Identify your student’s strengths. Is your student a community-builder? An inventor? An entertainer? Nuturing and developing special talents takes insight and understanding about what college admissions officers are looking for. Some want poets, others want dancers or musicians. Working with your student to develop their unique talents should be an organic and natural process. By reviewing the credentials of accepted students you can gain insights into what different colleges are looking for. Keep in mind that for some competitive colleges this may include national and state competitions and prizes such as the Intel Science Competition or playing an instrument in the local junior symphony.

Become knowledgeable about college admissions trends — dance, for example. Among the usual performing arts that students take part in outside of class, dance is now one of the most sought after among college admission offices around the country. For the first time, a number of colleges are reporting dance statistics among accepted students. Pomona and Occidental Colleges in Los Angeles now record the number of accepted students involved in dance among their freshman class profiles (5 % to 8% of freshman classes). Echoing this trend, construction is underway on new dance studios at Vassar College – one that seats 244 people. Additionally, new facilities have been built at Emory University in Atlanta, Hamilton College in NY, University of New Mexico and Tufts University in Boston this year. College Match’s dance team consists of nationally-recognized dance coaches and a choreographer. You may wish to get help from a college admissions consultant familiar with performing arts to guide your student.

Seek advice from qualified experts: finding an ACT/SAT test prep tutor and a college admissions consultant with strong track records of past successes may be like finding a needle in a haystack, but in the end it is worth your time. By working with a SAT tutor you will be able to maximize your student’s scores. High scores by fall of junior year will also qualify your student for National Merit Scholar status—something that is very helpful for college admission. Working with a college consultant as well may also improve your student’s chances of getting into the college of their dreams, but make sure you find someone that can point to past success; College Consultant Reviews is a great place to start. Counselors on this site rated by their clients on the site. Here is our review for example: http://bit.ly/mTZ0en.

Families who start sophomore year and work with a test prep tutor and a college consultant improve their chances of finding the best college fit. Gaining admission may come down to something as simple as the fact that a college needs a cellist or soccer player. For parents of freshman and sophomores, important decisions about college admission loom on the horizon. The good news is that you can relax because there are steps you can take to eliminate stress, save time, and find the best college match for your student.


David Montesano is an admission strategist with College Match US. For a copy of David’s “Ten Strategic College Admission Steps” go to www.collegematchus.com.

Guest Blogger: Betsy Brown Braun - Parenting Expert and Educational Consultant

This week, we are privileged to post the insights of Betsy Brown Braun, parenting and education guru. Betsy weighs in on the merits and costs of 'toddler tutoring' after the recent introduction of Junior Kumon.

Toddler Tutoring?

They’re getting younger and younger! Now there’s Junior Kumon, a program to teach your two year old academics. Seriously! In a recent New York Times article, Fast-Tracking to Kindergarten, author Kate Zernike highlights the proliferation of the new Kumon (and other) tutoring programs designed to jumpstart toddlers’ academic career.

Are they kidding? Sadly, they are not. And more and more parents are drinking the Kool Aid, believing that this is actually a good idea. The poop at the park is that force feeding your toddler academics before he has even started preschool is the key to getting your child into the “best” preschool, which is the ticket into the “best” elementary school, which will lead to the “best” high school and in turn, the Ivy League. And then what? The best life? If only there were such guarantees.

Child development experts throughout our country are mourning the shrinking role, if not the disappearance of play in early childhood programs as well as in kids’ lives. Most parents associate play with not work (and in their minds not learning). They conjure up images of toys and mud pies and wildly running around. But play is the work and business of childhood. It is precisely how children learn. It is through play of all kinds that children gain the foundational experiences that will enable their meaningful learning of academics later on when it is developmentally appropriate. It is through play that children develop language, pre literacy, thinking skills, mathematical concepts, social skills, self control, self confidence…to name just a few of the direct outcomes. We know, too, that drill and kill (the tutoring that Kumon type programs offer) is not aligned with the young child’s neurological development. The right hemisphere of the brain, which thrives on sensory and emotional input, plays the dominant role in the young child’s learning, later and gradually joined by the left hemisphere and more traditional academic pursuits.

