Crashing the Turnstile at Knott’s Berry Farm

How I Learned to Push Through Life's Limits

Many of my middle-school memories feature my cousin Efrem scooping my brother Adam and me up in his ride and taking us to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. Those were the best summers of my life. My mother had held my hand during the Camp Snoopy days when I was too short for many rides, so my trip con mi primo Efrem signified transition, a rite of passage.

With him, I bolted to Montezooma’s Revenge, a graduate-level ride. I was fortunate enough to be taller than the red line …

by Jose Luis Gonzalez | December 2, 2014

The Best Teachers Aren’t Heroes

But We Still Don’t Know What Exactly a Great Teacher Looks Like—or How to Build More of Them

by Sarah Rothbard | November 21, 2014

We’ve all had bad teachers—and many of us have had great teachers, too. It seems as though it should be simple to figure out what the great ones have in …

Your Family Tragedy Won’t Get You Into College

I've Spent 13 Years Helping Kids Write Admissions Essays. Here's Where They Go Wrong.

by Allison Deegan | November 20, 2014

November is National College Application Month (yes, there is such a thing), and for millions of students–and their parents–urgent deadlines loom. Applications for University of California and California State University …

Do We Really Need Finland to Teach Us How to Teach STEM?

Looking Abroad Can’t Hurt. But the Answers to Better Math and Science Proficiency Might Be Closer to Home Than We Think.

October 21, 2014

In the 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama challenged the nation to produce 100,000 excellent new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers by the year 2021. In …

When Mom Wants You to Go to College But Can’t Help You Get There

Financial Aid Is Hard to Navigate. If Your Parents Don’t Speak English, It Can Feel Impossible.

by Stephanie Lee | June 13, 2014

When I submitted my college applications in the fall of 2009, I thought the hard part was over. But a few weeks later, I found myself hunched over my computer …

When Terror Enrolled at Santa Monica College

A Year After a Devastating Shooting, a Professor Tells His Story—and Those of His Campus—as the Community Continues to Heal

by Gordon Dossett | May 29, 2014

Terror arrived at my college a year ago. On June 7, 2013, a man, wielding a .223 caliber assault rifle and a handgun and strapped with 1,300 rounds of ammunition, …

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