Neuroscientist: U.S. High Schools Are Too Boring for Students
Lillie M. Thomas | December 29, 2015
Temple University neuroscientist Laurence Steinberg’s research has shown him that adolescent brains are primed for learning.
The problem is, he claims, that most U.S. high schools are not challenging students enough during their adolescent years.
As WQED in Pittsburgh reports, Steinberg has spent his career studying the adolescent brain’s development, and has discovered that it has an “incredible plasticity” and “is exquisitely sensitive to experience.” We tend to think of small children’s brains as sponges for information, but Steinberg basically says the same thing is true of adolescents.
However, Steinberg feels that “American high schools are by and large not taking advantage of this opportunity”:
“Our high school students are among the worst in the developed world… It’s because our high schools are so boring… When we are not challenging our kids in high school, not only are we hindering their academic development, but we also aren’t taking advantage of the plastic prefrontal cortex.”
The article also points out that, unfortunately, American high schools tend to confuse “challenging work” with “amount of work”:
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today visited Ridgewood High School to launch a “Rock Your Socks” competition to benefit the Covenant House, an organization that provides food, shelter, and other services to homeless, runaway and trafficked youth between the ages of 18 and 21. Socks are often overlooked during donation drives, so Lt. Governor Guadagno asked three area high schools to engage in a friendly contest to raise awareness for the charity and get involved in their community.
“Part of being a good citizen means participating in your community or your country as a whole to make it a better place,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Volunteer at a food bank, at a library, at a soup kitchen. You’d be amazed how good it feels to give back to the community and you have no idea just how much people appreciate the help.”
The “Rock Your Socks” initiative is part of the Christie Administration’s annual “Season of Service” program. The goal of “Rock Your Socks” is to collect as many pairs of new socks as possible for the Covenant House. Students are encouraged to use social media to take pictures of interesting or unique socks to spread awareness of the campaign and challenge others to join.
We were excited that our football team made it to the final round of competition at Met Life Stadium on December 5. It was great to see so many people from our community support our team, band, and cheerleaders for this final event. The high school even ran student fan buses for close to 90 students. Although the final score did not go our way, we are extremely proud of our coaches and players.
Unfortunately, despite previous warnings and pleas for assistance, Ridgewood High School was not portrayed in the best light in the stands or in the parking lot. Administrators and faculty members spent much of the game dealing with students that were under the influence and/or involved in disruptive behavior. In addition, the parking lot in the Ridgewood section was left in a very poor state with trash and broken bottles.
As we move forward, we hope this event will be a learning experience for all. The incidents referenced above are not unique to this one weekend and come on the heels of the most recent issues at RHS regarding students and postings on social media sites, i.e., Yik Yak, Finstagram, Instagram, etc. Many of these negative behaviors we have been experiencing are illegal, disruptive, and/or dangerous. These incidents give us a chance to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful discussions about character and decision-making. We do not want to have these conversations after a tragic or permanently harmful event occurs.
Students, parents, and educators are continually being challenged to set limits in children’s lives that effectively support growth and healthy behavior. Although initially frustrated, children thrive and are grateful in the long run when parents and educators set parameters and limits. These concerns are not unique to Ridgewood but must be shared as a community.
At RHS, we will continue to have educational discussions with our students about the effects of drugs and alcohol; assist in the emotional, psychological, and physical development of our teenagers; and teach about character and decision-making through class lessons, athletics, and the arts.
In the weeks and months to come, we will be engaging in conversations with students and parents throughout the community. We encourage you to do the same. If you have any suggestions or feedback you wish to share, please reach out to any teacher, coach, or administrator as we work on determining the best course of action to help our youth reach their fullest potential.
Jerry Lee Lewis photo by Graham Barker from the ‘Jerry Lee Lewis Classic Collection’
DECEMBER 8, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015, 11:05 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Through the fundraising efforts of several organizations, the Ridgewood High School (RHS) Learning Commons has been outfitted with a baby grand piano, which was unveiled to the public during a Maroon and White performance last month.
Fundraising groups such as the RHS Home and School Association (HSA); the Friends of Music, which raises money for all of the music programs of the schools in the district; a parent organization for the RHS band; a parent organization for the RHS strings playing group; and a parent organization for the RHS choir, raised a total of $12,000 for the piano.
“It was a whole community effort,” said Chris McCullough, district supervisor for fine and practical arts at RHS. “To me, it was really nice that all of those groups came together to support the Maroon and White program.”
According to RHS Assistant Principal Basil Pizzuto, the piano was purchased from a Ridgewood family, which agreed to sell the musical instrument to the school for a discounted dollar amount.
“They agreed to drop their price, so that way we could have the HSA purchase it without further fundraising,” Pizzuto said.
The addition of the baby grand piano, school officials believe, will enhance the Learning Commons as a performance venue.
