Here’s a question for you: Does it matter who you study with? That is, do students get higher grades when they study with smarter peers? Or are so-called “peer effects” unimportant in determining academic achievement?

BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
. . . BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

“Water hammer!” my mom shrieks  in somewhat hysterical laughter. It’s infectious, when she gets started, and so nice to see her dark brown eyes wrinkled up with laughter. Soon my sister and I have joined her,…

Yesterday, over lunch on the deck looking out over the tropical vegetation, we had an opportunity to chat with our students about their experiences in Costa Rica.  The students mentioned the usual challenges and frustrations with foreign travel: not…