Monica Johnston - Eagle, Idaho

I’ve got to hand it to Jonah Goldberg. He jumps on a soapbox to lament what he sees as a trend toward mediocrity in U.S. classrooms, mixes in a couple of studies and manages to imply that educators alone are to blame for students’ arrogance (”Our gold-star world,” The Forum, Dec. 4).

He wrote: “Even if we repaired every leaky schoolhouse roof in the country — the central plank in the Democrats’ education program — it’s doubtful our first-graders would be able to discuss quantum physics the way Japanese tykes can.

Grab the full article at USA Today here:

Inflated egos of Gen Y can be attributed to ‘complex’ factors

My view on this: As a Baby Boomer parent and Gen Y consultant and author, we cannot blame education or even the media for the inflated egos of this younger generation. We as boomer parents have told our kids since day 1 that they can do or be anything they want to do or be. I also think that educators are having a tough time, as parents are hovering over their students’ every move, and many educators get blistered when their child does not get straight A’s or a gold star. I believe that this generation is a product of a multitude of factors, from parents, to media to educators to world events. So, let’s stop “blaming” this on one factor or on these kids.  Let’s look at the big picture and what we can do to help!

Millennial Leaders:  Success Stories From Today’s Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders

Marketing to Gen Y:  What you can’t afford not to know
By Bea Fields on Start-Up Nation.com

Generation Y.  You’ve heard that they don’t watch TV, and you’ve probably been told that they don’t read that much.  Your research tells you that you can’t target them through MTV anymore, and you certainly can’t tell Gen Y what is cool. 

 So how do you reach these 71 million “Millennials” that spend over 200 billion dollars annually and will soon replace the baby boomer generation as the largest percentage of the workforce?  The answer is simple—you STOP marketing to them.  Let me explain.

Read the full article here on Start-Up Nation.com.