How’s Your State on Public Education?

GOOD Blog > Nikhil Swaminathan on January 14, 2010 at 4:30 pm PST

Education Week released, “Quality Counts 2010,” its annual report card on the state of public education in the U.S. today, praising some states and taking others to task on their stewardship of molding the next generation.

What I find most interesting about the report is that states that score high marks on the metrics bundled under the heading “The Teaching Profession” (pdf) aren’t the states that are topping the list titled “Chance for Success” (pdf).

For the group of measures that include teacher quality and compensation, the top five states are: South Carolina (which earned the survey’s only A grade),  Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, and Maryland. However, that translates into success grades of C, C-, C-, C, and B+. respectively. (The U.S. average for “Chance of Success” was a C+.)

Maryland is the only one of those five states whose teachers are apparently responsible for its students’ success; the others just seem to have “qualified,” but ineffective instructors. (In case you were wondering, the five states that offer students the best chances for future success are: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Minnesota.)

This disconnect adds further fuel to the fiery conundrum of what makes for a good teacher. It’s a question we’ve discussed on this blog and that is covered in the latest issue of The Atlantic. Clearly, the debate rages on.

Post By Elmer Atienza

I recently discovered this website and webpage (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx) that describes the “Grand Challenges of Engineering” as pronounced by the National Academy of Engineering (of the National Academies). The Grand Challenges of Engineering are, in the order of their poll results:

1. Make solar energy economical.
2. Provide energy from fusion.
3. Provide access to clean water.
4. Reverse-engineer the brain.
5. Advance personalized learning.
6. Develop carbon sequestration methods.
7. Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.
8. Restore and improve urban infrastructure.
9. Advance health informatics.
10. Prevent nuclear terror.
11. Engineer better medicines.
12. Enhance virtual reality.
13. Manage the nitrogen cycle.
14. Secure cyberspace.

Should we, as designers, have a similar list of “grand challenges” of our own, as pronounced by one of our representative organizations such as the IDSA, DMI, AIA or AIGA? Or could we, as designers along with our representative organizations, partner with engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to surmount these challenges since they can all be viewed as design problems that will require design thinking as much as scientific thinking to formulate hypotheses, research, conceive, test and evaluate, and reiterate possible solutions? Most of these grand challenges will require the design and development of objects and interactions that will manipulated by people for their effects, and will thus require the unique skill-sets and mind-sets of architects, product designers, industrial designers, interaction designers and graphic designers.

For designers, here lies a fantastic opportunity to lose or gain ownership of the kinds of problems for which viable solutions will not only help the lot of humanity but will establish respect for design’s role in the improvement of our lives.

A 23-year-old Kenyan’s solar-powered LED lantern helps light rural homes

Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) — The villagers’ faces light up as Evans Wadongo arrives. Men, women and children sing and gather around as he shows how his invention — a solar-powered LED lantern — will soon light up their homes.

“These families, they are so poor. They don’t have electricity,” said Wadongo, a native of rural Kenya. “It’s only kerosene and firewood that they use for lighting, cooking.

“The amount of money that every household uses to buy kerosene every day — if they can just save that money, they can be able to buy food.”

Wadongo, 23, not only is giving his country’s rural families a way to replace the smoky kerosene and firelight with solar power, he says he also hopes his invention will ultimately improve education and reduce poverty and hunger. And he’s providing it for free.

Thanks for sharing, Courtney!

Post by: Samantha Morgan Logan

Passion….it’s what it’s about-

Had to comment about this site called inhabitat that I found today. Saw 3 really interesting articles amid some more mundane stuff ALL posted today. Think you would love it.

The WHY versus the WHAT

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers — and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.

Thanks, Kate Taylor, for sharing!

Printervention: Printing for the Public

EXHIBITION AND PUBLIC ART PROJECT RAISING AWARENESS OF SOCIAL ISSUES OF OUR DAY

CHICAGO TOURISM CENTER GALLERY,
72 E. RANDOLPH ST.
APRIL 16 – MAY 4
Features Workshops and Mobile Silkscreen Printing Cart for Distributing Art on Streets and in Parks

WHO: Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Office of Tourism
WHAT: Printervention: Printing for the Public, an exhibition and public art project inspired by cultural programs created through FDR’s New Deal and The Works Progress Administration. Printervention underscores the necessity for public support of artists and raises awareness of the social and political issues of our day. In addition to an exhibition of over 70 posters and prints, Printervention, will feature a mobile silkscreen printing cart for distributing works in the parks and streets of Chicago.
Printervention is a part of Version Festival 2010, an annual arts festival in Chicago that brings together hundreds of artist, musicians and educators from around the world. In addition to the exhibition, Printerventionists will present workshops, demonstrations and collaborations at the Gallery.

Printervention is organized by Emily Clayton, Chris Roberson and Ed Marszewski of the Public Media Institute. For more information. visit www.explorechicago.org or call 312.744.6630.

WHERE: Chicago Tourism Center Gallery, 72 E. Randolph Street
WHEN: April 16 – May 4
Friday, April 16, opening reception, 5-7 pm
April 26 – 30, 1 pm – 4 pm, artist workshops and demonstrations
HOURS: Chicago Tourism Center Gallery hours are Monday to Thursday, 8 am – 7 pm;
Friday, 8 am to 6 pm; Saturday, 9 am -6 pm; and Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm.

via Delicious Design League

The Kindness of Strangers: Change Observer: Design Observer

Debate about designers’ agendas when designing for social causes…

designisforsharing:

Experiencing Abstract Information | Fubiz™

Using technology to show results of abstract data like: How long do you have to work in different cities, to afford a Big Mac or a kilogramm of bread? or Projected pollution in real water

Bachelor Thesis, 2010 project

students Jochen Winker and Stefan Kuzaj from University of Applied Sciences Schwabishch Gmund

Core 77’s Allan Chochinov showcases some really interesting socially driven graphic design work here from his SVA grads at a lecture at IDxA conference Interaction 10 in Savannah, GA…