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Posted February 3, 2005

February NEWS & VIEWS

[Items relating to the situation of contemporary young people]

LEST WE FORGET
(1989) A statement by President George H. W. Bush regarding the federal government's goals for education: "By the year 2000, American students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency in challenging subject matter including English, mathematics, science, history, and geography."

DEPRESSION INCREASING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
(November 30, 2004) The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that in a survey of 74 colleges, 14.9 percent of the students had a diagnosis of depression in the spring of 2004, compared to 10.3 percent in the spring of 2000. Also, 10 percent of the students surveyed said they had seriously considered suicide during 2004.

REDUCED CLASS SIZE DOES NOT DETERMINE LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT
(December 2004) A Univ. of London study indicates that reduced class size for young students seemed to have no impact on student achievement. www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RBX13-04.pdf

BROOKS TO KEYNOTE AT FOUNDATIONS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
(December 17, 2004) Beth Brody, 609-397-3737, bebrody@aol.com, with Foundations Behavioral Health, Doylestown, PA, 215-345-0444, www.fbh.com, announced Robert Brooks, Ph.D., author of “The Self Esteem Teacher” will be the keynote speaker at their annual seminar Friday, May 13, 2005 at Trevose, PA. His talk is entitled, “Working With Angry, Resistant Youth: Strategies to Foster Motivation, Self-Discipline, and Resilience.” For information on attending the seminar, contact Brody.

FACING AUTISM IN YOUR CHILD
(December 29, 2004) The New York Times presented a feature story about autism, emphasizing one family's story in coming to grips with the disorder, and institutions that they called on for help. The story pointed out that scientists know little about autism, except that it starts developing shortly after conception. Literature on autism emphasizes the importance of early detection, since early treatment can increase the chances of success. www.nytimes.com/2004/12/29/education/29autism.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=4adbe3792550d767&ex=1105592400&oref
(Free registration required)


OBESITY RISING AMONG PRESCHOOLERS
(December 30, 2004) An article by the Associated Press, posted on the Austin American Statesman, reported more than 10 percent of US children, ages two to five, are overweight, according to the American Heart Association's annual statistical report on heart disease and stroke. This percentage is up from seven percent in 1994. New statistics show that nearly four million children, ages six to 11, and 5.3 million young people, ages 12 to 19, were overweight or obese in 2002. Experts blame the prevalence of junk food marketed to children, too much TV and the decline in the number of families who sit down together to eat.


DC AREA PARENTS TAKE ACTION TO REDUCE TEEN DEATHS
(December 31, 2004) The Washington Post reported car crashes killed 18 teenagers in the Washington region in the past 12 weeks. Parents say they have never felt more anxious about where their children will be at midnight of the New Year, what they will be drinking and how they plan to get home. Many parents feel torn between an urge to lock their teenagers in the house and showing that they trust their children's judgment. Some parents are keeping their teenagers home, while others are providing alcohol free functions or attending neighborhood parties with their teens.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37593-2004Dec30.html

CHEATING INVESTIGATIONS AT HOUSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
(December 31, 2004) DallasNews.com reported that a Dallas Morning News investigation found strong evidence that at least some of the success at Wesley and two affiliated schools comes from cheating. After the Dallas Morning News shared its findings with Houston officials, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra issued a written statement. "We have reviewed the anomalies in the test scores of the Acres Home schools as pointed out by The Dallas Morning News, and we agree that these anomalies identify performance that is highly questionable." Based on the analysis, cheating investigations began in the Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Amarillo and Wilmer-Hutchins school districts, and a criminal inquiry is on-going in Wilmer-Hutchins. www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/123104dnmetcheating.add1e.html (Free registration required) On January 12, 2005, eSchool News online reported the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is launching an effort to catch cheating on standardized tests. Officials will hire an outside expert to review security measures and build a tracking system to monitor test-score irregularities that could signal cheating. www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=5458 (Free registration required)

ARE SOME TEACHERS BECOMING CHEATING ROLE MODELS?
(January 2, 2005) The Indianapolis Star reported that today's top cheaters include teachers who lead entire classes into dishonesty, by attempting to “prop up” test scores. The pressure nationwide is causing a growing number of teachers and administrators to try inflating standardized test scores. A group of former testing experts turned evidence of cheating nationwide into a business opportunity. Caveon, a new Utah consulting firm, operates as testing detectives for hire by schools and health care and other industries. The group reviews testing policies, analyzes student answer sheets for patterns of cheating and looks for test questions leaked in advance.

TEACHER COMMENTS FROM EIA
(January 3, 2005) The Education Intelligence Agency, EducationIntel@aol.com , www.eiaonline.com, included these two quotes, among others, from public school teachers as among the most enlightening examples in 2004 as to the cause of some of the problems in the US education establishment. "Content sometimes is really overrated. A teacher is like an artist, a coach. He has to be able to inspire children." - Philadelphia middle school teacher Nick Perry, commenting on the news that more than half of the city's middle school teachers failed their content exams for certification as "highly qualified" teachers." If it were up to me, I wouldn't teach long division until high school." - Robert Hetzel, eighth-grade math teacher at O'Keefe Middle School in Madison, WI.

