Welcome to our latest issue!
The Highlight — The Back to School Issue
Growing up “gifted,” helping shy kids thrive, the rise of homeschools, what extracurriculars are for, and more!
Michelle Kwon for Vox
Elbert Ventura was executive editor at Vox. Prior to Vox, he was an editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education and managing editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.
This week, and in the next few weeks, millions of children will wind down their summer break and head back to school. For the August Highlight, we asked writers to reflect on this time of year and find unique, even unlikely, angles on the American way of schooling.
Constance Grady kicks it off with a piece looking at “gifted kids” and asks: Can the label actually come with some downsides as you get older? (She has another piece elsewhere in the issue!) Anna North looks into the boom in homeschools and so-called microschools. Allie Volpe offers guidance on how parents and teachers can help shy kids thrive. And Charley Locke explores the landscape of afterschool activities and wonders: What are all these extracurriculars for anyway?
There’s more: Zoe Bernard muses on the return of analog technology. Celia Ford explains the controversy and debate over animal testing. Izzie Ramirez investigates the prospects of creating a “circular economy,” one that grows without leading to the production of useless junk.
On the health front, Jessica Craig has two pieces: first, a helpful guide on “ultraprocessed” foods and the risks that come with consuming them, and second, a glimpse into the plan to turbocharge research into antibiotics amid the rise of germs resistant to them.
Wrapping up the issue is Constance Grady again, this time with an edition of her “Ask a Book Critic” column, available only to Vox members. And finally, there’s a wonderful conversation between Jonquilyn Hill and the scholar and writer Eve L. Ewing about education, creativity, and how to become comfortable with failure.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
—Elbert Ventura, executive editor
How being labeled “gifted” can rearrange your life — for better and for worse.
Michelle Kwon for Vox
Some families of students with disabilities feel pushed out of public schools.
by Anna North
It’s all about getting them comfortable with the unfamiliar.
by Allie Volpe
Michelle Kwon for Vox
Extracurriculars matter for more than college applications. Here’s why.
Why the new luxury is flip phones and vinyl LPs
by Zoë Bernard
AFP via Getty Images
Is anything really “cruelty-free”?
by Celia Ford
Getty Images
From granola bars to chips, more studies are revealing that UPFs are tied to diseases like cancer and depression.
by Jess Craig
We buy stuff. We throw it away. There’s a system to stop this toxic cycle.
AFP via Getty Images
But there might be global consequences.
by Jess Craig
Vox’s book critic gives you recommendations to scratch your next reading itch.
The prolific writer, researcher, and educator talks about teaching outside the classroom.
by Sofi LaLonde
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