Hearing your child recite letters, regurgitate number facts, and essentially “dance for grandma” (to steal a phrase from A Chorus Line), bursts these parents’ shirt buttons. Here is proof of their child’s so-called advanced learning. He is in the running! But what does it really prove? That your child can memorize? Memorizing is not necessarily learning. And there is absolutely no sound data demonstrating that the performing child remains at the front of the class beyond the kindergarten years or the correlation between early rote learning and later achievement. None.

We weep about what our young children are not developing as they are subjected to early academics, twice weekly visits to the private SAT tutor, and nightly homework (twenty minutes for math and reading skills required by Kumon!) But parents don’t know any better. Everyone else is doing it. Welcome to competitive parenting. Whose kid will reach the “top” first?

The drill and kill skills will not give your child any advantage in his life pursuits let alone get your child a job. In fact, it’s the kids in India who will get those jobs! It will rob him of the time needed to explore and discover, to cultivate his social, independent, and personal skills, to learn to think outside the box in ways that will set him apart from the number crunchers in far off lands.
I can promise you that force feeding letter and number recognition to the two or three year old child will neither hurry his learning nor get him into Harvard. It might make you feel like you’re keeping him in the parentng race, but at what cost? Where is David Elkind’s The Hurried Child when we need it?

-Betsy

Betsy Brown Braun, M.A. is a Child Development and Behavior Specialist (infants to teens), a Parent Educator, and Multiple Birth Parenting Specialist. She has taught in both public and private schools, has been a school director, and was the founding director of Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Early Childhood Center in Los Angeles. Betsy consults with parents privately, runs parenting groups, seminars and workshops for parents, teachers, and other professionals. She is the award winning author of the best selling, Just Tell Me What to Say: Sensible Tips and Scripts for Perplexed Parents and You’re Not the Boss of Me: Brat Proofing your 4 to 12 Year Old Child, both in their fourth printings. Betsy has been featured on the Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America Now, Dr. Phil, The Rachael Ray Show, Fox and Friends, has been a guest on NPR and radio stations nationwide, and is a contributor to Parents Magazine, Twins Magazine, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, and in numerous city specific newspapers and family magazines. Betsy and Ray Braun are the parents of adult triplets.

Staying Smart This Summer

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell stresses the importance keeping your mind fit over your summer break. He describes research that shows that students who continue to engage their mind and learn in some capacity over the summer come back to school with way fewer cobwebs than those who don’t. And coming back to school fresh or rusty can prove to make a huge difference on the report card down the road.

There’s just one problem—students work really hard all year with private SAT tutors and other knowledgeable aids, as the beauty of summer is right around the corner to take time off. Students don’t want to work hard to x learning over the summer.

The solution is fun learning. Easy, relaxed, enjoyable learning that doesn’t require too much effort and doesn’t feel at all like work.

Here are some ways to keep learning this summer that I consider “fun.” Check them out and see what appeals to you:

Books: Nearly all reading—fiction or non-fiction—is a great way to engage your brain, learn things, and beef up your vocabulary. But my personal favorite category of book is what I would call “fascinating, user-friendly non-fiction,” and this is one of the best ways to learn. Here are some of my favorites:

• All four of Malcolm Gladwell’s books: The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw. These are addictively fascinating and so fun to read.
• Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
• How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker
• Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

Magazines: Go to the store and browse the magazine rack. Find something that both interests you and is reasonably educational. No matter what interests you, there’s a magazine out there that focuses on it. Make a pledge to read each issue of it this summer.

TV: Like magazines, there is TV that helps your brain and TV that, well, doesn’t. You know the difference. Browse around channels like The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and National Geographic, find a new show that looks fascinating to you and get into it this summer.

• Personal recommendation: How the Earth Was Made on The History Channel. I’m totally hooked on this show…

Documentaries: Google a list of “best documentaries,” find something that looks interesting to you, and watch it. Simple as that!

