Category View (Education)

There’s an interesting book that first appeared in 1987 that became a bestseller. It was updated in 1995 and it contains a full gamut of information that will keep you interested in reading more no matter what your interests might be.  An Incomplete Education,by Judy Jones and William Wilson, covers a variety of subjects in a succinct CliffsNotes way that can save you a lot of study time while keeping you entertained. For example, their chapter called Opera for Philistines describes the ‘most bankable composer ever’ (Puccini) as “The Steven Spielberg of opera.” Their chapter on Shakespeare, Bellying up to the Bard, more...

To this day, I think of my father every single day. He was a tremendous presence in my life and the example he set for me remains intact. His integrity was beyond reproach, and the legacy he left behind was as important to him as it is to me. In that sense we are still very much together. Our goals may have been different--he didn’t see why I wanted to build glass skyscrapers, for example, when bricks worked for him as a developer--but the means were the same: hard work, focus, integrity, and a standard that would not be diminished by more...

June 6th marked the 65th anniversary of an epic day in history, which was the Allied invasion of Normandy. This was the turning point in World War II and is an event that warrants the great tributes it has received. President Obama, President Sarkozy, Prince Charles, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper were among those who were present, along with veterans, at the American cemetery in Normandy on Saturday. Maybe some of you saw Stephen Spielberg’s film, Saving Private Ryan, which chronicles this day in a realistic and therefore devastating way. One veteran said this film is more...

Here’s a topic that can be argued positively from both sides. My father, Fred C. Trump, didn’t have the advantage of a college education yet he became very successful. He was smart, focused and he worked hard every day. But he knew the advantages of having a good education. He put his younger brother through college, and my uncle went on to get his Ph.D. from M.I.T. and became a professor of physics. Education was stressed when I was growing up, and my father made sure we had the best education possible. While I had the great advantage of attending Wharton, one of more...

How happy are you? How old are you? Researchers say there’s a correlation. Apparently, the happiness “tipping point” is right around age “40.” Before that, according to University of Southern California economist Richard Easterlin, women are generally happier than men. In their 20s and 30s, they’re generally pleased with their personal lives and their careers and life overall. Men, however, allegedly experience the saddest period of their lives in their 20s. They still haven’t hit the peak of their careers, most are still single, and they’re still trying to figure out life. But once they hit the big 4-0, men and women switch more...

I’ve talked about financial education before, but another concern for this country is political literacy. I was astounded when I read an article recently about a survey that asked U.S. citizens three questions dealing with political knowledge. In their survey of adult Americans, only 18 percent of those questioned answered all three questions correctly. That’s not a huge number. I was thinking to myself that those questions must have been of a very complex nature to have received such a low score of correct answers. I was wrong. They were simple, and here’s what they were:  What is the controlling party of the more...

September always seems like the start of a new year. It’s back to school time and the energy is great. Now that I have my three eldest children working at The Trump Organization and doing so well professionally and personally, I am often asked what the secret is to raising good kids. I’m not sure if any of these things are a secret, but there are some guidelines that I think are effective. After seeing me on television on The Apprentice, people might think I’m a tough guy. That’s true in some ways, but most people will admit that I’m fair. When more...

Every time you turn around, another expert has an opinion about what’s wrong with our schools. Sometimes it makes more sense to ask the parents. After all, they see what their children are learning - or not learning - so they see where the schools are succeeding and failing. Recently, a major survey of adults and parents found that a large majority of Americans think schools are placing too much emphasis on the wrong subjects. More than half of those polled think that educators are doing just a fair job in preparing children for the eventual work force or giving them the more...

A sixth-grade teacher in Seattle was suspended for refusing to give his students a federally-mandated standardized test. Science teacher Carl Chew said for years he watched his students suffer with test anxiety. Some, he said, got physically sick and others actually cried. He said the test created an atmosphere he called “rife with fear,” so he just decided not to give it. This didn’t sit well with his principal who suspended him for nine days without pay for insubordination. The teacher’s actions made him a hero for a lot of parents who sent him letters from as far away as Hawaii and Canada. A more...

I’m always talking about how important it is to get a good education. I’m a big believer in going to a great college and getting a good degree because of all that it will do for your career. Well here’s another reason to get a good education. Researchers at Harvard University found a stunning correlation between how long people live and how long they go to school. Over the past decade, people with at least one year of college increased their lifespan by at least a year and a half. But those with a high school diploma or less gained only six months. It more...

We wonder why there are so many education problems in our country. Well, maybe it’s because administrators spend way too much time with issues that have nothing to do with actual education. Recently, a school policy at Shepherd Junior High School in Mesa, Arizona, made national headlines...and not for good reasons. The school has banned hugs between students that last longer than two seconds. Students who are caught hugging for any longer than that are punished with detention. So many students - and even parents - were upset by the policy that they staged a public protest across the street from the school more...

The most awaited issue of U.S. News & World Report has hit the newsstands. You know - the one that ranks top American colleges and universities. It’s being snapped up by eager parents and kids who are looking for the college that’s right for them. And did you know that Trump University is not listed among the top schools? In fact, Trump University is not listed at all. We didn’t expect to be, because we are not a degree-granting institution. (Not yet, at any rate.) Our name should not appear alongside Harvard, Yale or Princeton. Let’s be realistic, we are a very more...