tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48526244999353151382024-02-19T20:46:01.117-05:00CK Tutors BlogCollege Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-19341333380803640962008-04-11T14:05:00.002-05:002008-04-11T14:16:46.492-05:00On HiatusThe blog is on hiatus, as our dear readers have probably figured out from the recent lack of posts. We're using the next few months to continue expanding our business (we're currently in Atlanta, GA; Augusta, GA; Boston, MA) and focusing on delivering further profits. Yeah, it's the typical business jargon but it's <a href="http://abnormalreturns.com/2006/05/17/investing-is-hard/">difficult maintaining a blog </a>and the business has to come first.<div><br /></div><div>We should be on break for a few months. In the meantime, we'll also be brainstorming ideas for how to improve the blog and streamline our operations. If you have any suggestions or general commentary you can always <a href="mailto:info@cktutors.com">drop us a line</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading so far - since we started about a year ago, we've had well over 3,000 hits as well as countless readers through Facebook Notes.</div>College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-77214921139103943992008-03-11T07:13:00.000-05:002008-03-10T19:19:26.858-05:00EI: Do Not Invest HereYou probably should not <a href="http://shamgad.blogspot.com/2008/03/solid-bet-case-for-ternium-steel.html">invest in this company</a>. Not for a reason like flawed logic (if anything, Sham makes many strong points and <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/everything-investing-look-at-sham-gad.html">I like his overall style</a>) but because <strong>a great investment idea isn't shared on a public forum like a blog</strong>.<br /><br />If it were a great idea, Sham would be buying up shares and shares of the company, rather than sharing the idea. Even the great Buffett doesn't disclose the companies he's actively investing in... he only discloses after a certain period because it's required by the SEC. But Buffett gets a delay on required disclosure when he's still buying shares of companies... so what this all tells me is that even if Sham is being nice and sharing a good idea, it's definitely not a great idea. And that means you probably shouldn't invest in <a href="http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3ATX">Ternium Steel</a>.<br /><br />--<br />Need other advice and news? Read <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">the full blog</a>!College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com135tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-23765754800855664452008-03-10T07:16:00.000-05:002008-03-09T16:20:36.511-05:00Are Our Brains Wired For Math?<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/03/080303fa_fact_holt/?yrail">Strong piece</a> from <strong>The New Yorker</strong>. A quote and then my quick thoughts below:<br /><br />"Dehaene has spent most of his career plotting the contours of our number sense and puzzling over which aspects of our mathematical ability are innate and which are learned, and how the two systems overlap and affect each other. He has approached the problem from every imaginable angle... And he has weighed the extent to which some languages make numbers more difficult than others. His work raises crucial issues about the way mathematics is taught. In Dehaene’s view, we are all born with an evolutionarily ancient mathematical instinct. To become numerate, children must capitalize on this instinct, but they must also unlearn certain tendencies that were helpful to our primate ancestors but that clash with skills needed today. And some societies are evidently better than others at getting kids to do this. In both France and the United States, mathematics education is often felt to be in a state of crisis. The math skills of American children fare poorly in comparison with those of their peers in countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. Fixing this state of affairs means grappling with the question that has taken up much of Dehaene’s career: What is it about the brain that makes numbers sometimes so easy and sometimes so hard?"<br /><br />Great points all around. And the point that children must unlearn certain tendencies that were helpful to our primate ancestors but clash with skills needed today is something that I had personally not thought of until this article. Make sure to click through to get to more of Dehaene's interesting research.<br /><br />---<br />Be sure to also check out <a href="http://www.cktutors.com/">our company's website</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-5092398263765603752008-03-06T09:43:00.000-05:002008-03-05T22:45:17.731-05:00How To Lie With Statistics<strong>Abnormal Returns</strong> writes about <a href="http://abnormalreturns.com/2008/03/05/how-to-lie-with-statistics/">how to lie with statistics</a>... but that's not exactly the point in the post! And regardless, here's a phrase I like to repeat: <strong>statistics don't lie</strong>, people do!