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Report by Dan Patterson

Accreditation means that the certification you acquire in a particular institution sticks to specific requirements in purchase to fulfill high levels of top quality. Accredited schools have met or maybe even surpassed the true operating requirements essential by the accrediting organizations. Several potential employers need that the university you attended be accredited. This displays them that you have the suitable preparing to go into the task of your choice.

The institutions that establish the assessment circumstances for educational establishments or even specialist programs are classified as accrediting businesses. They will decide regardless of whether their specifications have been fulfilled for a particular good quality stage for the college. The U.S. Division of Education puts out lists of businesses that the Secretary of Education feels to be experts on the top quality of the courses offered by institutions of larger finding out.

Institutional accreditation is one particular of two choices, and it examines the total high quality of an institution. 6 regional groups perform in the United States to make certain accredited schools and universities meet the standards founded from the agency. 1 example is, Harvard University has been accredited since 1929 by the New England Association of Educational institutions and Colleges although Notre Dame earned its accreditation from the North Central Association in 1913.

Customized accreditation is the 2nd type, and it is centered on particular applications as opposed to the complete institution. A number of certification boards for precise careers want that the work seekers move on from distinct plans which have customized as nicely as professional accreditation standing. These varieties of specialized job places consist of nursing, engineering, training and law. Several states needed this in purchase for the new graduate to be ready to receive a license in his field of choice.

Accreditation is important for institutions to acquire entry to equally state and nationwide money. Only accredited colleges are able to provide federal student support packages, and so it is in a school’s best interest to try to get accreditation. Lots of countless numbers of pupil aid applications are often processed every single 12 months, and in the 2006 – 2007 college yr far more than 86 billion dollars have been awarded from the federal authorities as university university student scholarships and university loans.

A number of instructional establishments depend on government funds for research applications as nicely as operating revenue coming from the state. Academic accreditation is in fact necessary for these monies as nicely. Assist through non-public foundations is usually reliant on the accreditation standing of an university. Corporate and company support is typically in the sort of gifts for assist with study and also tuition. In addition, accreditation tends to make it less difficult to change curriculums to another institution.

Around seven,000 instructional establishments and something like 20,000 programs are presently accredited in the United States. Accredited universities will have to go through a renewal procedure every single ten many years or much less. Instructional services may possibly shell out two decades or much more preparing meant for this certain renewal. For example, a Self-Research Statement could effectively end up becoming lots of pages extended, and it really should illustrate the vision of the university, successful teaching techniques, planning for the in the vicinity of long term and further evaluation standards.

At instances a school’s accreditation is not renewed or truly supplied in the initial location. Problems on the true software could end up in an organization needing to spend back again nationwide monies that ought to absolutely not have been granted to get started with. This might properly need a long time ahead of these types of problems are inclined to be established. At instances refusal is normally based on exactly what precisely can be presented in a single specific plan. For instance, instructing creation in theology courses is alright but definitely not in biology lessons.

About the Writer

Dan Patterson has a wealth of knowledge in the area of on-line training choices. For a lot more information about on the internet diploma, read more of these content articles.

Fax cartridges and fax rolls of paper are very common in the workplace today. We hardly even think about it before we tell someone to “fax that over to me”. Faxes make life so much easier for us than in the past when things had to be mailed back and forth through the postal system.

The fax machine was actually invented long ago. Alexander Bain invented the fax machine in 1843 and received a patent. He was a Scottish mechanic and his idea was an off-shoot of Samuel Morse’s invention of the telegraph. In 1902, Dr. Arthur Korn made improvements to the machine adding the photoelectric system to the idea. AT&T worked to improve the technology and in 1924 created a means of transmitting pictures for newspapers over long distances. In 1955, the first fax transmission across the continent occurred. Since then, there has been amazing progress.

Today’s fax machines, fax cartridges and fax rolls are inexpensive enough that just about every office and many homes have this capability. These automated machines are small, easy to use and affordable to purchase and operate.

Fax cartridges contain the toners which bonds to the fax roll paper using an electrostatic process. The transmission comes over the telephone line, audible to humans as a bunch of beeps and buzzes. The fax understands how these signals mean for the toner to be affixed to the paper to provide the exact image as the document being faxed over.

Fax paper rolls are a special type of paper that allows the toner to bond properly. The paper feels somewhat slick to the touch. One fax roll will produce many faxes.

Fax cartridges can be obtained as original or non-original equipment and also as refurbished equipment. Original fax cartridges are the most expensive solution because these cartridges are brand new and are not expected to be refilled. Non-original fax cartridges are generic cartridges made by a different manufacturer than the original fax cartridge. These are less expensive than the original fax cartridges. The least expensive solution is the refurbished, refilled fax cartridges. These cartridges have been used and then recycled, reconditioned and refilled for another use. Usually, when using this type of fax cartridge, you purchase a refurbished cartridge for your fax, use the cartridge and then return it for recycling and obtain another refurbished cartridge.

Fax machines which use fax cartridges and fax rolls have become so inexpensive today. Many business contracts are signed and processed via the fax machine. Some of the biggest deals in business today are finalized by fax. If you do not yet own one of these handy machines, you’ll be surprised when you learn how affordable they are and how much time can be saved by the use of a fax machine with a fax cartridge and fax roll

Who says that educational television has to be boring?  Granted, the Discovery channel did not start off with much differentiating itself from those ever so boring biology videos seen during high school.  Everyone knows them, the ones with the monotonous voice – normally with a slight British accent – explaining the origins of the slow moving fish that swam in circles bottom feeding for tiny specs of nourishment on the television screen. Life was hard enough without having to sit through those dull videos in school, unless of course you caught up on sleep or daydreamed about playing sports outside, far, far away from the classroom.

