Investigative journalist and author Amanda Ripley spent a year following three American high school students temporarily embedded in schools in Finland, Poland and South Korea. Through the students’ stories and new research into education outcomes worldwide, Ripley unravels a mystery at the center of education’s global competitiveness. Her reporting led to the New York Times bestseller, “The Smartest Kids in the World – And How They Got That Way.”
Ripley will present her findings at 7 p.m. April 30, at the Simplot Ballroom of Boise State University’s Student Union Building. This event is free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, an RSVP is requested. For more information about Ripley, click here. For more information about her most recent book, click here.
Ripley’s speech is co-sponsored by Boise State University, Idaho Business for Education, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation and the Idaho Statesman.
Ripley was recently featured on the Reader’s Corner radio show hosted by Boise State President Bob Kustra. Read about the interview and listen to the radio show here.
Teaching Young Children in the Digital Age
Author and teacher Diane Levin will present a free talk for parents and educators about today’s hyper-connected world. The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Boise State University Jordan Ballroom.
Levin is the author of “Beyond Remote-Controlled Childhood: Teaching Young Children in the Media Age.” Her talk will focus on how to promote optimal development and learning for today’s kids as they grow up in an environment saturated with media and technology that impacts most aspects of their lives.
Levin is a professor of early childhood education at Wheelock College in Boston. She is a founder of Defending the Early Years Project (DEY); Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC); and Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE). She is a graduate of Cornell University. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology of education and child development from Tufts University. Levin is the author of eight books.
For more information about Levin, click here. For more information about this event please contact: Cindy Finch at [email protected]
Healthy communities and schools summit
Two national experts will collaborate with area leaders and professionals in education, public policy, community design, health-care access and healthy food at the “Creating Healthy Communities” summit Thursday and Friday at The Riverside Hotel.
The one-and-a-half day conference will enable local leaders to work with national experts to demonstrate the connection between healthy people and healthy places. Discussion will center on the influence of policy, community design and planning, healthcare access and services, and the availability of healthy foods on population health.
The conference is presented by the St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center and the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation’s High Five! Children’s Health Collaborative with support from Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise Parks & Recreation, Valley Regional Transit, Idaho Smart Growth, Treasure Valley YMCA, COMPASS, and other partners.
Panel discussions Thursday will focus on strategies for integrating health into planning, availability of healthy food, city and school district joint-use agreements, school lunches and other topics.
On Friday, participants will review the previous day’s content and identify key strategies and action plans to improve healthy places and healthy people through transportation and design, policy development, youth engagement, health care and food access.
Cost is $30 for adults (full summit); $10 students (with valid student ID) or $10 for the keynote address only. To register, see: http://highfiveidaho/.org/summit.
Eastern Idaho teacher nominated for national award
Dave Guymon, who teaches middle school at Bonneville Online School, has been nominated for a 2014 Bammy Award.
Guymon, who introduced his students to computer coding earlier this school year and blogs about education issues for Getting Smart and Edutopia, was nominated in the category of education commentator/blogger. He has taught at traditional elementary schools and online schools, is a member of the Northwest Council for Computer Educators and the author of “If You Can’t Fail, It Doesn’t Count.”
“All across the nation, nominees like Dave are doing some pretty amazing things to educate our children often under very difficult circumstances,” Bammy Awards executive producer Errol St. Clair Smith said in a news release. “More than ever before, educators need to be validated and the stories about what’s going right in American education need to be told.”
The Bammy Awards are presented by BAM Radio Network and the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences, and winners will be recognized during a Sept. 27 banquet in Washington, D.C.
Suporters can vote for Guymon at the Bammy Awards website, after clicking on the “Vote” header at the top of the page and then selecting the education commentator/blogger category.
Honorees will be announced June 30.
Disclosure: The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation funds Idaho Education News, which is housed under the Idaho Leads Project at Boise State University.