<br /><br />---<br />Make sure you explore <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our entire blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-26399003787386691192008-03-06T06:30:00.002-05:002008-03-05T19:58:12.135-05:00Augusta Views: Group WorkI'm not a fan of group work in school & I haven't encountered many people who are. I don't have anything against the idea; in fact, I whole-heartedly support the intentions behind it. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect between those intentions and the reality of what I've learned from such experiences.<br /><br />I can only assume that group work is a part of our educational career because it's an inevitable part of the "real" world. But, in my mind, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">the two situations are too different for it to be an effective exercise.</span> In school, individuals know that ultimately their success or failure is dependent solely on their performance. (At least this is usually an assurance attached to group assignments in the classroom, no doubt from years of student-driven uproar.) Outside the realm of education, however, such guarantees vanish. Everyone depends on one another to accomplish the task at hand, thus the individuals' success or failure is inextricably tied to that of their groupmates.<br /><br />Why the difference? <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">If we're meant to learn about collaboration and delegation, why is the incentive to do so removed from the equation?</span> If my only motivation is to do my allocated part of the project or task, why do I care about the quality of the end result?<br /><br />This frustrates me especially because I've experienced both sides. I've worked in groups outside of the realm of education & it's been an enjoyable experience, something to be proud of. I've also been a part of groups in an educational setting and felt embarrassed at the end for how poorly it turned out.<br /><br />Perhaps I've got it backwards. Now that I consider it, I can see how my very same argument could be applied in the converse manner, i.e. that the "real world model" offers less incentive to individuals than the "classroom model" does. I suppose it could be my nature to be more motivated & to feel more ownership toward a group project when we're all in it together, so to speak.<br /><br />Thoughts? <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Anyone care to offer the counter-argument?</span><br /><br />-----<br />There's lots more to read & discuss at the full blog: <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com">click</a> on through!Becca Mortensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16295682604997863735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-79229580612350860322008-03-05T09:39:00.001-05:002008-03-04T20:44:23.412-05:00Today Is Jonathan Sharma DayMy friend Sharma recently was part of a team that won <a href="http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/near_earth_objects/apophis_competition/update_20080226.html">a pretty prestigious space award</a>. You'll notice we refer to him <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/space-vs-environment.html">in the previous post</a>, but here are just a few of the additional links of him in the news:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23359616/">On MSNBC</a></li><li><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7265608.stm">On BBC</a></li><li><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_ASTEROID_TAGGING_CAOL?SITE=CAANR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT">On AP</a></li></ul><p>Are you a friend of College Knowledge and have good news to share? <a href="mailto:info@cktutors.com">Drop us a line</a>.</p>College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-85538575561187049252008-03-05T07:36:00.001-05:002008-03-04T20:39:30.459-05:00Space Vs. The Environment...Ask some vaguely green people what's the single biggest thing they can do to tackle climate change, and most will respond with a guilty smile: "yes, I know, I should stop flying."<br />A few brave, selfless souls do just that. But the rest of us are far too used to cheap, quick getaways to kick the habit completely...<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7201114.stm">Read more here</a>. Hat tip goes to my good friend <strong>Jonathan Sharma</strong>, who you'll notice <a href="http://news.google.com/?ncl=1137002589&hl=en&topic=t">is doing big things</a>.<br /><br />---<br />Like what you're seeing? Don't miss the rest of <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-86317539408073131992008-03-04T09:58:00.000-05:002008-03-03T21:01:31.492-05:00Cell Phones For Learning<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/nyregion/28cellphones.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">Here's a new program</a> that's putting special cell phones in the hands of students in NYC. Hat tip to Freakonomics and <a href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/r-u-studying/">this recent post</a>. A summary:<br /><br />Education officials began doling out cellphones to 2,500 students on Wednesday as part of a closely watched experiment to try to change the way teenagers think about doing well in school. The pilot program, at three Brooklyn middle schools and four charter schools, is part of an effort by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein to motivate students to perform better academically — and reward them when they do.