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JANUARY
NEWS & VIEWS
[Items relating
to the situation of contemporary young people]
ATTEMPT
TO BLOCK MANDATORY MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING OF CHILDREN FAILS
(November 24, 2004) The WorldNetDaily reported that the attempt,
by Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, to add a parental consent
clause
to
the
Congressional bill that would demand mental-health screening
for all children, failed. According to the story, the New
Freedom Initiative will eventually recommend mental health
screening for every American. Critics of the mental-health
screening plan say it is a thinly veiled attempt by drug
companies to provide a wider market for high-priced antidepressants
and antipsychotic medication, and puts the government directly
in those areas of Americans' lives that it does not belong.
www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41606
BOSTON PARENTS OPPOSE
CUTTING BACK RECESS
(November 24, 2005) The Boston Herald reported the Peabody
Elementary School in Massachusetts is cutting kids' recess
time in half. Superintendent Nadine Binkley, who came up
with
the
new policy, said, "I've been at this job for a year,
and I was hired with a mandate to improve academic achievement.
Research tells us this is the way to increase student achievement.
The district eliminated 20 minutes of silent reading and
10 minutes from recess, giving teachers an extra half-hour
to teach." Parents say recess is an
important complement to reading, writing and arithmetic.
School officials
say this is an attempt to boost the district's MCAS scores,
which are among the lowest on the North Shore.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=55582
HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
TIED TO BRAIN IRREGULARITIES
(November 29, 2004) CNN.com International reported
that scientists have said that brain scans of children with
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder show
abnormalities
in the fiber pathways
along which
brain signals pass. Using an imaging technique
called diffusion tensor imaging, researchers found subtle
anatomical differences in children diagnosed with ADHD that
may affect communication between key areas of the brain. "These
areas are involved in the process that regulates attention,
impulsive behavior, motor activity and inhibition, the key
symptoms in ADHD children," said lead researcher Manzar
Ashtari, an associate professor of radiology and psychiatry
at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in New Hyde
Park, NY.
ARE AUSTRALIAN TESTS
ON READING IMPROVEMENT ACCURATE?
(November 29, 2004) An article in The Australian states
that the reading accuracy rates of children in lower grade
levels have reportedly
increased by up to 15 percent
over the last six years. However, the analysis of data from
a series of studies over the period 1975 to 1998 indicated
little change in the average level of achievement on tests
of reading comprehension, meaning scores remained stable
over this period. The concern is that children who have
passed five years of schooling, received good reports in
reading progress, and have passed the Year 3 benchmark test
in reading,
were still found to be illiterate.
http://theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11526142%255E13881,00.html
BAPTIST CHILDREN'S
HOMES GROUNDBREAKING
(November 30, 2004) The CITIZEN-TIMES in Ashville, TN, reported
the President of the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina,
Michael C. Blackwell, and Executive Vice President, CF
McDowell, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on November
30, to celebrate the expansion
of its services to developmentally disabled adults. The
ministry provides long-term residential care in community-based,
gender-specific
group homes. The program provides opportunities for spiritual
enrichment, nutritional meal preparation, transportation,
assistance with and teaching of daily living skills, and
planned
social and recreational activities in a safe environment.
Up to six residents can live in the home with their caregivers.
www.citizen-times.com/cache/article/news/71575.shtml
FAMILIES ACCUSE CHRISTIAN
PROGRAMS OF ABUSE IN FLORIDA
(December 2004) Mollye Barrows with WEAR TV, a TV reporter
in Pensacola, FL, did a special three part series entitled,
"Secrets in the Schoolhouse, Part I, Part II, Part III."