TEENS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
(January 3, 2005) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Applied Studies (OAS) reported that in 2002 and 2003, 21 percent of persons aged 16 to 20 reported they had driven under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year. www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/youthDUI/youthDUI.htm

BOOT CAMP HEAD CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER
(January 4, 2005) The New York Times reported that Charles Long, Director of juvenile boot camp, America's Buffalo Soldiers Re-enactors Association, Phoenix, AZ, was convicted of reckless manslaughter in the death of a 14-year-old boy who died of complications of dehydration and near drowning after training exercises. Long was also convicted of aggravated assault not related to the death of the boy.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E5DF1339F937A35752C0A9639C8B63

GROWING GENDER GAP: GIRLS RULE
(January 4, 2005) The Indianapolis Star reported girls have eclipsed boys on state and national tests. They are more likely to stay in school and graduate, and the data shows they demand less special attention than boys do. The effort to pull girls up to an equal footing resulted in an unintended consequence. A US Department of Education study noted the academic edge that boys once held has vanished, and "the issue now is that boys seem to be falling behind," said Education Secretary Rod Paige.

CHANGES PLANNED IN JUVENILE JUSTICE FOR GIRLS
(January 4, 2005) The Arizona Republic reported Marie Dils, policy manager for the Arizona Office of Policy, Strategic Diversity and Equity, and other Arizona child advocates are leading a national effort to restructure juvenile-justice programs for girls. More than 400 counselors, youth advocates, probation officers and group-home operators from across the country will kick off the National Girls Initiative, a conference that aims to shape programs and policies that affect services for girls. The Girls Initiative is calling for gender-specific programs for girls in the areas of sex education and sexuality, vocational training, education and mental-health services.
www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0104azgirls04.html

MOTHER JAILED FOR SON'S GUN THREAT AT SCHOOL
(January 7, 2005) The Washington Post reported Naomi Lewis, 39, began serving a three-month sentence in jail on January 6, in Prince William County, VA, because her 12-year-old son ambushed his middle school with a loaded gun in June. Lewis pled guilty to weapons possession on school property acknowledging that she did not take reasonable steps to remove the weapons locked in her van. The judge concluded this was clearly a criminal conduct case. Her son, now 13, pled guilty in August to three felony weapons and abduction charges. He was committed late last year to a state juvenile facility to spend an indefinite amount of time, possibly until he is 21.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53324-2005Jan6.html?referrer

SCHOOL FAILURE FROM TOO MUCH VIDEO
(January 8, 2005) Daily Mail, a London publication, reported that children who spend hours playing computer games and watching television are failing to develop the skills to succeed in school. Professor Robert Winston, a leading British scientist and fertility doctor, warns that youngsters are not acquiring the long-term powers of study and application they need in class, because the games and programs only require short-term bursts of concentration. Children who have computers and TVs in their bedrooms often do not get enough sleep. Studies show a lack of sleep can lead to increased irritability and emotional or behavioral problems, including lack of concentration.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=333352&in_page_id=1770

SOME TIPS ON DECODING EDUCATION JARGON
(January 9, 2005) The Boston Globe reported education is laden with jargon. Here are some common words and phrases and definitions you might hear on a school tour. Looping: A class of students, usually in elementary school, stays with the same teacher for at least two grade levels. Hands-on learning: Projects that require some physical activity to help explain an abstract concept. Cooperative learning: Students working in small groups on an assignment. Inclusion: The philosophy that all students, regardless of the severity of their learning or physical disabilities, can learn in a traditional classroom. www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/01/09/decoding_the_jargon/

ANGRY RESIDENTS OPPOSE STATE TEEN CENTER
(January 11, 2005) CBS 3 KY-TV in Philadelphia reported hundreds of residents, in Burlington County, NJ, voiced their concerns regarding plans to put a center for troubled teens in their neighborhood. The proposed location by the Capital Academy overlooks the Delaware River in addition to a park where children play, thus making security, or the lack thereof, a big issue for the buildings neighbors. “Children who have had deviant sexual issues, behavior issues, fire setting issues, I don't think those are the kind of kids to come into this community,” said New Jersey Republican State Senator Diane Allen.
http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_011235316.html

PRESIDENT BUSH PROPOSES EXPANDING TESTING TO HIGH SCHOOLS
(January 13, 2005) The New York Times reported that President Bush called for a rigorous high school testing program in math and reading. The effort would expand the No Child Left Behind Act by $1.5 billion as it tries to rescue lagging students in the upper grades. He described poor performance among high school students as a "warning and a call to action," and prescribed testing for freshmen, sophomores and juniors as a solution. The proposal would allocate $1.2 billion for "high school intervention" to help students who are falling behind and an additional $250 million for testing.
www.nytimes.com/2005/01/13/education/13bush.html?oref=login&oref=login
(Free registration required)

STUDY FINDS NON-MEDICAL USE OF RITALIN IN COLLEGE INCREASING
(January 13, 2005) Inside Higher Ed, a DC publication, reported a new study in the journal Addiction, indicates that campus health officials believe college students are using prescription drugs designed to treat attention disorders as non-medical stimulants. The study found seven percent of college students used the drugs in that way, while four percent used them that way in the last year. A summary of the findings released by the University of Michigan stressed researchers were not suggesting the use of prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin, Dexedrine and Adderall, was a bad thing if used under medical guidelines. The problem is with students using the drugs for non-medical reasons.
www.insidehighered.com/insider/partying_with_ritalin

Copyright © 2005, Woodbury Reports, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(This article may not be reproduced without written approval of the publisher.)


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