<br /><br />Each student is receiving a Samsung flip-phone in a package specially designed with the program’s logo. The phones come loaded with 130 prepaid minutes. Good behavior, attendance, homework and test scores will be rewarded with additional minutes. Teachers and administrators will also be able to use a system to send text messages to several students at a time, to remind them, say, of upcoming tests and other school information.<br /><br />---<br />Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-84375810298570787762008-03-04T06:56:00.000-05:002008-03-03T21:00:28.211-05:00Tax Rate Graph<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRIUucVKcuuFajx65YQ7m63JCQwDu_NgtjCaz4rTG-dVrIQ7s9xZDY89D4ENeDlVEfK4dr0Ug2XmqQs9KalrkDoVQGlyLi7q7JBD6ywS9Q_DxmQZvUqYVyxREZiSX4QZDUQVfaCJfH8U/s1600-h/tax+rates+by+quintile.gif.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173700178433377474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRIUucVKcuuFajx65YQ7m63JCQwDu_NgtjCaz4rTG-dVrIQ7s9xZDY89D4ENeDlVEfK4dr0Ug2XmqQs9KalrkDoVQGlyLi7q7JBD6ywS9Q_DxmQZvUqYVyxREZiSX4QZDUQVfaCJfH8U/s320/tax+rates+by+quintile.gif.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left">Thanks to <a href="http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/03/tax-rates-by-income-quintile.html">Greg Mankiw</a> for the pointer!</div><br />--<br />Want more? Don't miss <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-34477558276180638622008-03-03T06:54:00.000-05:002008-03-02T16:57:56.821-05:00Perspective on LifeI like reading <strong>Ben Casnocha</strong>'s blog almost every day but this <a href="http://ben.casnocha.com/2008/03/charles-handy-t.html">recent post on the curves of life</a> was more interesting than the usual high quality posts he shares with readers. Money quote:<br /><br />But all life need not be measured by a single rise and fall. “You can maybe have a second curve, and a third curve,” Handy explained. The trick, he said, is that “you have to choose the next curve before the first curve peaks so that you have enough resources coming in to experiment...because it always takes about two years from the beginning of a new curve until the point where it transcends the peak of the old."<br /><br />Now I don't fully agree with the "about two years" regarding the beginning of a curve to the point where it transcends the peak of the old, but regardless it is an interesting perspective on life and raises quite a few important questions.<br /><br />---<br /><strong>Thanks for your time.</strong> Keep reading all the posts <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">on our blog</a>!College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-90215916688482666302008-03-02T17:03:00.002-05:002008-03-02T17:06:34.899-05:00Oh Pennies<a href="http://educationwonk.blogspot.com/2008/03/pennys-worth-of-detention.html">Here's a unique story</a> about students protesting their shorter lunch breaks using pennies. While it's definitely not a big deal story, I do think that *if* the students are still being respectful then their means of protest is actually creative. However, if students are being disrespectful while doing their protest, they're merely making themselves look even more foolish. Oh well, something to read on a slow Sunday like today...<br /><br />--<br />Make sure to browse through <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our blog here</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-84185489053804063282008-03-02T10:48:00.003-05:002008-03-02T10:51:10.535-05:00EI: Notes on Warren Buffett MeetingStudents from Emory and UT Austin had a Q&A with Warren Buffett and <a href="http://undergroundvalue.blogspot.com/2008/02/notes-from-buffett-meeting-2152008_23.html">here are some notes on the highlights</a>. Definitely worth 10 minutes of your time.<br /><br />And <a href="http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2007ltr.pdf">here's the link</a> to Warren Buffett's most recent letter to shareholders (2007).<br /><br />--<br />Don't miss out! Check out <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">the rest of our blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-15434159969714350712008-03-01T19:08:00.004-05:002008-03-01T19:13:04.918-05:00Quick Update on HarvardHey folks, just checking in after the HBS admit weekend - it was great! Saw a class in action, learned about the school, met some interesting people, and already made some great friends.<br /><br />An video example of the case method at Harvard <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/mba/academics/insidethecasemethod.html">can be found here</a>. That's what I saw in action!<br /><br />Anyways, hope everyone is having a good weekend. We'll be back to our regular posting on Monday.<br /><br />A bit more on the case method:<br /><br /><strong>The Case Method</strong><br /><br />Although HBS uses a variety of learning techniques, our primary form of instruction is the case method, an interactive process in which students and faculty teach and learn from each other.