The Internet: The Internet can be a phenomenal way to engage your brain and learn new things. One way to start is simply think of something you’d like to understand better. It can be anything from, “What is the history of computers?” to “Why is Alexander the Great so famous?” to “Which countries have the highest populations?” to “How big is the universe?” If you’re in a reading mood, dive into a Wikipedia article about the thing you want to learn. If you’d rather sit back and have someone explain it to you, head to YouTube and you’ll find someone to do just that.

• Personal recommendation: Go on YouTube and search for Richard Feynman. I’ve learned a lot about how the world works from watching him explain things on YouTube.

Ted Talks: Ted Talks are short, excellent presentations by really interesting people on all kinds of topics. They’re superbly inspiring and educational. Visit Ted.com and browse around!

"Smart" Games:  Get into Scrabble, or Chess, or Sudoku, or crossword puzzles this summer, and it'll help keep you sharp.  Or head to Sporcle.com, though I warn you now—it is addictive.

For Dummies Books: I love the For Dummies line of books. They’re easy and fun to read and super user-friendly. Head to the bookstore (or to Dummies.com) and browse through their titles. You might come across one that makes you say, “I’d really love to learn about that” or “I’d love to learn how to do that.”

Not all of these suggestions will appeal to everyone, but the thing they all have in common is that they’re easy, relaxing, and fun.

Have a great summer, and stay sharp!

Math Anxiety?

Of all the SAT tutoring or tutor requests I receive on a daily basis, the most common would definitely have to be the "I need a math tutor." In addition, the most widely used explanation for such a need would also have to be the "...because I'm just not good at math" reason, which is referenced as a description far more than I've ever heard for any other academic subject.

Sound familiar? Don't fret, you are not alone. "Math anxiety" has become so prevalent in academia that researchers have gone to work to suss out what is going on and how we, as educators, can help ameliorate the problem. Check it out!

Researchers Probe Math Anxiety

Do Something!

Right now you’re probably focused on getting through final exams. But summer is around the corner, and if you’re thinking about watching TV every day, think again.

Don’t just sit there. Do something!

Step 1: What’s your thing?

If you don’t already know what gets you fired up, DoSomething.org offers a wealth of information on all sorts of causes from education to the environment, poverty to politics. Read up to figure out how you’d like to get involved.

Step 2: Act now!

Browse for places to volunteer near you. You can search for projects by interest, key words or through the Projects Matchmaker. And if none of the existing projects pique your interest, start your own, like interning or volunteering with private SAT tutoring! DoSomething University provides number of online video tutorials and written guides on how to start, grow and maintain your project or organization. You can even apply with DoSomething.org to get your project funded! Starting a club is a great way to take initiative, and it’ll bulk up your college application. On top of that, you’ll be able to take pride in the fact that you've contributed to a worthy cause, whatever it may be.

Visit DoSomething.org today!

Hola! Ciao! Ni-hao! Dual-Language Immersion Programs in LA

Learning a foreign language does not come easily for most. I know that my four years of Spanish classes did little to set me up for fluency. I will, however, take most of the blame. I was too shy to speak up in class for fear my amateur Spanish accent would butcher any attempt at the correct pronunciations. This, along with my skepticism of ever being fluent, lead to the decision to stop taking foreign language classes as soon as my high school requirements were met. Needless to say, I will not be having any type of meaningful conversation in Spanish any time soon.

However, when I came across an article in the LA Times this week on the rise of dual-language immersion programs, I was immediately intrigued – and a tad jealous I wasn’t a part of such a program. The dual-language programs are yielding positive results in Glendale Unified Schools, like many their SAT tutoring programs. Unlike bilingual education, Dual-language immersion programs offer the opportunity of learning a second language to immigrant students as well as native-born American students. The article highlighted a number of advantages these students will receive as a result of these programs.

Benefits of a Dual Language Programs
--Studies of English-Language Learners suggest that learning to read in a child’s first language boosts reading achievement in the second language
--Early bilingualism has been found to aid memory, problem-solving, decision-making and other brain functions
--Children in dual-language immersion programs usually lag in English skills at first, then tend to surpass their counterparts in English-only classes by fifth and sixth grade

For a list of Dual-Language programs in Los Angeles County, visit the links below.

Glendale Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The California Department of Education
For the full Los Angeles Times article click here.

