When Teachers Stopped Beating Kids
Corporal punishment of students largely fell out of favor in the early 19th century. The preferred new system used prizes to encourage good behavior.
Are Students Just Telling Us What We Want to Hear?
Students tend to fill out end-of-year evaluations so as to describe a “narrative of progress.” For teachers, this is fast food of the mind.
The 1910 Report That Disadvantaged Minority Doctors
A century ago, the Flexner Report led to the closure of 75% of U.S. medical schools. It still explains a lot about today’s unequal access to healthcare.
The Case for Race-Conscious Affirmative Action
Minority students in racially isolated schools have drastically less access to critical educational resources.
Affirmative Action: Foundations and Key Concepts
This non-exhaustive reading list discusses the origins of affirmative action, the question of race vs. class, and the effects of meritocracy.
What Makes a Fair College Admissions Process?
In the wake of the college admissions scandal, scholars go back to the drawing board to answer this most central question.
Taking Children’s Art Seriously
Are children’s drawings meaningless scribbles or serious creative work? Western scholars and child psychologists have debated this topic for years.
A Sense of Place for Toddlers
Young children have a unique sense of the world that can be difficult for grown-up architects to grasp.
The First School Gardens
In the early 1900s, immigration and child labor laws resulted in growing numbers of schoolchildren. Gardens were seen as a way to keep them under control.
When Home Ec Classes Borrowed Babies
In the early-to-mid 20th century, foster children in Canada and elsewhere were placed in practice homes and cared for by home economics students.