But in the last five years, the Discovery channel has really turned itself around.  They’ve diversified their programming and added a few reality television themed shows.  They’ve split off into many different channels on cable and satellite TV, focusing on such immense topics as animals (Animal Planet) and health (Discovery Health).  They even have an entire channel filmed in HD. Yet, out of all of the changes and accomplishments that the Discovery channel has made in the last half decade, none of which compare to their finest achievement: “Planet Earth.”

Filmed over five years, the “Planet Earth” mini series premiered in the United States in the spring of 2007 and redefined nature programming forever.  Broken up into 11 segments – each an hour long – the series examined all the different environments that covered the globe such as high mountain peaks, rivers, deltas and deep oceans. Every episode examined on both a micro and macro level the intertwining relationships between the wildlife, plant life and overall environment.

But what truly set “Planet Earth” apart from the rest of the nature programs was the actual clarity of its filming.  Because of the phenomenal high definition cameras that the cinematographers used, the program captured such unbelievable footage as lions attacking a full grown elephant in the African Sahara as well as amazing time lapses of mushrooms growing off of trees in the Amazon Rainforest.  The most famous shot, of course, was that of a great white shark leaping up and out of the ocean for a brief moment to catch a seal in its mouth; a shot that the program was able to slow down to amazing viewable speeds.  With “Planet Earth,” the Discovery channel portrayed the world in all its beauty and splendor while at the same time entertaining millions.

Besides entertainment, the program also acted as a huge public relations effort to promote green organizations and environmentally conscious thinking.  By showing such unbelievable images of the world, “Planet Earth” strove to make an impact on the way people interacted with nature.  When discussing the wildlife of a certain area, the narrator would occasionally remark on how humans have affected the population numbers of a specific species within that environment.  Additionally, a good number of the advertisements presented throughout the mini series were from “green” and environmentally friendly companies. Because of this, it was one of the first nature programs to really go out and make a difference, to try and change people’s opinions about the environment.

If for some reason you missed “Planet Earth,” do not fret.  The mini series is on the Discovery Channel at least once a month. But definitely prepare yourself, because the show is absolutely awe-inspiring.

How will the master online special education degree equip those teachers who want to make a difference? The answer is straightforward – in the USA, currently there are over 6 million students who have enrolled in these special programs.

While schools – public and private, preschool to secondary – struggle to identify and deploy qualified teachers to address these 6 million students, nobody knows for sure how many million students more need to be identified for special classes, so that they can better cope with their learning disabilities, or physical and mental handicaps.

At the same time, successive Federal and State Administrations since 1975 have sharpened their focus on creating complex systems for identifying, formulating, and delivering a highly-individualized education program to each eligible student. The cornerstone of these legislations, programs, and licensures is the highly qualified teacher.

A Master’s degree in has thus become a must for aspiring teachers, and with many of them already employed as regular teachers, master online special education degree has become the most convenient route to this profession.

What It Involves

Master online special education degree involves distance or online learning that leads to graduate degrees like Master of Education (MEd), Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), or any of the specialized master’s degrees in various sub-domains, such as dyslexia, attention-deficit, etc.

Master online special education degree courses will last upwards of one year, and might involve significant on-the-job training under an experienced special educator. Most states also require that aspiring teachers pass a licensure test, before starting their career.

Why Special Education?

On an average, teachers in this field don’t earn much more than regular teachers. On the other hand, the job responsibilities of these teachers are more demanding – they can even include defending oneself and the school’s program in court, if dissatisfied parents of challenged students opt for litigation, as has happened numerous times in various states!

Still, about 450,000 educators have opted for and currently work as special education teachers in the country. What must be the attraction?

Teachers in this field are very unlikely to encounter unemployment in the short-term or long-term. But that alone can’t be the lure to enter this profession, where sheer hard work, difficult coordination between many, and uncertain outcomes from the part of students, make life stressful.

The answer can, hence, be only that there are hundreds of thousands of teachers out there who want to make a genuine difference to the lives of these challenged students. And it is indeed a huge difference. According to estimates, four in five challenged students used to be excluded from the US education system, as near as three decades back. Official figures, tabulated around 1975, put this at 1 million students, who missed the bus.

Why Master Special Education Degree?

Teachers in this specialty are still in significant short supply. Because of this, some states have still not made it mandatory for them to have a master’s degree. In such states, bachelor’s degree holders appear for professional licensure exams and work as special education teachers.

However, more and more states are opting for a master’s degree as the minimum qualification, for a simple reason. A special ed. teacher should be capable of interacting effectively with professionals like psychologists, disability therapists, educational evaluators, educational lawyers, supervisors from the school district, regular teachers, and, of course parents of disabled students. It takes a master’s degree holder with significant on-the-job training to confidently undertake this.

Master’s degree holders in this field have also another booming avenue – they can work as instructors in colleges and universities that deliver specialized programs, and these institutions are rapidly increasing in number. They are also eligible to work as supervisors or administrators in the school districts.

A small but significant proportion of educators go for ‘ degree, so as to progress to doctoral degrees, which are also offered by more and more universities, these days.

Lastly, though special education teachers don’t earn much more than regular teachers on an average, the highest salaries drawn by special educators exceed the highest salaries drawn by regular teachers by ,000 to ,000. It goes without saying that almost all of those highest paid special educators are master’s degree holders.

Why Master Online Special Education Degree?

Those planning to take a master’s degree in this field are almost always regular teachers who have developed a fascination for this field. Others include psychologists, counselors, learning disability therapists, etc. Since both teachers and these professionals already hold full time jobs, it is a master online special education degree that is more suitable to them.

