Many students have difficulties with the three major forms of writing: informative, persuasive and narrative. In 2011, only 27% of eighth and 12th -grade students scored at or above proficient on the writing portion of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP); 20% of eighth-graders and 21% of 12th-graders scored “below basic,” indicating they are unable to perform at the minimum standard for their grade level. Students with disabilities and English language learners show even lower performances on the NAEP.
"Making” and makerspaces have become popular ways of engaging young people and adults in hands-on, creative activities that can develop their knowledge and skills in engineering, robotics, scientific problem-solving and the arts. Much of the focus in current programs has been on developing participants’ technical skills and basic scientific knowledge, such as the ability to use simple programming languages or to understand electronic circuitry.
Open education resources have benefits for instructors and students, including accessibility via the internet and affordability as compared to traditional textbooks. The digital format of OER also offers innovations not possible with hard-copy texts, including multimedia content and user interaction, that can increase student learning. Despite these advantages and increased awareness of OER in the education field, their adoption in U.S. higher education remains limited.
A decline in emphasis on teaching natural history in public schools means many American citizens — children and adults — know little about the part of the Earth they inhabit. To residents of Arizona’s southwest corner, the Sonoran Desert around them remains relatively unknown and unappreciated. The 16th-largest desert in the world has one of the most varied biomes of any desert on the planet. It includes the saguaro cactus (found nowhere but the Sonoran) and the only population of wild jaguars in the U.S.