<br />HBS cases are firsthand accounts of actual management problems that stem from a variety of interdependent factors and span all aspects of business. Each case is bounded by the constraints and incomplete information available when the decision in the case had to be made. Placing themselves in the role of the case protagonists (managers), students perform analyses and recommend a course of action -- without knowing the outcome of the decision at hand.<br /><br />Rooted in an understanding of how managers learn, the case method is a gradual process that requires engaging in action in order to learn from experience. The facts and figures in a case are only the beginning of this process, serving as a springboard for dynamic discussion in the classroom.<br /><br />As such, the case method relies on the active intellectual and emotional involvement of every student. As students derive generalizations across multiple case analyses, these generalizations are constantly explored and tested using evidence from specific cases. This in turn strengthens each student's ability to address any number of specific issues, which is the true value of this learning method.<br /><br />Rather than teaching "to" students, HBS faculty facilitate shared learning by helping students teach themselves and each other -- in essence, by preparing students to take charge of their own learning and development. As a result, HBS students have a dual responsibility to both learn and teach, with the faculty's guidance and support.<br /><br />--<br />Check out <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our full blog here</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-46890047686435994462008-02-28T19:09:00.002-05:002008-02-28T19:10:49.295-05:00Augusta Views: Oops!Sorry, folks! I completely forgot what day it was & missed my post! I, too, am going out of town this weekend, but I'll be back next week. Tune in Thursday!Becca Mortensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16295682604997863735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-78876321277840688482008-02-27T22:07:00.003-05:002008-02-27T22:14:52.642-05:00On The Road: Northeast EditionHey we're on the road Wednesday through Sunday, first in Newport and then in Boston, so posting will be iffy. However, you can look for Becca's regularly scheduled post Thursday!<br /><br />Something to think about: how much universities should have to <a href="http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/02/should_universi.html">spend on their endowment</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-66834019020092916692008-02-27T07:12:00.000-05:002008-02-26T19:14:20.146-05:00Inflation in PeopleOf course, when <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/i-gave-200-on-this-blog-post-282/">this sort of hyper inflation starts happening</a> then the phrase "I'll give 100%" starts to mean much less.<br /><br />--<br />Read the rest of <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our insights and posts here</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-39703251257470365772008-02-26T08:17:00.000-05:002008-02-25T20:19:50.850-05:00College Tuition and EndowmentsThe Becker-Posner blog is unique because of the access it provides to two top-notch economists. Two days ago Becker <a href="http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/02/college_tuition.html">wrote about college tuitions and endowments</a> and made this great point:<br /><br />The increase in tuition has been much faster than the rise in consumer prices over the same time period. However, the benefits from a college education in the form of higher earnings, better health, better educated children, and many other aspects of life have grown much faster than tuition has. The result is that benefits net of all college costs have increased at an unprecedented fast rate during the past 30 years. College-educated persons increasingly have achieved elite status not only in the United States, but in other countries as well, including developing countries like China, India, and Mexico.<br /><br />So it is hard to feel sorry for college students despite the rise in college tuition.<br /><br />--<br /><strong>Your thoughts?</strong> Leave 'em on <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our full blog</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-6330005276580523672008-02-25T20:24:00.002-05:002008-02-25T20:25:04.585-05:00EI: Bad Call, Alan!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNdXQffwH_csR2SIqwp1fhnohxei-eecrxPnGudMQ4wCtKZkyt9whmtC1gnHm_pRaoJy3vKOMnzIgBPZtdiEFi_aHpyECOAwrg6DoduFWBOOgmkUOheLBOB5FO3xpPYzFY7i1xAPrMI8/s1600-h/fed_funds_and_greenpan.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171093710116841394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNdXQffwH_csR2SIqwp1fhnohxei-eecrxPnGudMQ4wCtKZkyt9whmtC1gnHm_pRaoJy3vKOMnzIgBPZtdiEFi_aHpyECOAwrg6DoduFWBOOgmkUOheLBOB5FO3xpPYzFY7i1xAPrMI8/s400/fed_funds_and_greenpan.png" border="0" /></a> Enough said...