Education Resources

At TEDxRainier, Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another: by listening to the humans around them and “taking statistics” on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world.

Since 1991, when Minnesota passed the first charter school law, companies and individuals have established private schools using public funds. These private charter schools caught on across the country and have become a highly sought-after alternative to traditional public education, particularly for underserved students in urban areas. From 2004 to 2014 alone, charter school enrollment increased from less than 1 million to 2.5 million students. Many charter schools boast of high test scores, strict academic expectations, and above-average graduation rates. Their growth, supporters argue, is evidence of their success. But have these schools lived up to their promise? Opponents argue that charter schools, which are subject to fewer regulations and less oversight, lack accountability, take much-needed resources from public schools, and pick and choose their student body, thereby undermining public education. Are charter schools overrated