The series reported on two private Christian programs in
Northwest Florida that some families and former students
are accusing
of physical and mental abuse and in one instance, rape. The
two programs are Victory Christian Academy in Jay, FL, which
is
owned and operated by Michael Palmer, and New Beginnings
Rebekah Academy in Pace, FL, owned and operated by Pastor
Wiley
Cameron
and his wife Faye. www.weartv.com
ABUSES OF TECHNOLOGY
IN SCHOOL A GROWING PROBLEM
(December 1, 2004) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that
school officials say hand-held electronic devices make it
possible for students to pass information silently via cell
phone text-messaging or faxing, or by using the radio wave
or infrared technology in personal digital assistants such
as Palm Pilots. School officials are concerned that students
have the ability to visit restricted websites during school
hours while using phones and hand-held gadgets that have
internet
access. School directors in the Peters Township School District
are finding it's hard to come up with the right wording
to
restrict, but not stifle, the changing technology. www.post-gazette.com/pg/04336/419517.stm
WEB FUTURE UP FOR
GRABS
(December 2, 2004) The Christian Science Monitor reported
that the Internet, some observers say, could collapse in
the
next few years under the strain. Part of the problem is the
increasing volume of spam, digitized scams, and viruses.
A
new version of the Internet called Internet2, currently operates
over the proprietary Abilene Network instead of the open
Net
and moves 1,000 times faster than the typical broadband connection.
Internet2 also transmits "really large digital objects"
from scientific data to the latest Hollywood movie in seconds.
www.csmonitor.com/2004/1202/p13s02-stin.html
FLORIDA JUVENILE JUSTICE
- FIRED EMPLOYEES GET REHIRED
(December 5, 2004) The Palm Beach Post reported a review
of records from the state and 40 of its private contractors
uncovered at least 200 employees were hired at juvenile justice
centers in recent years, after they were fired from similar
jobs for violence, misconduct, incompetence and having sexual
relationships with teenagers. Hiring companies never checked
with past employers, past employers gave neutral references
for their worst workers, some broke the law by withholding/
losing personnel files and others were so desperate to find
low
wage workers that they simply looked the other way. State
officials say they have improved their background screening
practices since the Post began investigating the system's
hiring practices.
www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2004/12/05/m1a_JUVENILES_1205.html
BRITISH OFFICIALS
ADVISE LESS USE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS
(December 7, 2004) The Washington Post reported British health
officials advised doctors not to prescribe antidepressants
for about 70 percent of the patients who complain of depression
without first trying exercise, self-help, talk therapy or
just giving themselves time to feel better. British regulators
and a standards-setting panel said patients with mild depression
who are able to go to work and function normally, should
avoid widely used antidepressants at first because of the
possibility
of side effects and withdrawal symptoms. Some experts are
reexamining the use of antidepressant medications for first
line treatment of mild depression because of the widespread
enthusiasm for prescription drug use. www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A41332-2004Dec6?language=printer
US STUDENTS LAG IN
MATH COMPARISON
(December 9, 2004) eSchool News online reported that compared
with their peers in other countries, 15-year-olds in the
United
States are below average in math skills, real-life tasks,
and in every other math-specific area tested in 2003, which
included
geometry and algebra to statistics and computation. One expert
who reviewed the scores, Jack Jennings of the independent
Center on Education Policy, said the test is more a measure
of how math is taught than what students know. Many US
math
classes teach analytical or theoretical thinking, not everyday
math application, Jennings said.
www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5411
(free registration required)
ABC SCHEDULES BRAT
CAMP
(December 20, 2004) ABC Family cable channel will launch
a four-week reality series on Monday, January 10. "The
project tracks a group of badly behaved teenagers that
are sent to a pioneering wilderness camp in Utah by their
parents in a final attempt to change their behavior.
AUSTRALIAN OUTDOOR
EDUCATION COUNCIL HOSTS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
(December 21, 2004) Kelly Stock, Project Officer, Queensland
Outdoor Recreation Federation, Brisbane, Australia, 07-3369-9455,
kelly@qorf.org.au, www.qorf.org.au,
announced that the 14th National Outdoor Conference is set
for July 3-6, 2005 at the Radisson
Resort Gold Coast, Palm Meadows, Queensland. This year's
conference, hosted by the Australian Outdoor
Education Council, will focus on outdoor education and recreation,
and is entitled "The Challenges We Face." Detailed
information will be available on the website listed above
on January 31.