</div>College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-73053324823708435052008-02-25T07:40:00.000-05:002008-02-24T19:51:04.292-05:00Catching CheatersI somehow missed this post a while back on <strong>Freakonomics</strong> about catching cheaters and wanted to <a href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/a-business-idea-for-anyone-who-wants-it/">point our readers to the actual post</a>. More importantly is this quote that caught my attention (thoughts follows):<br /><br />Are school districts more likely today to be receptive to an outsider selling cheating detection services than they were back when we first thought about doing it? <a id="more-1853"></a>Definitely not. What programs like No Child Left Behind have changed, however, is the stake that higher levels of government have in getting rid of cheating. State and federal governments are now allocating large amounts of money based on test scores. They don’t want to be in the business of generously rewarding cheaters. Relative to the money at stake, the costs of detecting cheaters is trivial — maybe a nickel per student per year, which seems like a small price to pay. Unlike individual school districts, state governments care about catching cheaters — or at least, they should.<br /><br />So it seems like the incentives here are not aligned properly... and yet this isn't a bigger issue in the news? Maybe I'm missing something here but this does not seem right... thoughts?<br /><br />--<br />Like what you see? Check out the rest of the blog <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">here</a>.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-81789255953676560862008-02-24T17:22:00.002-05:002008-02-24T17:28:33.960-05:00EI: Chance and ProbabilityWe've <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/luck-vs.html">talked about luck before</a>, how it <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-about-setting-goals.html">relates to setting goals</a>, and pointed readers to <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-to-think-black-swan-and-being-cheap.html">a book review of The Black Swan</a> but (based on what we remember) we've never discussed the role of chance when it comes to investing. So <a href="http://epicureandealmaker.blogspot.com/2008/02/survey-course.html">here's a great piece</a> from the insightful <strong>Epicurean Dealmaker</strong> and a quote to entice you to click through:<br /><br />Investing is clearly a game that is far more complex and subject to dramatically more causal factors than tossing a coin. However, no sane person would deny that chance must play some sort of role in an investor's results. Baruch identifies a factor he calls "persistence" in a trader's superior returns. Does that mean that outcomes in sequential investing games are not independent? That winners tend to win? If so, why? Is this the result of skill, momentum, reputation, confidence?<br /><br />Or are we looking at a dramatic case of survivorship bias, where the most successful (lucky) investors are the few among many that we focus on, send money to, and try to emulate simply because they have been successful? Are these wizards of finance only one or two coin tosses away from failure, ignominy, disgrace?College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-12540345610198490972008-02-22T09:32:00.000-05:002008-02-21T19:37:20.266-05:00Now Here's Someone Who "Gets Us"Chris Yeh often has great points to make over at his blog but <a href="http://chrisyeh.blogspot.com/2008/02/elephant-and-ant-why-companies-need.html">this bit</a> really struck a chord. He's right - running a small company is like an ant, running a big company is like an elephant. And I'm realizing more and more that it's really fun to be an ant but that making the transition to an elephant (since we're growing rapidly with three locations and more to come) is key - and that's where the bit on processes comes in (definitely noticing the importance of that!)<br /><br />More importantly, an interesting thought tucked away at the bottom:<br /><br />P.S. One final alternative to keep in mind: While a single ant can't move a rubber tree, an army of them certainly can (or at least decimate the village where the tree is planted). To what extent can your company act like a swarm of startups, rather than as single elephant?<br /><br />--<br />Like what you see? Check out <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">our blog</a>, <a href="http://www.cktutors.com/">our website</a>, and <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/congratulations-rafael.html">one of our founders</a>!College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-69440646210148552152008-02-22T07:07:00.000-05:002008-02-21T19:12:52.554-05:00Insulting Us (Millenials)Here's Joanne Jacobs pointing readers to <a href="http://joannejacobs.com/2008/02/21/good-with-facebook-not-with-failure/">a piece against millenials</a>. It's surprising, though, given that we've blogged in the past how the "millenial" (I really dislike that term) generation is <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/were-not-more-arrogant.html">not more arrogant</a>. Come on Joanne - we do things like <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/making-thankful-list.html">make thankful lists</a>. I generally like what Joanne Jacobs links to but I was definitely surprised to see the bit on millenials.