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News & Views - July, 2002 Issue
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NRC STUDY SHOWS MINORITY AND MALE CHILDREN OVER-REPRESENTED AS
DISABLED
(April 2002) “A new study by the National Research Council shows enrollment in special
education programs is growing at an unprecedented pace, with nearly one in eight students now labeled as disabled. The study also
reports some troubling trends regarding the disproportionately large representation of minority and male children in those programs.
The likelihood of certain minority students being assessed as learning disabled or mentally retarded varies significantly by state.
The NRC’s Committee on Minority Representation in Special Education produced the study, “Minority Students in Special and
Gifted Education,” edited by Suzanne Donovan and Christopher T. Cross. The study comes as Congress commences its
examination of special education funding and regulations under the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
[http://heartland.org/education/apr02/disabled.htm]
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS LAGGING BEHIND GIRLS, STUDY SAYS
(April 21, 2002) Anand Vaishnar writes for the
Boston Globe that a study from Northeastern University suggests “boys across the Commonwealth, especially in its 11
largest cities, drop out of high school in greater numbers than girls, according to researchers at Northeastern’s Center for Labor
Market Studies. The study also found an even wider gap at the end of college, where 130 women at Massachusetts colleges
earned bachelor’s degrees for every 100 men there. The center’s director, Andrew M. Sum points out “the findings forecast grave
economic and social futures for many Massachusetts boys…[who] are less likely to find well-paying jobs in an economy that demands
skilled workers.”
ATTACHMENT DISORDER SUPPORT GROUP
(June 3, 2002) To find information on attachment disorder, bonding, special needs children, real
life testimonials, families with adopted, foster, step, or biological children, and to gain support through a message forum, email
listserv and live chat room, visit: www.syix.com/adsg.
USA TODAY REPORTS SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES COME SLOWLY
(June 17, 2002) Karen Thomas, writing for USA Today, reports more about 6
million kids, about 13% of public school enrollment, have been diagnosed with learning, physical or emotional disabilities and get
special ed services. Findings from “When It’s Your Own child: A Report of Special Education From the Families Who Use It,”
shows “more than one of four parents of special education students (29%) say the school ‘dragged its feet’ in getting kids the education
services they needed to succeed. Seven out of 10 parents surveyed believe early intervention – screening for and diagnosing a disability
and implementing classroom changes – could have kept many students our of special education.” The study, conducted by Public Agenda,
a public opinion research firm, is based on the first randomly selected nationally representative survey of parents of elementary
and secondary public school children in special ed. According to James Wendort, executive director of the National Center
for Learning Disabilities, children are rarely identified before third grade, with “44% identified as needing special education
between ages 12 and 17. They’ve had six years or more of frustration and failure, so early identification is critically important.”
RISK AND RESILIENCE CONFERENCE ON OCTOBER 25-27, 2002
(June 7, 2002) “Join the leading researchers and practitioners the SAMHSA- funded conference focusing on resilience-based assessment,
prevention and intervention programs for school and preschool youth at risk for social, emotional and behavioral disorders. Sponsored
by Judge Baker Children’s Center, and the
Devereux Foundation, more information and registration can be obtained through Paul
LeBuffe at 610-542-3090, or riskandresilience.org.
BUSH CALLS VOUCHER RULING A 'HISTORIC' MOVE
(July 1, 2002) Elisabeth Bumiller reported for the New York Times that President Bush hailed last week's Supreme
Court decision upholding the use of public money for religious school tuition as "just as historic" as the landmark
1954 ruling that school segregation was unconstitutional, and he declared that the United States could not have separate education
systems for the rich and the poor. "The U.S. Supreme Court gave a great victory to parents and students throughout the nation
by upholding the decisions made by local folks here in the city of Cleveland, Ohio." Advocates of vouchers have praised
the 5-to-4 ruling as the most important Supreme Court decision on education since the segregation ruling, Brown vs. Board of Education.
This was the first time, however, that the president said he agreed with them. "Last week, what's notable and important is that
the court declared that our nation will not accept one education system for those who can afford to send their children to a school
of their choice and for those who can't. And that's just as historic." Vouchers, Mr. Bush said, are "a constructive approach
to improving public education."
ETS SHOWS LATIN STUDENTS OUTPERFORM ON VERBAL SATS
(July 13, 2002) “Studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service show that Latin students consistently outperform
all other students on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). Other studies indicate that learning Latin
increases math skills, too. Sixth-grade students in Indianapolis who studied Latin for 30 minutes each day for five months
advanced nine months in their math problem solving abilities… In Philadelphia, students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades
who received 15 to 20 minutes of daily instruction in Latin for one year…performed one full year higher on the vocabulary subtest
of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) than the performance of matched control students who had not studied Latin.
A new series of children's books by Marie Carducci Bolchazy, an education specialist, are available, including "Quot
Animalia?" ("How Many Animals?") and "Quid Edam?" ("What Will I Eat?"). Created for children 4
to 8 years old, all have illustrations done by talented high school art students that help readers figure out the vocabulary represented
on the page. Translations for each page are at the back of the book as are a pronunciation guide and basic grammar information. Further
help with pronunciation is on the publisher's Web site, where readers
can hear the book being read in classical Latin. [Courtesy of ARA Content]
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER, STREP THROAT CONNECTION?
(July, 2002) The Harvard Mental Health Letter, reports that in
some children, possibly because of a genetic peculiarity of the immune system, antibodies from Group-A beta-hemolytic streptococcal
infections, which include strep throat and scarlet fever, can reach the brain and affect the basal ganglia. Neurological symptoms
may result, including the condition called pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections
(PANDAS). This somewhat controversial diagnosis that has been associated with strep infections has symptoms reported that include
tics, obsessional thinking, and compulsive behavior, such as handwashing, exaggerated preoccupation with germs, and ritualistic counting
inspired by fear that someone will be harmed. These symptoms often appear abruptly after a strep infection and may last several weeks
to several months. “Whether this condition turns out to be linked to obsessive- compulsive disorder or not, it raises interesting
questions about the relationship between common infections, the brain, and behavior.”
SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED FOR FAILURE TO WARN OF SUICIDIALITY
(July 11, 2002) The Bonner Country Daily Bee reports: “A Colville, Washington family has filed a $2 million tort claim
against a Sandpoint, Idaho High School teacher and the district where he worked for allegedly failing to warn them their son
was contemplating suicide.” The boy had turned in an English essay that contained “unequivocal and unambiguous statements of the (the
boy’s) suicidal tendencies,” the claim states. Neither the teacher nor anyone else who may have read the essay saw fit to warn the
boy’s parents, nor were the school counselors advised of the boy’s cry for help, the claim alleges. Six months later, the boy “acted
on his suicidal tendencies by taking his own life…The claim also charges the school district with failing to institute programs that
would allow for detection and reporting of suicidal tendencies in students.”
LIFE SKILLS TRAINING RECOMMENDED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES
(July 16, 2002) Life Skills Training is the only substance
abuse prevention program recommended by every key federal agency concerned with substance abuse, including the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the U.S. Department of Education,
the U.S. Department of Justice, and the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy. The program is currently in use in 25,000 classrooms and 3,000 schools/districts
throughout all 50 states, serving more than 1 million students, and worldwide in Japan, Korea, Mexico, Sweden, Hong Kong,
New Zealand and Argentina. Proven
to cut alcohol, tobacco and drug use by up to 87 percent, Life Skills Training is based on 20 years of research by Dr.
Botvin, Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of
Cornell University and Director of Cornell's Institute
for Prevention Research. More than a dozen published research studies have documented the
effectiveness of the LST approach. [Courtesy of Internet
Wire]
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