Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson It appears that most school districts are headed for another round of online learning. Professor Mark Bauerlein (author of the book, The Dumbest Generation) identifies many problems with online learning and provides some suggestions for parents. The major problem with online learning is that it occurs on a tool that students already use “to play video games, share photos, watch shows, check Instagram, send messages, order food, get directions, and tweet.” It isn’t easy for even the most…

Penna Dexter According to The Wall Street Journal, “There are nearly 60 million prekindergarten, elementary, middle and high school students in the U.S., and with online learning a poor substitute for actual time in school, many of their educations risk being diminished.” Many parents are determined not to let that happen. But, in single-parent households and homes where both parents work, it’s not going to be easy. Three economists from Northwestern University surveyed working parents in May and June and…

Kerby Anderson On the campaign trail and in university classrooms, capitalism and the free market are under attack. Defenders of a free market system make a convincing case for the economic benefits of capitalism. Adam Smith, for example, emphasized its efficiency but said little about its morality. That is a bit strange given that he was a professor of moral philosophy. When defenders of capitalism ignore the moral issue, it allows socialists (like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) to criticize…

Kerby Anderson How many nonprofits will shut their doors because of the pandemic? That is a question some researchers tried to answer by looking at various financial scenarios. They tried to analyze the financial future of the 315,698 US-based nonprofits by considering 20 different scenarios. As a baseline, they concluded that about four percent would close even in the absence of a COVID-19 crisis. Some degree of turnover is likely for a variety of reasons. Then they concluded that using…

Kerby Anderson It appears that mathematics and grammar are now also examples of racism and western imperialism. At least that is what we are hearing on a number of college campuses. Nancy Pearcey writes about one teacher who argues that the “idea of 2 + 2 equaling 4 is cultural” and a product of “western imperialism/colonialism.” Apparently, even mathematics is to be reshaped by critical theory. Lest you think this is the only example, she provides many others. A professor…

Kerby Anderson Theologian Keith Mathison recently decided to delete his Facebook account. Years ago, he deleted his Twitter account. While there is nothing unusual about what he did, I appreciated his blog post that provided a thoughtful explanation for why he did. He talked about a phenomenon he called a “Jekyll & Hyde Effect” and then apologized if someone else already coined this term for this phenomenon. He said he hadn’t seen it used anywhere else. But he also acknowledged…

Kerby Anderson Stephen McBride is predicting the end of college as we know it. The key to his prediction is the last four words: as we know it. The prestigious universities will survive because they will always attract elite students and command huge tuitions. But what about the rest of the colleges that seem bent on teaching classes online? Cost will be a big issue. He reminds us that as recently as 1980, you could get a four-year bachelor’s degree…

Penna Dexter Families with K-12 children have spent the summer waiting to find out whether their schools will reopen for the fall semester or offer virtual learning at least in the early weeks. School districts are announcing plans with the caveat that ‘things could change’ depending on the COVID-19 environment. Adding to this uncertainty is the burgeoning consensus that virtual learning is no substitute for in-person school. Surveys of parents regarding whether their children learned anything during the spring semester…

Kerby Anderson Earlier this month Dr. Thomas Sowell published his book, Charter Schools and Their Enemies. It is an eye-opening look at the success of these schools and the growing criticism of them from the educational establishment and politicians in the Democratic Party. When public schools and charter schools in New York are compared, you can see a significant difference. A majority of charter school students tested proficient or above in the Language Arts test. Most of them were African…

Kerby Anderson If you have ever read George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, you are familiar with the idea of newspeak. Examples would be: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” But if you look at the news media today, you would probably conclude that Orwell accurately predicted the future but was just off by about thirty-six years. Gerard Baker believes “The News Media Becomes Fluent in Newspeak.” He acknowledges that we don’t have a “Ministry of Truth”…

Kerby Anderson It should be obvious to just about anyone with a bit of common sense that the “cancel culture” has gone off the deep end. I have talked about J.K. Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter series, who has been attacked for saying things that are biologically true but contrary to the latest politically correct transgender ideology. Then there is the communications director of Boeing who was forced to resign because of an article he wrote a third of…