The Text Revolution

Texting is on the rise, especially among teenagers age 13 to 17. According to an article in MashableTech.com, the average teenager now sends 3,339 texts per month. That’s more than six texts per waking hour. Teen females send an incredible 4,050 texts per month, while teen males send an average of 2,539 texts. Teens are sending 8% more texts than they were this time last year.

Other age groups don’t even come close

 

 

While voice may be on the decline, data and app usage is on the rise. Data usage among teens has quadrupled, from 14 MB to 62 MB per month. In a role reversal, teen males use more data than their female counterparts: 75 MB vs. 53 MB of data. App and software downloads also increased by 12% among teens in the past year.

We Remember

The great American actor, James Arness is famously known for his portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke. He played the role for over twenty years. Of Norwegian and German heritage, the man originally named James Aursnes was born and raised in Minneapolis – as was his younger brother, the similarly acclaimed actor, Peter Graves. Graves died in 2010. James Arness died in June of this year.

Music Video Tribute to James Arness

ACLU Pursues Charter School Lawsuit

KARE-11 News reports that the ACLU of Minnesota has recently released hundreds of documents from its ongoing lawsuit against the charter school -- Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy. Charter schools in Minnesota are publicly funded and must be nonsectarian.

The ACLU's lawsuit is based on the legal claim that the school used taxpayer money to promote Islam.

Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, or TIZA, has been fighting the allegations since unfortunate events first erupted in 2008. The Inver Grove Heights charter school closed before the 2011-2012 academic year. Its assets are now tied up in a pending bankruptcy case.

Half of MN Schools Fail

The Minnesota Department of Education has released a stunning state report card for 2011. Nearly half (47 percent) of Minnesota schools didn't make the grade under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

School teachers and administrators have plenty of excuses to explain away the situation. Certainly some of the excuses and complaints about NCLB are valid. However, by any measure -- Minnesota is obviously facing systemic failure.

Faith in Public Schools

Just 34 percent of Americans say they have faith in the public school system, an all-time low. Many of them say budget troubles are to blame, but they also think better teachers would fix the problem.

Testing Out

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan
talks with students during a visit to
Dayton's Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School

Time Magazine reports that state and local education officials have been begging the federal government for relief from student testing mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind law.