Secondly, only an exceptionally good regular teacher can hope to be an effective teacher of special students. Because of this, aspirants enter the regular teaching profession to garner some years of experience before attempting to study special ed. Master online special education degree perfectly fits this scheme.

Thirdly, a significant component of any education master’s degree is on-the-job training in a special school or a regular school’s special education department. Those working teachers who opt for a master online degree can thus modify their school work itself for the on-the-job training part.

Where to Study Master Online Special Education Degree?

Hundreds of universities and colleges across the country offer master online degrees in special ed. They include state or public universities, and private or independent universities. Some of the courses have small components that require occasional campus visits, while almost all require on-the-job training at a school.

Working teachers who opt for master online special education degree generally prefer studying in their own state, if not their city. Another reason for local preference is that some universities incorporate that state’s licensure requirements as part of the course. Due to strict licensure requirements, it is also important to go for an accredited course.

State or Public Universities Offering Master Online Special Education Degree

At least 12 state university systems offer master online degree in special ed. They include Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Aspirants in states like Alabama, Florida, and Kansas, are especially fortunate, with multiple public universities offering the course. Florida perhaps tops the nation with its three public universities offering this degree. Some of the prestigious state universities offering the course across the nation are:

ALABAMA: Auburn University, Auburn, University of South Alabama, Mobile

FLORIDA: Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida

INDIANA: Ball State University

KANSAS: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University

KENTUCKY: University of Louisville, Louisville

MICHIGAN: University of Michigan, Dearborn

MISSOURI: University of Missouri, Columbia

NEBRASKA: University of Nebraska, Lincoln

NEW JERSEY: New Jersey City University

NORTH CAROLINA: University of North Carolina

PENNSYLVANIA: Clarion University of Pennsylvania

TEXAS: Texas Tech University

Private or Independent Universities Offering Online Degrees

At least 10 well-known private or independent universities in 8 states offer master online special education degree. These states include Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Arizona and Iowa top the list with two private universities each, offering the course. Florida and Pennsylvania are perhaps the only two states that have both public and private universities offering the course. Some of the well-known private schools offering online degrees are:

ARIZONA: Grand Canyon University, University of Phoenix

CALIFORNIA: La Sierra University

FLORIDA: Nova Southeastern University

IOWA: Graceland University, Kaplan University

MINNESOTA: Bethel University

VIRGINIA: Regent University

WASHINGTON: City University

What to Expect From Master Online Special Education Degree, in the Future?

The high performance expected from special edd teachers will ensure that a master’s degree in this field becomes an absolute must in all states. As it is working teachers who are more likely to go for a master’s degree in this subject, and because the course itself is dominated by on-the-job training, college degree master online might even upstage regular courses in the subject, in the near future.

Recent stricter regulations from the part of administrations regarding expected student performance, and better awareness about learning disabilities from the part of parents, will make sure that more and more students will be presented for evaluation. This scenario will drive the demand for qualified and trained special educators, giving further momentum to master online special ed. degree courses.

The most likely change in course content will be super-specializations in special education, with probably different master’s degrees built around different learning disabilities or handicaps.

How will the master online special education degree equip the teachers who want to make a difference? The answer is simple – in the U.S., currently there are over 6 million students have enrolled in these special programs.

While schools – public and private pre-school to secondary school – battle for the identification and provision of qualified teachers to these 6 million students address, no one knows exactly how many millions of students need to be identified for special classes so that they better cope with their learning disabilities or physical and mental disabilities.

At the same time, successive federal and state administrations since 1975 have sharpened their focus on the creation of complex systems for the identification, formulation, and provides a highly individualized education program to each eligible student. The cornerstone of this legislation, programs and licensure is the highly qualified teacher.

A master’s degree in thus a must for prospective teachers, and many of them already as regular teachers, special education online masters degree to become the most convenient way to operate this profession.

What it includes

Master online special education degree includes distance or online learning, the degrees such as Master of Education (MED), Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), or does one of the specialized master’s degrees in various Sub-domains such as dyslexia, attention deficit, etc.

Master online special education degree programs take a year and could have a significant on-the-job training included as part of a special experienced teacher. Most states also require that there are a prospective teacher licensure test before their careers.

Why Special Education?

On average, teachers in this area do not earn much more than regular teachers. On the other hand, the professional obligations of these teachers demanding – they can even count to defend the program and the school to court if dissatisfied parents challenged students to opt for litigation, as happened many times in different states!

Nevertheless, about 450,000 teachers for decision and is currently working as a special teachers in the country. What will be the attraction?

Teachers in this area are very unlikely that the unemployment in the short-term or long-term encounter. But that can not only the lure of the profession where hard work, coordination between the many difficult and uncertain results from the part of students to enter the life stressful.

The response can only be that there are hundreds of thousands of teachers who want to challenge a real difference to the lives of these students. And it is indeed a big difference. be challenged use is estimated that four out of five students from the U.S. education system, as close as three decades back. Official figures for 1975 are tabulated, set this to 1 million students who missed the bus.

Why Special Education Masters Degree?

Teachers in this specialty are still significant in short supply. For this reason, some countries have not yet made compulsory for them have a master’s degree. In such states, Bachelor’s graduates appear for the professional licensure examinations and work as special teachers.

However, more and more states for a master’s degree are opting as a minimum qualification, for one simple reason. A special Ed. Teachers should be capable of interacting with disabilities effectively with professionals such as psychologists, therapists, disability, education experts, education advocates, regulators from the school district, regular teachers, and of course, parents of students. It takes a master’s degree holders with significant on-the-job training, commit to ensure this.

Master’s graduates in this area have other booming Avenue – they can teach at colleges and universities to provide special programs to work, and these institutions are fast growing number you are also entitled, as supervisors or administrators to work in the school districts .

