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The Rise of ‘Convergence’ Science
WASHINGTON — Advances in medicine and biotechnology — from the sequencing of the human genome to the development of small chips to detect cancer in the bloodstream — were driven largely by scientists coming together from diverse disciplines to work on common problems. But a blue ribbon panel said here Tuesday that these advances also signify something larger: the creation of a new model — dubbed “convergence” — in which... -
RIP CPE
For those who do not know, the CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) was a skills test that all CUNY students pursuing an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree must take and pass to graduate. Also known as the Exit Exam, the CPE tested CUNY students in their ability to read, write, and to think analytically and logically, which the CUNY Board of Trustees deemed as critical factors students needed for future success. The... -
Leadership, knowledge, and the NFL
Brett Favre marched the Vikings up and down FedEx field this past Sunday to the beat of a drum that still, after 20 years in the NFL, spurs one of the most athletic middle aged men in the country to win games against hefty opposition, despite long odds. At 41, the aging team leader is sure to be feeling the decades of bone crunching tackles, mid-air collisions, and life-flashing-before his... -
John Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity
The week leading up to the elections is generally fraught with furious ideological phrase flinging whose truths are, at the best of times, subject to interpretation. On this most auspicious day, in the wake of a seemingly endless stream of increasingly drama laden advertisements from all three sides of the political triangle – the Left, the Right, and their adherents recently admitted to the fray – the political extremists, via... -
Re-taking the SAT?
Have you heard about the student who took the SAT twenty-five times? Well, the good news is that you don’t have to do that … but definitely take it more than once. As everyone knows, practice makes perfect, and familiarity with the exam and the kind of questions asked on it will definitely help you raise your score. Many students are busy taking the SAT and the ACT numerous times... -
Controlling productivity growth
Procurement, also frequently termed ‘acquisitions’ is a little known and scarcely reported on practice in the Federal government’s day to day practices. Interestingly, however, it is about to become a key, central issue in the entire economic debate before the country as incoming Congressmen and women are pitted against some of the most difficult questions ever to be faced in a country with as large a budget as ours. But... -
College Writing Centers
I have tutored writing at several City University of New York (CUNY) Colleges, so I know the importance of college writing centers. From in-coming freshmen to graduating seniors, they enter their writing centers requesting for writing assistance. While some students embrace their writing centers, others perceive them as a form of punishment for a “bad paper”. Little do they know that college writing centers can help students with their writing... -
Race to Nowhere
During the panel discussion I attended at Brookings back in October on standards and the new consortia currently operating in an attempt to align standards with assessment, Professor Greg Sicek had the following remarks: “We’ve tried…standards 52 times already, it hasn’t worked once.” Fifty-two times may have been a bit of poetic license, however, the implicit message is clear: standards-based education has long been a stumbling block and not necessarily...