Applying for an Internship - Pointers from an Employer

Internships for high school and college students are becoming more and more popular with good reason – they give students a great opportunity to explore their interests and learn real world skills in a safe environment.

The interview and application process is a new experience for most students, and as a veteran hirer of interns, here are my key pointers for all the prospective interns out there:

Cover Letters and Resumes. Employers don’t expect students to have robust resumes or years of experience to reflect on in a cover letter. What they DO expect is that students display professional maturity:

• Spelling, grammar, and formatting should be impeccable – it shows attention to detail and polish. If you have not graduated from college yet, your writing and grammar are most likely much worse than you think they are (seriously). Get someone more experienced to proofread!
• Cover letters should be SPECIFIC to the particular internship and company. Well-articulated enthusiasm for the company and position is impactful, generic personal statements are not.

The Interview. When evaluating interns (particularly younger ones who are not entering their senior year of college), there are a few key factors that employers look for:

• Maturity – candidates show up on time, look presentable, and acknowledge the fact that they are in a professional environment. Bring a pen, a copy of your resume and cover letter, don’t chew gum, etc.
• Enthusiasm – employers want interns that are genuinely excited to work at their company, not interns whose parents are forcing them to do something “productive” for the summer.
• Personality – an intern’s ability to seamlessly blend into the company environment is very important. No one expects an intern to be a polished professional, but they do expect them to be fun, positive, excited to be working, eager to learn, and easy to work with.
• Intelligence – almost by definition, interns come to the job with little prior knowledge or skills. Employers expect interns to be bright, resourceful, and learn quickly at a wide variety of tasks.
• Volunteerism – Working alongside private SAT tutors and passing on the knowledge you previously learned speaks miles on your resume and interview.
• Etiquette – send a thank you note! It shows maturity and that you care about the internship.



This guide certainly does not cover ALL facets of internships, but hopefully it will give students a better idea of what employers are looking for!

Treadmills in the Classroom

With about eight different internet windows open on my screen and feeling like a computer going into sleep mode, it’s safe to say that I’m struggling in the concentration and energy department. Luckily, my lack of concentration led me to find an article about a school for students with learning disabilities called City Park High School in Saskatoon, Canada where they put treadmills and exercise bikes in their math classroom. Beforehand, over half of the students had ADHD, couldn’t sit still, and struggled to concentrate. However, after 5 months of doing 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise before doing any math, the students were able to sit and focus. Almost all of the students had jumped a full grade in not only math, but reading and writing as well. Several of the students got off Ritalin and many of the students reported feeling happier, smarter, and much more confident. To read more go to Trusted.MD.

According to Dr. Charles Hillman’s research at the University of Illinois, similar results were found in students without disabilities who showed a 10% increase in their problem solving abilities after spending 30 minutes on a treadmill. "It's good for attention, it's good for how fast individuals process information, and how they perform on cognitive tasks," says Hillman. Meanwhile, students at Naperville Central High School in Chicago who go to PE first thing in the morning and often ride on treadmills in their reading classes have experienced significant reading score increases and math scores up by a factor of 20. To read more about these schools, go to ABC News.

While it is extremely unlikely that all classrooms catch onto the treadmill trend, there are many small adjustments students, parents, tutors and teachers can do in order to reap the benefits of exercise. According to Trusted.MD, it takes at least 20 minutes of sustained activity three times a week to make the difference in behavioral and academic performance.

Students: If playing outside for 20-40 minutes means improving your concentration and your grades, would you do it? Now that spring is here, it is the perfect time to get out and get moving! Also, if you are studying and feel tired or unable to concentrate, take a 5 minute brain break to run around the block or shoot a couple of hoops..just be sure to get back to studying ASAP and don't be afraid to ask for help from your private SAT tutors!