<br /><br />--<br />Disagree? Agree? Well, check out the <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/">rest of the blog</a> for more insights.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-15988315123839263602008-02-21T06:51:00.001-05:002008-02-20T22:38:34.573-05:00Augusta Views: Teacher Politics IIA while back I wrote <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/search?q=teacher+politics">this post</a> about the influence of a professor's political views on those of his students. As I was catching up on my "internet reading" from the last few days, I found <a href="http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=s1153nnhjkhr407r6ng6gjg8pvc8g2s8">this article</a> that relates to the discussion.<br /><br />The Woessners' research sheds new light on the issue & offers an interesting twist to the story. Apparently, professors DO influence their students, and not only their political persuasions. Liberal students are more likely to follow in their professors' footsteps toward academia than are their conservative classmates.<br /><br />Check it out & post comments! Despite leaning to the right, I do enjoy a good intellectual discussion now and again!Becca Mortensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16295682604997863735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-20653586264938617592008-02-20T07:01:00.000-05:002008-02-19T18:10:55.271-05:00How to Make Great TeachersYesterday, we were pointed to a great bit in <strong><span style="color:#003300;">Time</span></strong> on <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1713174,00.html">how to make great teachers</a> from our friend Elizabeth. An introductory quote:<br /><br />About 3.2 million people teach in U.S. public schools, but, according to projections by economist William Hussar at the National Center for Education Statistics, the nation will need to recruit an additional 2.8 million over the next eight years owing to baby-boomer retirement, growing student enrollment and staff turnover—which is especially rapid among new teachers. Finding and keeping high-quality teachers are key to America's competitiveness as a nation.<br /><br />So we'll have a huge teacher shortage that will be another key factor in threatening the United States' long term competitive ability. Why not open it up to market forces? This is something we talked about <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/not-quite-there.html">yesterday</a> and <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/merit-pay-and-why-it-works.html">previously</a>. But here's more from the article that is really encouraging:<br /><br />There's little research on what makes for a successful merit-pay system, but several factors seem critical, says Matthew Springer, director of the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University. Denver's program includes many of them: a careful effort to earn teacher buy-in to the plan, clarity about how it works, multiple ways of measuring merit, rewards for teamwork and schoolwide success, and reliable financing. In fact, Denver's voters agreed to pay an extra $25 million a year in taxes for nine years to support the program.<br />It's too soon to say if ProComp will raise achievement in Denver, but a pilot study found that students of teachers who enrolled on a trial basis performed better on standardized tests than other students. The program is already successful by another measure: raising the number of teachers applying to work in Denver's most troubled schools.<br /><br />--<br /><strong>Found something good?</strong> <a href="mailto:info@cktutors.com">Please send it our way</a>...College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4852624499935315138.post-23501691984754628482008-02-19T07:13:00.000-05:002008-02-18T19:18:54.687-05:00Not Quite There...Over the weekend, I read <a href="http://joannejacobs.com/2008/02/18/seeking-certification/">this same bit</a> about a teacher's attempt towards reaching National Board certification, but what's more interesting isn't the end result but rather the teacher's journey... (cliche, I know!)<br /><br />But what's perhaps more interesting than the teacher's tale is this quote in Joanne Jacob's same post:<br /><br />"Betsy thinks teachers won’t be treated as professionals as long as they’re sheltered from marketplace competition."<br /><br />Well, we think it's quite true - there's nothing like the efficiency of the markets. So that's why we're all for merit pay and why <a href="http://cktutorsblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/merit-pay-and-why-it-works.html">we've blogged about it before</a>. The same logic applies to Betsy's point: if a teacher is good, they wouldn't be opposed to merit pay; if they're bad, they would be. And as we also wrote: the best way to protect your pay and job is to continually improve and add value, especially in what is popularly called our increasingly global economy.College Knowledgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786892980400273480noreply@blogger.com0