NEW EMOTIONAL GROWTH
SOBER HIGH SCHOOL
(December 21, 2004) WKOW-TV in Madison, WI, reported a new
recovery based high school is opening in Madison. Horizon
High School will offer struggling teens a sober academic
experience. With a small teacher/student ratio, the school
will provide
weekend events and create a safe environment where students
can excel. "Horizon High School will be more than just
a sober school, it'll be an emotional growth school, where
kids can feel safe," said founder Shelly Dutch. Horizon
High School is a non-profit organization and is not connected
to the Madison School District. www.wkowtv.com/$spindb.!query.1listnews.storeview.13726.news
ARE YOUTH TOO TRUSTING
OF INTERNET INFORMATION?
(December 22, 2004) eSchool News online reported that in
a study on research habits, Wellesley College researchers
Panagiotis
Metaxas and Leah Graham found that fewer than two percent
of students, in one Wellesley computer science class, used
a
non-Internet
source. "Skepticism is part of their lives, yet they
tend to believe things fairly readily because it appears
on
the Internet," said Roger Casey, who studies youths
and pop culture at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.
Alex Halavais,
professor of informatics at the University of Buffalo, said
students are so accustomed to instant information that "the
idea of spending an hour or two to find that good source
is
foreign to them."
www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5424&page=3
(free registration required)
STUDY: MIXED RESULTS
ON TEEN DRUG USE
(December 22, 2004) The Washington Post reported illegal drug
use by teenagers declined slightly in 2004. Since 2001, the
number of high school students who reported using an illicit
drug in the past month fell 17 percent to 16.1 percent this
year. Alcohol use within the past 30 days declined 7.7 percent
to 33 percent, according to the comprehensive "Monitoring
the Future" survey. However, high school seniors reported
using a broader array of illegal substances with more frequency.
Fully 70 percent of 12th-graders said they have consumed alcoholic
beverages during the past year, and 52 percent reported having
been drunk at least once in 2004. Nora D. Volkow, director
of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, speculated that teenagers
do not see the same risks in alcohol consumption as in drug
abuse.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16715-2004Dec21.html?referrer=email
(free registration required)
AUSTRALIAN WILDERNESS
THERAPY CAMP
(December 23, 2004) The Border Mail, an Australian publication,
reported on Operation Flinders, a wilderness therapy camp
for troubled teens. Founded by former Army officer Pamela
Murray White in 1991, the camp is set in Flinders Rangers
at Warraweena Station, and is designed to prevent youth from
entering the juvenile justice system.
Senior Sgt. Barry McIntosh, from the Wodonga police, said
the program had a positive impact on the teenagers and they
would continue to receive support.
www.bordermail.com.au/newsflow/pageitem?page_id=866857
COMMUNITY SERVICE AN ALTERNATIVE FOR
SUSPENDED STUDENTS
(December 27, 2004) Newsobserver.com in Raleigh, NC, reported
on a new program that combines school work and community
service
for children suspended from school. The program focuses on
students on long-term school suspension by allowing them
to
continue their academics through Internet courses and combining
that with community service. This school year, 321 students
received long-term suspensions and only 103 of them attend
Richard Milburn High School, the home for long-term suspended
students. Evaluating the program relies on where the students
go after they complete their suspension. www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1965942p-8335883c.html
(free registration required)
INCREASE IN DC FEMALE GANG ACTIVITY
(December 28, 2004) The Washington Post reported that experts
say girl gangs have been on the rise for several years.
Although
no deaths are related to girl gang confrontations, an escalation
of gang-related violence has alarmed officials. Most DC
girl gangs do not affiliate with male gangs and are not typically
involved in drug dealing, street robberies or other criminal
acts and tend to pick only on their rivals. "Girls want
to show their strength. Girls want respect," said Bridget
Miller, a contractor hired by the DC schools as a supervisor
with the Youth Gang Task Force. Youth gang workers, DC
police officers who work at schools, and command officials
tried to
negotiate a truce for more than a year, with no success. www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A29940-2004Dec27?language=printer
Copyright © 2005,
Woodbury Reports, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(This article may not be reproduced without written approval
of the publisher.)
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