A small but significant proportion of educators to go for “degree, so that by the doctoral degrees that are offered by more and more universities are in progress these days.

Finally, if teachers do not earn a lot more special than regular teachers on average the highest salaries that exceed created by special educators, the highest salary drawn by regular teachers of $ 3,000 to $ 8,000. It is obvious that almost all of the most highly paid special educators are master graduates.

Why Master Online Special Education Degree?

Those who are to take a Master’s degree in this field almost always teachers who regularly develops a fascination for this field. Others include psychologists, consultants, therapists, learning disability, etc. As both teachers and professionals already carrying the full-time jobs, it is a master online special education degrees, more suitable for them.

Secondly, only an exceptionally good regular teachers hope that an effective teacher of special students. For this reason, the regular post-graduate teaching profession to give some years of experience before starting to study Special Ed Garner. Master Online Special Education Degree perfect this system.

Third, an important component of any education master’s degree on-the-job training in a special school or a regular school special education department. The working conditions for teachers, a master’s degree online can thus change their school for the work itself on-the-job training in some opt.

Where to study Master Online Special Education Degree?

Hundreds of universities and colleges across the country offer master’s degree in Special Ed Online. These include state or public universities and private or independent universities. Some of the courses are small components that require occasional visits to campus, while requiring almost all on-the-job training in a school.

Working for teachers, special education online master degree in general prefer to study in their own state, if not to rule their city. Another reason for the local preference is to assume that some universities that state licensing requirements as part of the course. Because of the strict licensure requirements, it is also important to go for an accredited degree program.

State or public universities with Master Online Special Education Degree

At least 12 State University offers online master’s degree in Special Ed. These include Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. Aspirants in states like Alabama, Florida and Kansas, are especially happy with a number of public universities offer the course. Florida may be the head of the nation, with its three public universities offering this degree. Some of the most prestigious public universities offer the course throughout the nation are:

Alabama: Auburn University, Auburn, University of South Alabama, Mobile
Florida: Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida
INDIANA: Ball State University
Kansas: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University
Kentucky: University of Louisville, Louisville
Michigan: University of Michigan, Dearborn
Missouri: University of Missouri, Columbia
Nebraska: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
NEW JERSEY: New Jersey City University
North Carolina: University of North Carolina
Pennsylvania: Clarion University of Pennsylvania
TEXAS: Texas Tech University

Private or independent universities offering Online Degrees

At least 10 well-known private or independent universities in eight states offer master online special education degree. These states include Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. Arizona and Iowa topped the list with two private universities respectively with the course. Florida and Pennsylvania are perhaps the only two states, both public and private universities offer the course have. Some of the known private schools offer online degrees are:

Arizona: Grand Canyon University, University of Phoenix
CALIFORNIA: La Sierra University
Florida: Nova Southeastern University
Iowa: Graceland University, Kaplan University
Minnesota: Bethel University
VIRGINIA: Regent University
WASHINGTON: City University

What can you expect from Master Online Special Education Degree in the future?

The high performance of EDD special teachers are expected to ensure that a master’s degree in this area is a must in all states. How it works Teachers who are more likely to go for a master’s degree in this subject, and because the course will be dominated by on-the-job training, college degree master online, perhaps even upstage regular courses in the subject line, near future.

Recent stringent regulations from the part of governments in relation to expected student performance and a better awareness of learning disabilities from the part of parents will make sure that more and more students will be presented for assessment. This scenario will drive the demand for qualified and trained teachers to master to further stimulate Online Special Ed. Courses.

The most likely change the course content is super-specialization in Special Education, probably built with different master’s degrees in various learning difficulties or disabilities.

Difference Between On-Campus Education and Online Education

On-campus education vs. online education! Is one better than the other?Visit Here http://special-online-education.blogspot.com

 Can one completely replace the other? Indeed it seems that online education is the way of the future. Educational institutions, corporations and government organizations alike already offer various forms of electronic teaching. However, can a computer truly replace a teacher and a blackboard?

How people learn

Each individual has a form of learning that suits them best. Some individuals achieve fantastic results in courses taught online, however most people drop out of 100% computer-led courses. Educational institutions, as well as companies in carrying out staff training, must recognize that there is no ideal way to carry out the teaching of a large group of individuals, and so must design programs that best suits the needs of the group as a whole.

People learn using multiple senses. This involves learning through both theoretical components of a course, as well as social interaction with both instructors and other students. Students learn from each other’s mistakes and successes, not just from what they are told by instructors.

Each individual student has an ideal learning pace. Instructors are therefore faced with the challenge of designing courses that move forward such that those students with a slower learning pace do not get left behind, while not moving so slowly that students with faster learning paces get bored.

Online education

In the age of high-speed information transfer, online education is becoming a popular and cheap means for delivering teaching to individuals outside the classroom, and in some cases all over the world. Teaching can be via CD, websites, or through real-time online facilities such as webcasts, webinars and virtual classrooms. However, different methods of online education each have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Online education is still a relatively new concept, and in many respects still in the teething stages. As such, various problems arrive across different online education environments. For example:

1. Lack of immediate feedback in asynchronous learning environments: While some online education environments such as webcasts, webinars and virtual classrooms operate live with the addition of an instructor, most do not. Teaching that is delivered through a CD or website, although having the advantage of being self-paced, provides no immediate feedback from a live instructor.

2. More preparation required on the part of the instructor: In an online education environment, an instructor can not simply stand in front of a whiteboard and deliver a class. Lessons in online education environments must be prepared ahead of time, along with any notes and instructions that may accompany the teaching.

In many cases it would also be necessary that the instructor not only understands the concepts being taught, but the technology used to deliver that teaching. This therefore increases the skill-levels needed of online education instructors, placing greater demand on educational institutions.

