Suggestion Box

Singer, color guard member dies in motorcycle crash

By Paul Katula •
Alyssa Ludovice, a high school junior, member of Elgin High School's color guard and, from what we hear, an excellent singer and writer, died Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 5, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident Tuesday in Lakewood. She was 16.

Teacher merit pay & new research in Chicago Heights

By Paul Katula •
A new study says there IS a way to make merit pay for teachers work, producing higher test scores by students if their teachers receive bonuses. But there are conditions on how they should receive those bonuses—and a few problems with the study itself.

Links for resources on bullying, cyberbullying

By Paul Katula •
We list here some good resources to recognize, reduce, and help the victims of cyberbullying, a 21st-century version of schoolyard teasing that affects between 20 and 40 percent of schoolchildren in the US, depending on which survey you read. In any case, many, many children are the victims of cyberbullying, and here's what you can do about it.

Are flexbooks the answer to college textbook costs?

By Paul Katula •
College textbook costs are about $1,000 per year for the average undergraduate student, but there are options to reduce the cost, not all of which are available to every student. But they should be.

An assistant is one thing teachers really want

By Paul Katula •
We explain, with evidence from around the country, why our Answer Maryland system, used in any state, can positively reinforce what teachers do in our classrooms.

College freshmen, alcohol, and changes in eating behavior

By Paul Katula •
Tackling the eating woes of college freshmen is not easy, especially given the facts that many increase alcohol consumption and that dorm rooms aren't exactly compatible with good food preparation techniques.

Maryland 3rd-graders at a crime scene camp

By Paul Katula •
Students in Maryland attended a crime scene camp last month, and from this we can see why juries have noticed a "CSI Effect" and why students learn by participating in activities that put information into a context of something that's important to them.

Teachers build robots at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium

By Paul Katula •
Teachers in Freeport, Ill., joined others from across the state at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to build a talented robot. This robot could even pick up trash around a shipwreck in Lake Michigan. Great learning experience.