Wednesday, November 18, 2009

1 shot of gene therapy and children with congenital blindness can now see | Science Codex

1 shot of gene therapy and children with congenital blindness can now see | Science Codex: "Born with a retinal disease that made him legally blind, and would eventually leave him totally sightless, the nine-year-old boy used to sit in the back of the classroom, relying on the large print on an electronic screen and assisted by teacher aides. Now, after a single injection of genes that produce light-sensitive pigments in the back of his eye, he sits in front with classmates and participates in class without extra help. In the playground, he joins his classmates in playing his first game of softball."

Wow, do we live in an age of miracles or what.

Friday, November 06, 2009

E. D. Hirsch’s Curriculum for Democracy by Sol Stern, City Journal Autumn 2009

E. D. Hirsch’s Curriculum for Democracy by Sol Stern, City Journal Autumn 2009: "At his Senate confirmation hearing in February, Arne Duncan succinctly summarized the Obama administration’s approach to education reform: “We must build upon what works. We must stop doing what doesn’t work.” Since becoming education secretary, Duncan has launched a $4.3 billion federal “Race to the Top” initiative that encourages states to experiment with various accountability reforms. Yet he has ignored one state reform that has proven to work, as well as the education thinker whose ideas inspired it. The state is Massachusetts, and the education thinker is E. D. Hirsch, Jr."

I love to see ideas in conflict and what each side brings to bare.