Staffing levels may also be higher for courses run in an online education environment, requiring for example:

The Instructor – able to teach both course content and be skilled in the use of technologies involved

The Facilitator – to assist the instructor in delivering content, but may do so remotely

Help Desk – to offer assistance to instructors, facilitators and students in the use of both software and hardware used to deliver the course.

3. Not all people are comfortable with online education: Education is no longer only sought by the world’s youth. With an increased trend towards adult and continuing education, there is a need to design courses suitable for students over a larger age-range, as well as students from different and varied backgrounds. It is difficult, however, to design online education environments suitable for everyone.

4. Increased potential for frustration, anxiety and confusion: In an online education environment, there are a greater number of parts making up the system that can fail. Server failures may prevent online courses from operating. Software based teaching applications may require other specific components to operate. Computer viruses may infect software necessary to run online education environments. If these systems are complex, students may choose the ease of On-campus education rather than taking the additional time and effort necessary to master the use of online education systems.

5. The Digital Divide: Many people who live in remote areas and developing countries do not have access to computers, making any form of online education virtually impossible. For this reason, online education is only able to be targeted at the people lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the technology involved. Similarly, offering live teaching across the world means that different time zones and nationalities increase the demand for multi-skilled instructors.Visit Here http://special-online-education.blogspot.com

I’ve always been intrigued by the subject of intelligence. As a child my mother would refer to me as “smart,” but I quickly noticed that all parents refer to their children as smart. In time I would discover that all children are not smart, just as all babies are not cute. If that were the case, we’d have a world full of beautiful, smart people – which we don’t.

Some of us are smart; but not as smart as we think, and others are smarter than they seem, which makes me wonder, how do we define smart? What makes one person smarter than another? When do “street smarts” matter more than “book smarts”? Can you be both smart and stupid? Is being smart more influenced by genetics or one’s environment?

Then there are the issues of education, intelligence and wisdom.

What does it mean to be highly educated? What’s the difference between being highly educated and highly intelligent? Does being highly educated automatically make you highly intelligent? Can one be highly intelligent without being highly educated? Do IQs really mean anything? What makes a person wise? Why is wisdom typically associated with old age?

My desire to seek answers to these questions inspired many hours of intense research which included the reading of 6 books, hundreds of research documents, and countless hours on the Internet; which pales in comparison to the lifetime of studies and research that pioneers in the fields of intelligence and education like Howard Gardner, Richard Sternberg, Linda S. Gottfredson, Thomas Sowell, Alfie Kohn, and Diane F. Halpern whose work is cited in this article.

My goal was simple: Amass, synthesize, and define data on what it means to be smart, educated and intelligent so that it can be understood and used by anyone for their benefit.

PRENATAL CARE

With this in mind, there was not a better (or more appropriate) place to start than at the very beginning of our existence: as a fetus in the womb. There’s a reason why they call it “prenatal,” which means occurring, existing, or performed before birth.

There is mounting evidence that the consumption of food that’s high in iron both before and during pregnancy is critical to building the prenatal brain. Researchers have found a strong association between low iron levels during pregnancy and diminished IQ. Foods rich in iron include lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, seafoods, nuts, dried fruits, oatmeal, and fortified cereals.

Children with low iron status in utero (in the uterus) scored lower on every test and had significantly lower language ability, fine-motor skills, and tractability than children with higher prenatal iron levels. In essence, proper prenatal care is critical to the development of cognitive skills.

COGNITIVE SKILLS

Cognitive skills are the basic mental abilities we use to think, study, and learn. They include a wide variety of mental processes used to analyze sounds and images, recall information from memory, make associations between different pieces of information, and maintain concentration on particular tasks. They can be individually identified and measured. Cognitive skill strength and efficiency correlates directly with students’ ease of learning.

DRINKING, PREGNANCY, AND ITS INTELLECTUAL IMPACT

Drinking while pregnant is not smart. In fact, it’s downright stupid.

A study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that even light to moderate drinking – especially during the second trimester – is associated with lower IQs in offspring at 10 years of age. This result was especially pronounced among African-American rather than Caucasian offspring.

“IQ is a measure of the child’s ability to learn and to survive in his or her environment. It predicts the potential for success in school and in everyday life. Although a small but significant percentage of children are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, many more children are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy who do not meet criteria for FAS yet experience deficits in growth and cognitive function,” said Jennifer A. Willford, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Paul D. Connor, clinical director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington has this to say about the subject:

“There are a number of domains of cognitive functioning that can be impaired even in the face of a relatively normal IQ, including academic achievement (especially arithmetic), adaptive functioning, and executive functions (the ability to problem solve and learn from experiences). Deficits in intellectual, achievement, adaptive, and executive functioning could make it difficult to appropriately manage finances, function independently without assistance, and understand the consequences of – or react appropriately to – mistakes.”

This is a key finding which speaks directly to the (psychological) definition of intelligence which is addressed later in this article.

ULTRA SOUNDS

Studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves is associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the frequency of left-handedness, and delayed speech.

Because ultrasound energy is a high-frequency mechanical vibration, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disruption in the process could result in abnormal brain function.

Commercial companies (which do ultrasounds for “keepsake” purposes) are now creating more powerful ultrasound machines capable of providing popular 3D and 4D images. The procedure, however, lasts longer as they try to make 30-minute videos of the fetus in the uterus.

The main stream magazine New Scientist reported the following: Ultrasound scans can stop cells from dividing and make them commit suicide. Routine scans, which have let doctors peek at fetuses and internal organs for the past 40 years, affect the normal cell cycle.