“We’re going to take advantage of this new, gorgeous space and show the talent of our students and the dedication that they put into their craft,” McCullough said. “Having the piano permanently in the Learning Commons makes this much more possible.”
The Learning Commons, located in the library, was not originally intended to be a place for performances, but McCullough said that the adaptability of its furniture makes it the perfect spot for whatever the shows may need.
“The room was designed to be flexible,” he said. “The tables have wheels, so we are able to transform it into this intimate performing space.”
Over the summer, we profiled Anthony Green, the SAT and ACT tutor to the 1%. Green tutors the offspring of some of the country’s wealthiest folk, and all of his sessions are conducted over Skype for a whopping $1,000 an hour.
In 2016, the SAT returns to a 1600-point test, combining the current 800-point Reading and Writing sections back into the single 800-point “verbal” section that characterized the old exam.
In a recent interview, Green told Business Insider no one should take the new SAT in 2016, which he’s also argued on his site.
“I’m recommending that none of my students take the first three rounds of the new SAT (March, May, and June of 2016),” Green said. “Why let students be guinea pigs for the College Board’s marketing machine?
Ridgewood NJ, Niche put out its 2016 Best Public High Schools ranking providing a comprehensive assessment of the overall experience of a public high school. This grade takes into account key factors such as the strength of academics, quality of teachers, school resources, the quality of student life, as well as student and parent reviews, in an attempt to measure the overall excellence of the school.
Ridgewood Placed 28th in the state of New Jersey and some of our neighbors ; Tenafly High School came in 33rd, Pascack Valley High School 36th, Cresskill High School 42nd,Glen Rock High School 43, Ramapo High School 54 and River Dell Regional High School 67th .
Ridgewood NJ, Congratulations to all the students fgor all their hard work. One hundred thirty-four students at Ridgewood High School have been named AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college level Advanced Placement Examinations.
Nine students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4.0 or higher on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
These students are Benjamin Bechtold, Akash Chaurasia, Yunseok Choi, Caroline Gonzalez, Maximilian Jerdee, Warren Li, Nikhil Mendiratta, Jaesung Son and Donald Zheng.
Fifty-two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Thirty-five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
Forty-seven students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher.
About 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million high school students worldwide who took AP Examinations in May 2015 performed at a sufficiently high level to merit such recognition.
The Class of 1980 organizers would like to open up their 35th Reunion to anyone that would like to come to an awesome party…
When: Saturday, October 24th
Where: Mahwah Sheraton from 7p-11p
Cost: $99 + processing fee (link below) – No tickets at the door and ticket window closes Saturday, Oct 17th
I know this is a last minute invite, but unfortunately we don’t have enough people from our own class at this time attending, so if you didn’t go to your last reunion, or just want an excuse to take your honey out for a good time, then come and join us.
Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Steven Shortway and Ridgewood High School Athletic Director Keith Cook examine damage to an athletic field at Ridgewood High School caused by vandals who burned two (2) separate large images of male genitalia into the artificial turf. No exact dollar estimate of the damage was immediately available, but reports are that it could cost several thousand dollars to repair.
JUNE 10, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015, 10:21 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Students were asked to put themselves in unfamiliar shoes as they attempted to help fictional Ridgewood High School (RHS) peers in coping with their issues at the school’s 2015 leadership summit.
After tackling the issue of social media last year, the group of ninth, 10th and 11th grade students were assigned this year with the task of helping their peers with problems they face in everyday life.
Students were split into nine groups, each one receiving a faculty advisor, and given a fictional character with certain demographics, strengths and weaknesses. Each character had a problem to solve and the students had to find a way to help that person deal with his or her troubles.
Teachers and administrators in attendance included Sean McCullough, the district’s director of Fine and Applied Arts, social studies teacher Medha Kirtane, RHS Principal Thomas Gorman and Superintendent Daniel Fishbein.
The obstacles assigned to the characters included divorce, gender issues, social anxiety, insecurity, financial struggles and both learning and physical disabilities.
The exercise taught students to solve a problem through someone else’s eyes, a person who may be very different from them, since a true leader must be able to lead people of all backgrounds and abilities.
“Even if a problem doesn’t necessarily apply to you, you still have to be understanding and be able to cope with it, because that’s what really makes a good leader,” said RHS junior Tyler Porfido.
Texas’ Flower Mound HS opens news fronts on the war on students and on photography.
Nick Gillespie|May. 26, 2015 9:28 am
For centuries now, school has produced an ever-enlarging literature of contempt and hate by those of us (read: all of us) unlucky enough to attend K-12 education. I’m betting that Socrates outdoor classrooms were kind of a drag, but certainly from Herman Hesse’s Beneath the Wheel to Catcher in the Rye to Blood and Guts in High School to Pink Floyd’s The Wall to Frank Portman’s King Dorkbooks, the message that school is filled with petty tyrants (both adult and student variety) is based on many people’s everyday experience.
