What's Lucy Reading?

Mary-Ellen Phelps Deily, a veteran journalist with Education Week, has launched Beyond School, a blog dedicated to discussions of “learning outside the traditional school day.” She seems to have her finger on the topics everyone is discussing, kicking off with a post on summer learning as a means to drive school reform. I expect to follow this one closely.

Speaking of essential publications, I’ve been reading Youth Today for so long that it feels like one of those permanent institutions. But in fact, its founding publisher, Bill Treanor, just retired after devoting 40 years to making life better for kids who have the fewest advantages, and covering the professionals who work with kids every day. You might find interesting this Washington Post piece on Bill’s career.

I just caught up with a report from the Girl Scout Research Institute that compares the beliefs and values of kids today to those who answered a similar national survey a generation ago, in 1989. Today’s kids are more comfortable speaking their minds and voicing their opinions than were their counterparts a generation ago. They are also less likely to be swayed by their peers. These “optimistic realists,” as the report calls kids in grades 3-to-12, highly value being engaged and involved in their communities. Girls particularly report they want to make a difference locally. We need to value their voices and make sure they have opportunities to connect their interests with actions.