We can no longer ignore the data showing that there is little to no correlation between homework and achievement in the elementary grades. Prof. Harris Cooper of Duke University has done extensive research on homework. Cooper compiled 120 studies in … Read More
Blog Archives
The Power Within Us
Our words and actions can impact the entire world – really! A kind word or an act of helpfulness in a child’s life or an adult’s life can literally change the trajectory of that person’s path, and we may never … Read More
What Matters Most (Hint, It’s Not an Elite College)
New research shared at a recent meeting of the Conference of Pediatric Academic Societies shows that the percentage of young children and teens hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or actions has nearly doubled in the past decade. The numbers do not … Read More
A.I. is Coming and Why You Should Care
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. (Malcom Gladwell) That is what is about to happen with A.I. – Artificial Intelligence. We have heard about … Read More
The Necessity of Creativity
Can you imagine a world without creativity? Impossible! The creative mind has found cures for diseases, created magnificent art and music, invented countless tools and machines that have made life easier and more comfortable, solved many complex problems facing society, … Read More
“I Love Bacon”
I love bacon! Well, not me. I don’t eat it, but this slogan appears next to the blue HDS magnet on the bumper of a car that frequents our school parking lot during drop-off. I hear about this bumper sticker … Read More
The Homework Question Revisited
Nothing much has changed since the last time I wrote about homework, in 2010. The most recent research supports earlier data that shows little to no correlation between homework and achievement in the elementary grades, with one caveat: there is … Read More
If You Asked Your Children
If you asked your children what was most important to them, “achieving at a high level, happiness, or caring for others,” how do you think they would answer? How would you want your children to answer? A Harvard Graduate School of … Read More
Is it Okay to Celebrate Halloween as an American Jew?
This is an interesting and somewhat controversial question. We live in a Christian culture, making it sometimes challenging to separate the religious from the secular. Sefer Vayikra (Book of Leviticus) provides the source of the prohibition against celebrating gentile customs … Read More
Responsibility
A central theme of Hillel’s mission statement, which guides and supports everything we do here, is responsibility; specifically “responsibility to self and community.” Although we all understand in general that responsibility involves being accountable for something within our control, we … Read More