On the FDA website this information is posted about ultrasounds: 

While ultrasound has been around for many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all that remains unknown, having a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE…THE DEBATE CONTINUES

Now that you are aware of some of the known factors which determine, improve, and impact the intellectual development of a fetus, it’s time for conception. Once that baby is born, which will be more crucial in the development of its intellect: nature (genetics) or nurture (the environment)?

Apparently for centuries, scientists and psychologists have gone back and forth on this. I read many comprehensive studies and reports on this subject during the research phase of this article, and I believe that it’s time to put this debate to rest. Both nature and nurture are equally as important and must be fully observed in the intellectual development of all children. This should never be an either/or proposition – why risk it?

A recent study shows that early intervention in the home and in the classroom can make a big difference for a child born into extreme poverty, according to Eric Turkheimer, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The study concludes that while genetic makeup explains most of the differences in IQ for children in wealthier families, environment – and not genes – makes a bigger difference for minority children in low-income homes.

Specifically, what researchers call “heritability”- the degree to which genes influence IQ – was significantly lower for poor families. “Once you’re put into an adequate environment, your genes start to take over,” Mr. Turkheimer said, “but in poor environments genes don’t have that ability.”

But there are reports that contradict these findings…sort of.

Linda S. Gottfredson, a professor of educational studies at the University of Delaware, wrote in her article, The General Intelligence Factor that environments shared by siblings have little to do with IQ. Many people still mistakenly believe that social, psychological and economic differences among families create lasting and marked differences in IQ.

She found that behavioral geneticists refer to such environmental effects as “shared” because they are common to siblings who grow up together. Her reports states that the heritability of IQ rises with age; that is to say, the extent to which genetics accounts for differences in IQ among individuals increases as people get older.

In her article she also refers to studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, published in the past decade by a group led by Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., of the University of Minnesota and other scholars, show that about 40 percent of IQ differences among preschoolers stems from genetic differences, but that heritability rises to 60 percent by adolescence and to 80 percent by late adulthood.

And this is perhaps the most interesting bit of information, and relevant to this section of my article: With age, differences among individuals in their developed intelligence come to mirror more closely their genetic differences. It appears that the effects of environment on intelligence fade rather than grow with time.

Bouchard concludes that young children have the circumstances of their lives imposed on them by parents, schools and other agents of society, but as people get older they become more independent and tend to seek out the life niches that are most congenial to their genetic proclivities.

BREAST-FEEDING INCREASES INTELLIGENCE

Researchers from Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand studied over 1,000 children born between April and August 1977. During the period from birth to one year, they gathered information on how these children were fed.

The infants were then followed to age 18. Over the years, the researchers collected a range of cognitive and academic information on the children, including IQ, teacher ratings of school performance in reading and math, and results of standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability. The researchers also looked at the number of passing grades achieved in national School Certificate examinations taken at the end of the third year of high school.

The results indicated that the longer children had been breast-fed, the higher they scored on such tests.

TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Thomas Sowell, author of Race, IQ, Black Crime, and facts Liberals Ignore uncovered some fascinating information that every parent should take note of. He writes:

There is a strong case that black Americans suffer from a series of disadvantageous environments. Studies show time and again that before they go to school, black children are on average exposed to a smaller vocabulary than white children, in part due to socioeconomic factors.

While children from professional households typically exposed to a total of 2,150 different words each day, children from working class households are exposed to 1,250, and children from households on welfare a mere 620.

Yes, smart sounding children tend to come from educated, professional, two-parent environments where they pick-up valuable language skills and vocabulary from its smart sounding inhabitants.

Mr. Sowell continues: Black children are obviously not to blame for their poor socioeconomic status, but something beyond economic status is at work in black homes. Black people have not signed up for the “great mission” of the white middle class – the constant quest to stimulate intellectual growth and get their child into Harvard or Oxbridge

Elsie Moore of Arizona State University, Phoenix, studied black children adopted by either black or white parents, all of whom were middle-class professionals. By the age of 7.5 years, those in black homes were 13 IQ points behind those being raised in the white homes.

ACCUMULATED ADVANTAGES

At this juncture in my research it dawned on me, and should be fairly obvious to you, that many children are predisposed to being smart, educated, and intelligent, simply by their exposure to the influential factors which determine them long before they start school.

An informed mother, proper prenatal care, educated, communicative parents, and a nurturing environment in which to live, all add up to accumulated advantages that formulate intellectual abilities. As you can see, some children have unfair advantages from the very beginning.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of top-selling book Outliers, wrote that “accumulated advantages” are made possible by arbitrary rules…and such unfair advantages are everywhere. “It is those who are successful who are most likely to be given the kinds of social opportunities that lead to further success,” he writes. “It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention.”

With that in mind, we turn our attention to education and intelligence.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WELL EDUCATED?

Alfie Kohn, author of the book What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? poses the question, does the phrase well educated refer to a quality of schooling you received, or something about you? Does it denote what you were taught? Or what you remember?

I contend that to be well educated is all in the application; the application and use of information. Information has to be used in order to become knowledge, and as we all have heard, knowledge is power.

Most people are aware of the floundering state of education in this country on some level. We tell our children that nothing is more important than getting a “good” education, and every year, due to government budget shortfalls, teachers are laid off, classes are condensed, schools are closed, and many educational programs – especially those which help the underprivileged – are cut.

The reality is, we don’t really value education. We value it as a business, an industry, political ammunition, and as an accepted form of discrimination, but not for what it was intended: a means of enriching one’s character and life through learning.

What we value as a society, are athletes and the entertainment they offer. The fact that a professional athlete makes more money in one season, than most teachers in any region will make in their careers, is abominable. There is always money to build new sports stadiums, but never enough to give teachers a decent (and well-deserved) raise.