Parents: In most P.E. classes, 80% of the kids are standing around waiting for their turn, or simply trying to avoid participating. Although you may be a firm believer of having your child immediately sit down and do their homework the second they get home from school, you may want to re-consider. According to Trusted.MD, taking 20 to 40 minutes a day for sustained physical activity improves learning and grades in academic subjects as much as actually using that time for the academic subjects themselves. For more information and activity ideas check out ABC News
Tutors/Teachers: Although you probably don’t have treadmills in your classrooms or in students’ living rooms, you can definitely incorporate activity during lessons. I remember learning from a psychology professor that the average person’s attention span is about 2 times their age. For example, a 10 year old can concentrate for 20 minutes. Keeping this in mind, incorporating brain breaks such as jumping jacks or yoga poses every so often can help students re-energize and re-focus rather than struggling to teach an entire lesson without a single break. For brain break ideas read tips from a Naperville Central High School teacher and actual videos of students in action at http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger: Aristotle Circle - National College Admissions Experts

This week, Launch has the tremendous pleasure of showcasing the college admissions know-how of New York's Aristotle Circle (http://www.aristotlecircle.com/). The folks at Aristotle Circle are a phenomenal resource for all college admissions needs. Today's post provides information for writing an exemplary college application.


7 Tips for Touting Your Accomplishments on the College Application:

As you plan to apply to college, it’s important that you summarize your accomplishments in an enticing and precise way. We advocate a “brag sheet,” it’s essentially a resume for your 4 years of college. Unlike a resume you do not need to list the activities in chronological order, instead you focus on putting the most significant experiences first. Contact us for a sample Brag Sheet. Here are our tips to keep in mind as you prepare your college application.

Take notes or keep a journal: One of the best ways to chronicle your achievements throughout high school is to keep a journal or notes on the extracurricular activities you undertake. Record the practice details such as organization names, honors spent, competitions and advisor’s names and contact information. In addition, reflect on what you have learned from being a member of clubs, teams or nonprofit organizations. This will help you keep track of the dates and times as well as give you a sense of all the skills you’ve learned from your experiences.

Start big: Towards the end of your junior year, take inventory of everything you’ve been a part of over the last three years. Include after school clubs, summer programs, sports teams, lessons, part-time jobs, volunteer work, SAT tutoring, and classes that you’ve done particularly well on. By starting broad with your list you’ll be able to step back and look for a pattern in the activities you’ve belonged to and then select the most impressive or most meaningful activities to highlight.

Get feedback: Share your brag sheet with a trusted advisor, relative or college counselor and get his or her feedback. You want to ask someone who may not be familiar with all the experiences you’ve listed on your brag sheet in order to ensure that you’ve provided solid descriptions of your achievements that are easy to understand. In addition to checking for typos, you want to make sure the brag sheet portrays your character, strengths and interests.

Be original: Your experience is unique to you and it tells the story of who you are. Don’t fall into a trap believing that there are a “right” number of activities or a “specific” type of activity college admissions officers will like. Pursue the activities that interest you and use your brag sheet to demonstrate the passion and skills for these activities.

Build a web presence: Many students find that building a blog, web site, Flickr album, YouTube channel or other digital outlet provides a place to display their achievements. Think about a way to use the web to display your talents, this is especially important if the activities you refer to are better portrayed through digital media. Include these links with your brag sheet.

Quantify your achievements: Be sure to include numbers, specific dates and awards on your brag sheet. If you hold a leadership role, include the number of people you oversaw. If you play a sport, include your key stats. Consider including the achievements of any club you were a part of (number of members, amount of money raised, attendees at specific events, etc.) Specific numbers emphasize the breadth of what you have done and demonstrate an attention for detail.

Get personal: College admissions guidance counselors are looking for a way to get to know candidates beyond test scores and grades. Using your brag sheet to portray your commitment to one skill, activity or cause helps tell the story of your personality.

Aristotle Circle (http://www.aristotlecircle.com/) matches parents and students to experts with current insight and inside knowledge of admissions. Aristotle Circle experts are the top admissions professionals, guidance counselors, school administrators, financial aid advisors and child development experts in their fields. Aristotle Circle’s mission is to take the stress and frustration out of the process by giving you a clear path through school admissions.

The 'Usefulness' of College and Emerging Adulthood

While brainstorming the topic of this week’s blog post, inspiration struck when my colleague, Lisa Helmers, discovered her SAT essay prompt from 2005. Here is the prompt preceded by a quote by Philip D. Jordan, author of The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge.

