… and a few more of our favorite education stories from the week.
We're repping @UCBerkeley, @UofA & more on #CollegeSigningDay! Joining @FLOTUS to encourage students to #ReachHigher! pic.twitter.com/CBmC0wuY3J
— Magoosh (@magoosh) May 1, 2015
Happy College Signing Day!!
#ReachHigher is the hashtag of the day thanks to Michelle Obama. Today, she’ll address a crowd of more than 2,500 students from Detroit-area high schools as part of her Reach Higher Campaign. Her goal: Encourage a strong college-going culture to help more students pursue college after high school. We think that’s a pretty cool mission. You go, FLOTUS.
And yeah, that’s us repping some sweet alma mater t-shirts in the photo above.
The Future of College
FLOTUS isn’t alone in trying to help more students get college degrees. Luckily, technology is also on her side. In this WSJ article written by Corsera’s Daphne Koller, we hear about where the future of college is headed. Spoiler: it’s online.
Online education reduces costs and removes physical barriers of going to school. That means it has potential to open doors for millions of people around the world who otherwise might not have access to postsecondary education. That’s a big deal for countries like India, where they’re struggling to use an outdated university system to prepare over 600 million young people for the workforce. And for the U.S. too, where 59% of jobs require postsecondary education. Can’t wait to see what you can do, online education!
Standing Desks are all the Rage at this … Elementary School?
Ever thought you’d hear Crossfit and elementary school in the same sentence? Well, here it is! The co-founders of San Francisco Crossfit are currently working with the folks at DonorsChoose to give standing desks to every student at Vallecito Elementary in San Rafael. (The co-founders, Juliet and Kelly Starrett, also happen to be the parents of a student at Vallecito.)
Starting this August, Vallecito students will be the first grade schoolers in the nation, and maybe the world, to do their school work while standing. Why? Because “kids are spending 80% to 90% of their waking hours in sedentary positions,” estimate the Starretts. And that’s not good. Standing desks help students burn 17% more calories during the school day than regular desk, said a researcher at Texas A&M School of Public Health. And children with a high body mass index “can burn about 30% more calories a day by standing.” The Starretts are hoping this will effectively wipe out childhood obesity.
The students won’t have to stand all day though, ensured the Starretts. “Most lessons are 15 minutes long, and between recess, lunch, and other breaks, students typically spend only a total of three to four hours on their feet. If they’re tired, they can always sit on the floor.” At least it will be easier for these kids to stand and greet guests who walk into the classroom … “Good morning, Mrs. So-and-So…” (Does anyone else remember that?)
That’s it! If we missed any interesting stories from the week let me know at maizie [at] magoosh [dot] com! 🙂
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