Friday Open Thread

(Editor's note: yes, I knew it was Thursday when I put this up.  I had thought I was going to be unable to get it up early Friday morning and chose to post it on Thursday.)

Update report from the Times about the widely-lauded Road Map Project with some modest success and extension of their goal timeline.

Seven years after setting the goal of doubling the number of students in South Seattle and South King County who finish college or earn a career credential, the Road Map Project is increasing the target to 70 percent — and extending the deadline from 2020 to 2030.

Created in 2010, the Road Map Project is a regional partnership working to dramatically boost college-completion rates in seven school districts.

Interesting article from Spokane's KPBX about why some children of immigrants excel in STEM.

As the Times of India pointed out, Das was one of five Indian Americans among the competition's top ten finishers. In last year's contest, according to one study, more than 80 percent of finalists were the children of immigrants. 

For a new study published in the journal Demography, Rangel, an economist at Duke University, and his co-author, Marigee Bacolod of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, looked at U.S. Census data for young adults who arrived in the United States before age 18. The data covers in detail the relative skills required for different occupations, such as physical strength, communication skills, social skills, math and reasoning. For those who went to college, they were also able to see what major they chose. 

What's unique about this study is that Bacolod and Rangel subdivided the immigrants in two ways. First, whether they arrived in early childhood, before age 10. Second, whether their native language was linguistically close to English — say, German — or less similar — say, Vietnamese. Most linguists agree that these two factors have a dramatic impact on someone's chances of becoming perfectly fluent in a second language.

Use of medical marijuana in schools?  It could happen.  From KOMO News:

 Lawmakers in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee heard parents like Holt speak about the benefits of medical marijuana and how it has helped their children function without pain or other issues until their next dose. House Bill 1060 would allow a parent or guardian to privately administer medical marijuana to a child while at school, on a school bus or at a school-sponsored event.

According to the Washington Department of Health there are 87 children registered for medical marijuana since the roll-out of the database last year, but the DOH doesn't know the circumstances surrounding each child or if they're enrolled in school.

Fun idea for a "March Madness"in an environmental science class from KNKX.

C is for César (Chávez) - a new book about the activist.

Twenty-five particularly funny tweets from parents - you may recognize yourself in one or two. Caution: must like sarcasm.

The Board Work Session scheduled for yesterday was cancelled due to a lack of quorum.  They were to discussion Health and Safety and the 2017-2018 budget.  I was a bit puzzled by this as the Board does not regularly vote on anything at work sessions.

What's on your mind?