I cannot comprehend those who emphasize or recognize only what is useful. I am concerned that learning for learning's sake is no longer considered desirable, that everything we do and think must be directed toward the solution of a practical problem. More and more we seem to try to teach how to make a good living and not how to live a good life.
Assignment: Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
After reading the prompt, I began to reflect on the merits of the liberal arts education I received as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Certainly, the psychology and philosophy courses I had taken provided me with delicious food for thought. I was exploring concepts and theories that dramatically changed my perception of the world. It was all very exciting!
Looking back, I now wonder if these courses in the social sciences would qualify as “useful" or "useless" knowledge, especially when my private SAT tutors were always talking about other degrees. I also wonder if the “usefulness” of knowledge is the best criterion for defining the value of a college education. For me, college was a four-year lesson in building autonomy, resilience, and self-concept. While learning about Aristotelian Ethics, I was also being schooled in the obligations of adulthood: finding a place to live, managing my finances, and building social networks. College provided a protected space for me to mature and try my hand at life’s inevitable challenges. It turns out that my experience is a fairly common occurrence in the Western world; in fact, Jeffrey Arnett, Professor of Psychology at Clark University, has coined the term “Emerging Adulthood” to describe the time period (often during college) in which adolescents practice adult roles as they transition to adulthood in their twenties. In retrospect, I definitely see myself as the poster child for Emerging Adulthood.
But in today’s age of economic hardship, could Emerging Adulthood become a relic of the (privileged) past? According to journalist and education blogger extraordinaire, Dana Goldstein, the rising price of college paired with the tremendous debt of student loans makes a university education less accessible and less desirable. In 2003,the average accumulated debt for four-year college students was a whopping $24,000. But here lies the timeworn predicament: Do we risk the financial burden of a college education in order to broaden our intellectual horizons, “grow up,” and enter the job market with a B.A.; or, do we attempt to build a career early, find an entry level position, and allow the uncertainties of the job market to mature us?
I am clearly biased toward the benefits of a college education and the privilege of Emerging Adulthood…but my voice is losing its potency beside the arguments of the opposition. Professor X, the anonymous author of In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic, is an adjunct professor at a prominent community college in his area. He believes that college has become an intolerable expense for underprivileged groups who are solely seeking employment. For example, X wonders, what is the usefulness of a college-level anthropology course to a student who would want nothing more than a salaried administrative assistant position? X’s teacher-student experience is defined by a mutual sense of estrangement and confusion. Teacher and learner stare at each other incredulously, "Is this all really necessary?"
So where do you stand? What was your experience of college and why or why not has it ‘paid off?’ Was the knowledge you learned ‘useful?’ Knowing what you do now, would you advise students, families, and schools to reconsider their approach to higher education? Whaddya think?

Dealing with Admission Decisions

The season for acceptance, waitlist, and rejection is upon us.

It’s a funny feeling dealing with admission notifications. I remember when I was in high school struggling to understand concepts from my private SAT tutors and waiting to hear back from the list of colleges I had applied to –and even though all of my classmates were in the same position (waiting) I remember feeling once the letters (yes, I am old) started to roll in, like I had to deal with my feelings of excitement/devastation/uncertainty “all by myself.”

However, social media has expanded multi-fold since I was in 12th grade, and since then I have watched the number of people sharing their experience with admissions decisions go from mere school-hall-gossip to day-by-play blogs entries that detail every rejection, waitlist, and acceptance notification.

Recently, I have particularly moved by the New York Times’ series that follows six high school students as they blog about their journey through this pivotal time in their lives:

Cherry Creek High: Six Seniors Blog About Their College Quest

Although I am years removed from this particular waiting game, it seems like the more we share our experiences and thoughts, the more we feel like we are not alone: and based on reader response, it becomes more and more apparent that one student’s rejection is another’s acceptance – and that it all works out in the end. Hang in there!

SAT Subject Test Workshops - April 2011

Launch Education Group will be hosting instructional workshops with many SAT tutoring tips that will help students prepare for the most popular SAT Subject Tests: US History, Literature, Biology, and Chemistry.

