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5-16-17 Education in the News

Associated Press (via Philadelphia Inquirer)--Fidget spinners, the hit toy that spun out of nowhere

NEW YORK (AP) - Stores can't keep them in stock. Parents are scrambling to find them. And some schools have banned them.

Fidget spinners, the hit toy that spun out of nowhere

The mania for fidget spinners - the 3-inch twirling gadgets taking over classrooms and cubicles - is unlike many other toy crazes. They're not made by a major company, timed for the holiday season, or promoted in TV commercials. They're more easily found at gas stations or 7-Eleven than at big toy chains.

"It just took off," says Richard Gottlieb, a consultant at Global Toy Experts in New York.

Fidget spinners have been around for years, mostly used by kids with autism or attention disorders to help them concentrate. But they exploded in popularity this spring.

Shannan Rowell, a sixth-grade special education teacher, says that after a weeklong break in late April more than half of her 25 students suddenly had one.

http://www.philly.com/philly/living/20170515_ap_2d9d6c370ff641b6986c77ac951b3e88.html

JOSEPH PISANI, The Associated Press| Updated: May 16, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT

 

Education Week-- Most Americans Don't Know Much About School Choice. But Many Like It.

Most Americans admit they don't know that much about charter schools and school vouchers, but many support these policies anyway, according to a new survey by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Although earlier surveys have found similar results (here's one I wrote about in 2014 by PDK/Gallup), these findings are particularly interesting now, given how much attention school choice has received under President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

During the campaign, Trump pledged to spend $20 billion on a school choice initiative, while DeVos, best known as a billionaire who has long been an influential philanthropic booster of school choice. Her support for things such as online charter schools and vouchers for private schools helped fuel fierce backlash from Democrats over her nomination, which was among the most contentious of Trump's cabinet nominees. Vice President Mike Pence had to cast a historic tie breaking vote after two Republican Senators joined Democrats to vote against DeVos' confirmation.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/charterschoice/2017/05/most_americans_dont_know_much_about_school_choice_survey_finds.html?_ga=2.186228009.1075079365.1494935747-503518935.1451996967

Arianna Prothero on May 14, 2017 9:17 AM