Featured Article

• Should Schools be Ranked?

  By Frederick C. Calder, Executive Director of NYSAIS There seems to be no end to America's appetite for ranking. Nearly anything will do as long as it's well fed. The latest concoction of rankings in the school world appeared in Newsweek's May 16, 2005 edition. There the magazine had the temerity to proclaim that it knew the best 100 public high schools in the country, although the headline didn't specify "public." Now, nobody disputes Newsweek's understanding that Americans love contests of practically any sort. Other magazines learned long ago that ranking schools and colleges sells. A reporter asked me once why Americans love to read about school winners and losers. I replied, "Why do people go to cock fights or other extreme sports events? Because they like to go doesn't mean we encourage it, or heaven knows, approve of it." From every point of view that stems from even a modest moral sense of what is good for children, ranking schools is an abomination. Read More...

• Discovering and Developing Your Child's Strenghts

  by Jenifer Fox, Head, Purnell School

  Imagine waking up one day and having everyone you encounter understand the ways in which you are unique and extraordinary. What if everyone viewed the things you did as needed contributions, and rather than looking for what is wrong with you, people pointed out what is right with you? If that happened, you would be super-charged. You would feel free and released from the burden of having to defend yourself. You would be psyched to jump out of bed and get to work. You would feel, well, strong. Wouldn’t it be nice if just one day of your life could be like that? Read More...