If you want to find a job after colleague, you should be sure to be likeable. At least if you’re a woman who’s looking for a career in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. A new study by Natasha Quadlin at The Ohio State University reveals that for men competence is the key hiring factor, but for women it’s likeability. In fact, a high Grade Point Average (GPA) decreases women’s prospects of getting a job interview.
Exactly one year ago, I undertook with my family the return to my beloved Argentina, after almost 16 years of living between the United States and Canada. I left without children, I returned with 3. And, like all parents, what worried me the most before moving was their insertion in the new life. A crucial component of this insertion: the school environment. In my experience, the minimum standards, both in Canada and the United States, are very clear. A school without running water or electricity is suited to operate.
In the 90’s, the city of New York lived a turbulent time with six murders a day. More than two decades later, in 2014, the city had the lowest number of murders since 1963: 333 murders throughout the year, a little less than 1 a day. How did the police department of this city achieve such a radical change in violent crime? For many years it was thought that the policy of "hard hand", resorting to mass incarceration, was what allowed to leave behind the violence.
To motivate education reform, the Government of Finland has identified the World’s 100 most innovative and inspiring K-12 education initiatives. This month, the HundrED innovations were announced in Helsinki, Finland, including fascinating innovations that put children’s learning at the center. “Tikichuela Mathematics in My School.” Was one of the recognized innovations.
At 4,000 meters above sea level, in the Andes, is the village of Linda Linda. It is a beautiful place, in the middle of the mountains, and belongs to the region of Huánuco, one of the poorest regions of Peru. In 2013, during our first visit, we could see that children aged three to five who attended school had no place to learn. The school was made of adobe, with a thatched roof. I had no light, no drinking water. In the only classroom, there was practically no educational material. More seriously, neither the boys nor the teacher knew what to do with the few materials they had.
My daughter, AnnaMaria, recently finished 4th grade. She loved her teacher, Ms. Margi, because she made learning fun. That got me thinking. My 4th grade teacher was my favorite teacher too, Miss Guertin. Why? She made learning fun. So, I wrote her a letter that evolved into a candid and heartfelt conversation about teachers. She co-authors this blog. Delivering appropriate content in a way that evokes curiosity, excitement and passion for learning is the harder part of being an effective teacher.
There’s been a lot of talk about public-private partnerships (PPPs) and it’s no wonder. Given today’s development needs and the limited fiscal space facing many governments, private sector financing and know-how has become even more critical. 
I recently shared the results of an interesting survey commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank in which over 33,500 respondents across the Americas defined their priorities for sustainable and inclusive infrastructure.
A quick glance at the front page of any major newspaper in the region for statistics to begin telling us a story about the reality we live in: how much did the economy grow or shrink, how many people voted for a candidate or how much was invested in a new infrastructure project. When it comes to education, however, neither data nor the reality they reveal are as easy to comprehend. What achievements do we find when we analyze the main education indicators for Latin America and the Caribbean?