http://zhao.educ.msu.edu University Distinguished Professor @ Michigan State University Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:11:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en China’s Peking University (or Beida) has been under fire for trying to answer the nation’s call for more innovative and creative talents. In an attempt to attract more “unusual or extraordinary students” who may not do well on standardized testing, in this case, China’s infamous Gaokao (College Entrance Exam), Beida, ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/11/23/change-without-difference-chinas-struggle-with-standardized-testing/ I have been reading through the 775-page final notice document to be published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2009. It includes the final versions of application guidelines, selection criteria and priorities for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund (RTT), the largest education grant in U.S. history. I ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/11/16/over-the-top-winning-strategies-for-the-race-to-the-top-fund/ More about the book: 11-11-2009: Primary Source reviews my book: http://www.primarysource.org/catching-up-or-leading-the-way 09-11-2009: Fred Deutsch writes about the book on his blog: http://www.school-of-thought.net/?p=898 29-10-2009: Laura Berman writes in Detroit News about the book and an interview with me: http://bit.ly/4bcuy 28-10-2009: Dr. Suzie Oh in Korea writes about the book. Here is the link in English ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/11/14/3/ On October 28, the New York Times reported a federal study that finds that nearly a third of the states in the U.S. lowered their academic standards in recent years, a phenomenon called  “Race to the Bottom” by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. A day later, the same paper reports ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/11/10/lowering-standards-in-the-us-and-%e2%80%9chidden-rules%e2%80%9d-in-china-campbells-law-and-the-causes-education-corruption/ There is widespread fear that US is not preparing enough talents in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) while its global competitors, such as China and India, are producing a lot more engineers and scientists. And this fear has been used to fuel investment in STEM education in the United ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/11/02/419/ China has been working on another round of major education reforms. A national team of government leaders, education officials, and education leaders have been working on a mid and long term strategic plan that will guide education development in China for the next decade or so for over year now. ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/10/27/china-works-on-another-round-of-education-reform-to-foster-creative-talents/ Last week, getideas.org published a post of mine on its Thought Leader's blog. I am reposting it here. ---------- In my new book Catching Up or Leading the Way, I mostly focus on issues facing education in the United States noting that the current education reform efforts, with their emphasis on standards, ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/10/22/the-mismeasure-of-education-worthy-knowledge-in-the-age-of-globalization/ Chris Knott, Principal of the International Baccalaureate World Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina shared this excellent song by Tom Chapin--it's a funny, but really sad description of what has happened to education in the U.S.. http://www.notonthetest.com/index.html Thanks, Chris. http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/10/17/you-will-enjoy-this-not-on-the-test/ 10-12-2009: WNYC's Brian Lehrer show interview about my book: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2009/10/12 http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/10/12/on-npr-nyc-today/ To those who want to learn more about innovation and creativity in China, I suggest that you listen to to read the transcript of this series produced by PRI and reported by The World's Asian Correspondent: Mary Kay Magistad. While it is very consistent with what I have written in ... http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/10/09/created-in-china-pris-the-world-radio-series-on-creativity-in-china/