Click on the image above to obtain details about workshop dates, times, and activities.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Keeping Current

When I was in school back in the 90's (don't laugh, you'll be old too someday), I tried to keep up with current events while learning from my private SAT tutors.  But not really.  I mean, I knew they were something I was supposed to try to keep up with, and I did have some sense of what was going on in the world, but it felt like more of a chore than anything.

Then, in 2000, I went to college, and between the crazy Bush-Gore presidential election, 9/11, and the Iraq War, I found myself becoming genuinely interested in current events.  Further, a lot of the friends I made in college were interested in current events, and we'd talk about them a lot.  So I got into it.

And here's the thing about following current events—when you first start following, it may feel a little forced, but after a little time, the world starts to become really fascinating.

It's all about context.

Picture you start watching a new TV show, like Glee or Lost or Mad Men or American Idol, sometime in the middle of the third season of the show.  Watching the very first episode, you'd be like, "Okay, this is kind of interesting I guess, but I don't really know what's going on and I'm not sure who the characters are."  The next episode you watch will be a bit better—you'll have a handle on some of the key plot lines and you'll remember characters from the first episode.  By your fifth episode, you're totally hooked.  You know all the characters, all the key plot lines, and you can't believe you have to wait another week before the next episode.

It becomes addictive when you get it.  When you understand the context.

So though following what's happening in the world will feel a bit like a chore at first—though you won't know many of the characters or key plot lines—if you just stick with it, the world will quickly become a "must watch" for you.

Now, notice that nowhere above did I refer to following current events as "reading the news" or "watching the news."  That's old-fashioned talk.

Today, you can keep up with the world in all kinds of ways.  So you can figure out what works best for you and your life, whether it's reading printed materials, reading on your computer or phone or iPad, listening on your iPod or on the radio, or watching on TV.  I'll list some of them for you below, but first, a quick note about objective vs. subjective:

When you follow the world, you'll do so in two major categories, objective (straight news) and subjective (people expressing their opinions).  Both are important—the objective part is telling you, "Here's what is happening" and the subjective part is all kinds of people telling you, "Here's what I think is important about what's happening, why I think it is happening, what I think it means, what I think should have happened, and what I think should happen in the future."  You want to take in enough of the objective stuff that you know what's going on, but I find that the subjective, opinion stuff is more interesting and fun to follow (and you can learn a lot of the objective news from the opinion stuff).  And if you can, try to take in opinions from all sides of the political spectrum, even when you don't agree with them.  Getting a balanced opinion load is important for your overall understanding.

Okay, onto the list—

Reading:

• News sites like CNN.com, NYTimes.com, WallStreetJournal.com, and about 200,000 others.  Almost all news sites also have a tab labeled "Opinion" where you can find their subjective stuff.
• Any major newspaper.
• Magazines.  Check out Time or Newsweek for a user-friendly, nicely-packaged blend of news and opinion, or The Economist for something a bit more advanced.
• Opinion websites.  These are sites that scour the web for the best opinion pieces from the day and post them in one place. Check out Real Clear Politics (slightly right-leaning), The Drudge Report (right-leaning), and The Raw Story (left-leaning).  
• Apps.  Most major publications (and all the above-mentioned) have great phone / iPad apps.

Listening:

• Podcasts.  These are a personal favorite—a way for me to hand-pick my favorite things to listen to and have them neatly lined up on my iPod so I can listen during my commute, while waiting in line, while folding laundry, cooking, or whatever.  Check out our previous post on podcasts for some great suggestions.
• The radio.  Mainly NPR, which is a fantastic source for news.  NPR also has a great website, a great app, and dozens of excellent podcasts.

Watching:

• In addition to the news you'll find on the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX), check out CNN, MSNBC (left-leaning), and FoxNews (right-leaning) for entertaining (and often highly biased) news and opinion coverage.
• The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (both left-leaning) on Comedy Central are hilarious and actually pretty informative as well. 
• Meet the Press, on NBC every Sunday, is an excellent way to keep up.  In one hour, they cover the most major stories and always have prominent guests on to share their opinions or debate each other.

It may seem daunting, but just start somewhere!  You'll be happy you did.