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How to keep your New Year’s resolutions

If you haven’t already seen a bunch of blogs, articles or op-eds telling you how to — insert synonym for “achieve” here — your New Year’s resolution(s), then you probably will. And it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the (sometimes conflicting) guidance. So we’re going to distill the most important advice for you here. ◘ Big dreams are good, but small goals are better. There is nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. For your resolutions, however, it’s better to set specific, achievable goals that can help you reach your big dream. Often, our resolutions are ...

Biden’s small wins on loan forgiveness

Despite the failure of his broad student loan forgiveness plan in the Supreme Court, President Joe Biden and his administration have found ways to deliver on his campaign promise with smaller, more targeted forgiveness efforts. In early December, the Biden administration announced another round of forgiveness: $4.8 billion in relief for more than 80,000 borrowers. When taken altogether, the targeted efforts have resulted in $132 billion in loan forgiveness for more than 3.6 million borrowers. If it feels like this happened under the radar, that’s because it did. The sweeping ...

Solving homelessness crisis more about priority than money

If it seems like the homeless population has grown, that’s because it has — everywhere. According to the annual point-in-time survey, there are almost 71,000 more people experiencing homelessness this year compared to last — an increase of 12% — totaling around 653,000 people. This is the highest level of homelessness recorded since the survey first started in 2007. Surprisingly, homelessness levels remained steady through 2021 and 2022 before the jump in 2023. But those were the years that pandemic assistance was in full effect: child tax credits, repayment pauses, ...

The hazards of standardized tests

Last week, we talked about the results of several national and international standardized tests. While standardized tests are good for comparing large groups to each other, they are terrible mechanisms for measuring an individual student’s understanding. One problem is standardized tests penalize kids who aren’t good test takers. Some people scoff at the idea of being a “bad tester,” but some kids are just really bad at taking tests. Maybe they get so stressed out that they shut down, or they have trouble focusing, or they have learning disabilities, or they work slower ...

The season of gifts

It’s Christmas Eve, and we find ourselves thinking about gifts. After all, tonight Santa Claus will shimmy down chimneys across the globe, leaving presents wrapped in paper and bows for the good girls and boys. And tonight and tomorrow, families will gather and exchange gifts. Hanukkah ended almost two weeks ago, and in addition to the candle-lighting and traditional foods, it’s common for celebrants to give presents on each of the eight nights, especially to children. Kwanzaa begins on Tuesday, and on the final night, after the karamu — the feast — it’s common to ...

FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US

The Airing of Grievances Happy Festivus! If you’re scratching your head and checking your calendar to see how you missed a holiday, don’t worry — you aren’t the only one. The concept of Festivus was first introduced in the “Seinfield” episode “Strike” from Season 9, which aired Dec. 18, 1997. According to festivusweb.com, “Festivus is a secular holiday, normally celebrated on Dec. 23. It is mainly meant as an alternative to the pressures and commercialization of the Christmas season. ... The usual holiday tradition of a tree is manifested in an unadorned ...