Here’s a good example of why so many of us disliked school even if we dig edumication.
Via the Twitter feed of Lizbuddie comes the story of Anthony Mazur, a 16-year-old student at Texas’ Flower Mound High School. A photographer for the yearbook, Mazur took pictures of athletes and other students and then posted them on a Flickr account where he sold some of them to parents. As it happens, according to his school district’s policy, there’s no issue with that and Mazur apparently owns the the copyright to work he produces.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood High School is ranked 15th within New Jersey. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Ridgewood High School is 68 percent. The student body makeup is 51 percent male and 49 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 30 percent. Ridgewood High School is the only high school in the Ridgewood Public Schools.
Rankings / Awards
This details how this school compares with others based on U.S. News ranking criteria.
Medal Awarded Gold
National Rank
#307
State Rank
#15
STEM Rank
#222
Students / Teachers
These counts and percentages of students and teachers are from data reported by schools to the government.
Total Enrollment 1,694
Total Minority Enrollment (% of total) 30%
Total Economically Disadvantaged (% of total) 1%
Full-Time Teachers 132
More About Student Body
Test Scores
U.S. News calculates these values based on student performance on state exit exams and internationally available exams on college-level course work (AP®/IB exams).
Proficient in Language 98%
Proficient in Mathematics 96%
College Readiness Index 60.4
Rep. Scott Garrett with the 2015 United States Service Academy nominees from New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District , including Christopher Lee , Ridgewood High School
(Please see list below for individual photos of nominees)
Apr 28, 2015
PARAMUS, NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) is proud to announce the nomination of 36 Fifth District students to United States service academies, including the Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs. This year’s nominees were honored by the Congressman at a reception at Bergen County Community College in Paramus on Wednesday, April 8, 2015.
“It’s an honor to nominate this group of talented, intelligent, and dedicated young men and women from New Jersey’s Fifth District to our country’s prestigious service academies,” said Garrett. “One of the United States’ oldest and proudest traditions, our service academies have been training future leaders for a life of service since the late 1700’s. I wish everyone all the best as they move through the final steps of the application process, and I’m proud of their achievements.”
Applications to the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy require a nomination by a Congressman or a Senator, however, the Congressional nomination does not guarantee acceptance. To assist with the nomination process, Congressman Garrett established an esteemed committee of military and civic leaders that interviewed potential nominees, reviewed their applications and made recommendations to the Congressman. Click here for more information about Congressman Garrett’s nomination process.
Below is a complete list of the nominees by academy and links to individual photos of the nominees with Rep. Garrett. Names without a corresponding link were unable to attend the April 8th reception.
**Please note: some candidates were nominated to more than one academy.
United States Military Academy at West Point
Olivia Beattie – River Vale, Pascack Valley High School
Shayne Harrell – Hamburg, Bergen Catholic High School
Christopher Lee – Ridgewood, Ridgewood High School
John Lorenz – Glen Rock, Glen Rock High School
Michael McPherson – Dumont, Bergen Catholic High School
Brady Miller – Glen Rock, Glen Rock High School
Danielle Peck – West Milford, West Milford High School
Haley Ann Steele – West Milford, West Milford High School
Edward Yoon – River Edge, River Dell Regional High School
Gregory Zabrodskiy – Ramsey, Green Meadow Waldorf School
Michael Thurston of Ridgewood High School Male Athlete of the Week
APRIL 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015, 7:00 AM
BY CHUCK O’DONNELL
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
You couldn’t blame Michael Thurston for being tired after running in three races during the Jack Yockers Bergen County Relays in Oradell.
Michael Thurston
Sport: Track Class: Junior Age: 17
Accomplishment: Thurston helped Ridgewood win two events and take second and third in two others during the Jack Yockers Bergen County Relays.
But two things managed to put a little spring back in the Ridgewood junior’s stride Saturday as he got ready to run his fourth and final event, the 4-x-400.
First, he wanted to do his best. He knew his teammates were counting on him to help them hold on to second place in the Division A standings.
Study by Niche Places Ridgewood High School as one of the 100 Best Public High Schools in New Jersey
March 26 ,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In a new ranking , Ridgewood High School came in at number 34 for its A grade in academics, A- in health and safety and A+ in teachers. The high school also received an A+ for extracurriculars and activities, an A for sports and fitness, a B+ for resources and facilities and a B- for student culture and diversity. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/s/new-jersey/
Niche Best Public High Schools ranks 14,431 high schools based on dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents. A high ranking indicates that the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experience very highly.
An additional 834 schools received a grade but were not eligible for ranking. The list includes magnet, charter, and online schools. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/methodology/
Tenafly High schools came in 8th , Nothern Highlands came in 21 , Pascack Hills came in 23 , Cresskill came in 24 , Nothern Valley 48 and Glen Rock 53 .
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