Ironically, the best teachers don’t go into the profession for money. They teach because it’s a calling. Most of them were influenced by a really good teacher as a student. With the mass exodus of teachers, many students are not able to cultivate the mentoring relationships that they once were able to because so many are leaving the profession – voluntarily and involuntarily – within an average of three years.

At the high school level, where I got my start, the emphasis is not on how to educate the students to prepare them for life, or even college (all high schools should be college-prep schools, right?), it was about preparing them to excel on their standardized tests. Then the controversial “exit” exams were implemented and literally, many high schools were transformed into testing centers. Learning has almost become secondary.

This mentality carries over into college, which of course there’s a test one must take in order to enroll (the SAT or ACT). This explains why so many college students are more concerned with completing a course, than learning from it. They are focused on getting “A’s” and degrees, instead of becoming degreed thinkers. The latter of which are in greater demand by employers and comprise the bulk of the self-employed. The “get-the-good-grade” mindset is directly attributable to the relentless and often unnecessary testing that our students are subjected to in schools.

Alfie Kohn advocates the “exhibition” of learning, in which students reveal their understanding by means of in-depth projects, portfolios of assignments, and other demonstrations.

He cites a model pioneered by Ted Sizer and Deborah Meier. Meier has emphasized the importance of students having five “habits of mind,” which are: the value of raising questions about evidence (“How do we know what we know?”), point of view, (“Whose perspective does this represent?”), connections (“How is this related to that?”), supposition (“How might things have been otherwise?”), and relevance (“Why is this important?”).

Kohn writes: It’s only the ability to raise and answer those questions that matters, though, but also the disposition to do so. For that matter, any set of intellectual objectives, any description of what it means to think deeply and critically, should be accompanied by a reference to one’s interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking…to be well-educated then, is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends…

HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF IQ

We’ve always wanted to measure intelligence. Ironically, when you look at some the first methods used to evaluate it in the 1800s, they were not, well, very intelligent. Tactics such as subjecting people to various forms of torture to see what their threshold for pain was (the longer you could withstand wincing, the more intelligent you were believed to be), or testing your ability to detect a high pitch sound that others could not hear.

Things have changed…or have they?

No discussion of intelligence or IQ can be complete without mention of Alfred Binet, a French psychologist who was responsible for laying the groundwork for IQ testing in 1904. His original intention was to devise a test that would diagnose learning disabilities of students in France. The test results were then used to prepare special programs to help students overcome their educational difficulties.

It was never intended to be used as an absolute measure of one’s intellectual capabilities.

According to Binet, intelligence could not be described as a single score. He said that the use of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as a definite statement of a child’s intellectual capability would be a serious mistake. In addition, Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent “condition” of stupidity, thereby negatively affecting his or her education and livelihood.

The original interest was in the assessment of ‘mental age’ — the average level of intelligence for a person of a given age. His creation, the Binet-Simon test (originally called a “scale”), formed the archetype for future tests of intelligence.

H. H. Goddard, director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey, translated Binet’s work into English and advocated a more general application of the Simon-Binet test. Unlike Binet, Goddard considered intelligence a solitary, fixed and inborn entity that could be measured. With help of Lewis Terman of Stanford University, his final product, published in 1916 as the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence (also known as the Stanford-Binet), became the standard intelligence test in the United States.

It’s important to note that the fallacy about IQ is that it is fixed and can not be changed. The fact is that IQ scores are known to fluctuate – both up and down during the course of one’s lifetime. It does not mean that you become more, or less intelligent, it merely means that you tested better on one day than another.

One more thing to know about IQ tests: They have been used for racist purposes since their importation into the U.S. Many of those who were involved in the importation and refinement of these tests believed that IQ was hereditary and are responsible for feeding the fallacy that it is a “fixed” trait.

Many immigrants were tested in the 1920s and failed these IQ tests miserably. As a result, many of them were denied entry into the U.S., or were forced to undergo sterilization for fear of populating America with “dumb” and “inferior” babies. If you recall, the tests were designed for white, middle class Americans. Who do you think would have the most difficulty passing them?

Lewis Terman developed the original notion of IQ and proposed this scale for classifying IQ scores:

000 – 070: Definite feeble-mindedness 
070 – 079: Borderline deficiency 
080 – 089: Dullness 
090 – 109: Normal or average intelligence 
110 – 119: Superior intelligence 
115 – 124: Above average (e.g., university students) 
125 – 134: Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students) 
135 – 144: Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals) 
145 – 154: Genius (e.g., professors) 
155 – 164: Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners) 
165 – 179: High genius 
180 – 200: Highest genius 
200 -    ? : Immeasurable genius

*Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing only 25% of the population (1 in 400).
*Einstein was considered to “only” have an IQ of about 160.

DEFINING INTELLIGENCE

Diane F. Halpern, a psychologist and past-president of the American Psychological Association (APA), wrote in her essay contribution to Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid that in general, we recognize people as intelligent if they have some combination of these achievements (1) good grades in school; (2) a high level of education; (3) a responsible, complex job; (4) some other recognition of being intelligent, such as winning prestigious awards or earning a large salary; (5) the ability to read complex text with good comprehension; (6) solve difficult and novel problems.

Throughout my research and in the early phases of this article, I came across many definitions of the word intelligence. Some were long, some were short. Some I couldn’t even understand. The definition that is most prevalent is the one created by the APA which is: the ability to adapt to one’s environment, and learn from one’s mistakes.

How about that? There’s the word environment again. We just can’t seem to escape it. This adds deeper meaning to the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It means recognizing what’s going on in your environment, and having the intelligence adapt to it – and the people who occupy it – in order to survive and succeed within it.

There are also many different forms of intelligence. Most notably those created by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University.

