Brief report but important. Interesting study with significant sample. Of course this should be obvious. I'm sure teaching them music would have similar advantages. But perhaps not for Socratic learning. One more reason for introducing required philosophy in American public schools as has been done all over Europe, most recently in British A Levels, i.e. high school. And those students come out way ahead of ours on average, though an educated citizenry is much more difficult to govern and/or control.

The story provides an interesting alternative to no child's behind left, which teaches how to take tests against a corporate curricula, and threatens teachers and schools to "motivate" them. This article brings to mind a favorite saying: Education should be the opening of a spring, not the digging of a well. The study is promising.

This presents evidence supporting the theory that asking children to think encourages them to think. It also suggests that they don't forget how to think over the next few years. How wonderful. How sad that it's necessary to remind people that memorizing isn't everything. The article isn't exciting, though, but there are good links.

Worth a read.