Dr. Gardner believes (and I agree) that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

He felt that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, was far too limited and created the Theories Of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

These intelligences are:

-Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”) 
-Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”) 
-Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”) 
-Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”) 
-Musical intelligence (“music smart”) 
-Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”) 
-Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”) 
-Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)

Not associated with Dr. Gardner, but equally respected are:

FLUID & CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE

According to About.com, Psychologist Raymond Cattell first proposed the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence and further developed the theory with John Horn. The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of a number of different abilities that interact and work together to produce overall individual intelligence.

Cattell defined fluid intelligence as “…the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.” Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. This ability is considered independent of learning, experience, and education. Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles and coming up with problem solving strategies.

Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences and learning. Situations that require crystallized intelligence include reading comprehension and vocabulary exams. This type of intelligence is based upon facts and rooted in experiences. This type of intelligence becomes stronger as we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.

Both types of intelligence increase throughout childhood and adolescence. Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and begins to decline progressively beginning around age 30 or 40. Crystallized intelligence continues to grow throughout adulthood.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE

Then there’s Successful Intelligence, which is authored by intelligence psychologist and Yale professor, Robert J. Sternberg, who believes that the whole concept of relating IQ to life achievement is misguided, because he believes that IQ is a pretty miserable predictor of life achievement.

His Successful Intelligence theory focuses on 3 types of intelligence which are combined to contribute to one’s overall success: Analytical Intelligence; mental steps or components used to solve problems; Creative Intelligence: the use of experience in ways that foster insight (creativity/divergent thinking); and Practical Intelligence: the ability to read and adapt to the contexts of everyday life.

With regard to environment, Mr. Sternberg writes in his book Successful Intelligence: Successfully intelligent people realize that the environment in which they find themselves may or may not be able to make the most of their talents. They actively seek an environment where they can not only do successful work, but make a difference. They create opportunities rather than let opportunities be limited by circumstances in which they happen to find themselves.

As an educator, I subscribe to Mr. Sternberg’s Successful Intelligence approach to teaching. It has proven to be a highly effective tool and mindset for my college students. Using Successful Intelligence as the backbone of my context-driven curriculum really inspires students to see how education makes their life goals more attainable, and motivates them to further develop their expertise. Mr. Sternberg believes that the major factor in achieving expertise is purposeful engagement.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

In his best-selling 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reported that research shows that conventional measures of intelligence – IQ – only account for 20% of a person’s success in life. For example, research on IQ and education shows that high IQ predicts 10 to 25% of grades in college. The percentage will vary depending on how we define success. Nonetheless, Goleman’s assertion begs the question: What accounts for the other 80%?

You guessed it…Emotional Intelligence. What exactly is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (also called EQ or EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Many corporations now have mandatory EQ training for their managers in an effort to improve employee relations and increase productivity.

TACIT KNOWLEDGE aka “STREET SMARTS

You’ve heard the phrase, “Experience is the greatest teacher…”

In psychology circles knowledge gained from everyday experience is called tacit knowledge. The colloquial term is “street smarts,” which implies that formal, classroom instruction (aka “book smarts”) has nothing to do with it. The individual is not directly instructed as to what he or she should learn, but rather must extract the important lesson from the experience even when learning is not the primary objective.

Tacit knowledge is closely related to common sense, which is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. As you know, common sense is not all that common.

Tacit knowledge, or the lessons obtained from it, seems to “stick” both faster and better when the lessons have direct relevance to the individual’s goals. Knowledge that is based on one’s own practical experience will likely be more instrumental to achieving one’s goals than will be knowledge that is based on someone else’s experience, or that is overly generic and abstract.

BEING BOTH SMART AND STUPID

Yes, it’s possible to be both smart and stupid. I’m sure someone you know comes to mind at this precise moment. But the goal here is not to ridicule, but to understand how some seemingly highly intelligent, or highly educated individuals can be so smart in one way, and incredibly stupid in others.

The woman who is a respected, well paid, dynamic executive who consistently chooses men who don’t appear to be worthy of her, or the man who appears to be a pillar of the community, with a loving wife and happy kids, ends up being arrested on rape charges.

It happens, but why? I found the answer in Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid. 

Essentially, intellect is domain specific. In other words, being smart (knowledgeable) in one area of your life, and stupid (ignorant) in another is natural. Turning off one’s brain is quite common especially when it comes to what we desire. A shared characteristic among those who are smart and stupid, is difficulty in delaying gratification.

Olem Ayduk & Walter Mischel who wrote the chapter summarized: Sometimes stupid behavior in smart people may arise from faulty expectations, erroneous beliefs, or merely a lack of motivation to enact control strategies even when one has them. But sometimes it is an inability to regulate one’s affective states and the behavioral tendencies associated with them that leads to stupid and self-defeating behavior.

The central character in this book who many of these lessons regarding being smart and stupid revolve around is Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinksky.

WISDOM & CONCLUSION

My great grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an 8th grade education at the most. By no stretch of the imagination was she highly educated. She was very observant and could “read” people with startling accuracy. Till the very end of her life she shared her “crystallized intelligence” with whomever was receptive to it.

She died at the age of 94. I often use many of her sayings as a public speaker, but most importantly, I use her philosophies to make sure that I’m being guided spiritually and not just intellectually. Many of us who are lucky enough to have a great grandparent can testify that there is something special about their knowledge. They seem to have life figured out, and a knack for helping those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking.

What they have is what we should all aspire to end up with if we are lucky: wisdom.

Wisdom is the ability to look through a person, when others can only look at them. Wisdom slows down the thinking process and makes it more organic; synchronizing it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions, and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is understanding without knowing, and accepting without understanding. Wisdom is recognizing what’s important to other people, and knowing that other people are of the utmost importance to you. Wisdom is both a starting point, and a final conclusion.