News & Views
NEWS & VIEWS - JANUARY 2006
Jan 11, 2006, 12:11
KIDS & DOGS: NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS
(November 23, 2005) The Palisadian Post reported that eight John Adams Middle School students spent three weeks training homeless shelter dogs to become adoptable. All graduated from a character education program for at-risk youth called K-9 Connection. Co-Founded by Katherine Beattie and Patricia Sinclair, K-9 Connection empowers youth to apply the lessons they teach the dogs to gain self-awareness of the risks of uncontrolled and impulsive behavior. More…
FEWER STUDENTS-MORE ADMINISTRATORS
(November 25, 2005) The Sacramento Bee reported that its analysis of state education data on 25 school districts within the state shows that there is a decline in student enrollment, less teachers and more administrators across the board. The analysis indicates that while those districts are employing fewer teachers, they are increasing or maintaining the number of administrative positions and about 40 percent are losing students.
IS AUSTRALIA'S OUTCOME-BASED ED FAILING?
(November 25, 2005) The Australian posted an opinion article by Kevin Donnelly that concluded that Australian education is failing because of the approach used in the curriculum. Adopted by only a handful of countries overseas, outcome-based education, according to Donnelly, is failing because it was introduced into Australia with little, if any, research-based evidence that it had succeeded elsewhere. More…
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: CHILD-REARING INSTITUTIONS?
(November 27, 2005) In a Washington Post opinion article by Noel Epstein, he said that public schools have clearly evolved into public child-rearing institutions and few people recognize the full extent of what's happened. Epstein said public schools have become more like the Israeli kibbutz, or commune because in general, they are reacting to what the public wants. More…
STUDY CONFIRMS YOUTH SPORTS PROBLEMS
(November 28, 2005) The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis and Notre Dame, found that seven percent of coaches encourage athletes to cheat, and eight percent encourage athletes to hurt an opponent. More than one-third of coaches admitted to yelling at players for making mistakes, and one-fifth made fun of a team member. Four percent of athletes said coaches had hit, kicked or slapped them, and 13 percent of parents said coaches had angrily criticized their child's performance. More…
IS TRADITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL OBSOLETE?
(November 29, 2005) EducationNews.org posted an opinion article by David W. Kirkpatrick, reported that a public high school for only 9th and 10th grade students in New York City, Bard High School Early College, allows its students to take college classes on the campus and earn an associates degree rather than a high school diploma. A report by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education concluded that the last two years of high school could be eliminated because the curriculum is a duplicate of the first two years of college. More…
MOTHER AND SON FOUND DEAD
(November 30, 2005) The Star-Banner reported that the mother of a 12-year-old boy who died in 2000 after being restrained by a youth camp counselor at Camp E-Kel-Etu, Linda Ibarra, 36, was found dead in her car with another son in what police are investigating as a murder-suicide. A neighbor, Jesse Heckman, said it seemed as if Ibarra had never gotten over the death of her other son.
NEW LIFETIME MOVIE: "AUGUSTA, GONE"
(November 30, 2005) The Futon Critic announced that Martha Tod Dudman's New York Times Best Seller, "Augusta, Gone" will air as a LIFETIME Original Movie in March 2006. Augusta, Gone" is the true story of a devoted single mother whose teenage daughter's self-destructive and hostile behavior becomes more than either of them can handle. More…
POLICE FINE STUDENTS FOR CURSING
(December 1, 2005) The Boston Globe reported that cursing is costing Hartford Public and Bulkeley high school students $103 each. Police officers assigned to the schools have fined about two dozen students for cursing in a new program to curtail unruly behavior. Senior adviser to Superintendent of Schools Robert Henry, Sandy Cruz-Serrano said, "We're sending a message to parents and teachers that we are trying to bring order back into the schools." More…
SCHOOL VIOLENCE NOT RARE
(December 3, 2005) The Deseret News reported that according to a new study by the National Center for Educational Statistics, one in every nine Utah high school students was in a physical fight at school and one of every 13 was threatened with a weapon at school. And over the past 30 days, the study also showed that one in every 18 students carried a weapon to school. More…
BOYS FAIL IN WASHINGTON ED ASSESSMENT
(December 4, 2005) The Daily Herald County reported that high school boys' test scores from last spring trail the girls' scores by 85 percent on the WASL's reading section. Overall, 60 percent of boys versus 54 percent girls in Washington's high schools failed the WASL. The largest differences appeared on the writing portion of the test, with about 16,800 high school boys failing compared to about 9,300 girls. More…
DECLINE IN MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS
(December 4, 2005) The Washington Post reported that in colleges and universities where men once dominated, they now make up no more than 43 percent of the student body, according to 2003 statistics. Every decade, the industrial classroom becomes more protective of the female learning style and harsher on the male, and though some boys do fine in the setting, many just hang on, fall behind, fail, or drop out.
TEEN HEALTH GAP WIDENS
(December 4, 2005) A story in the NewsWeek Health For Life section of MSNBC.com, reported that according to a 2004 survey by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 18 to 20-year-olds have the highest rate of illicit drug use with 21.7 percent of that age group admitting to using illegal drugs in the previous month. Another SAMHSA survey found that nearly one in five 12 to 20-year-olds was a binge drinker, meaning five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the previous month. More…
BAKE SALES LINKED TO WEIGHT PROBLEMS
(December 5, 2005) An Associated Press article in the Boston Globe reported that a study in Minneapolis showed school run bake sales and candy rewards from teachers indicate higher risk of more overweight students. Lead author Martha Kubik, associate professor at the University of Minnesota, said that although her research doesn't prove these practices contribute to adolescent obesity, there does seem to be a connection.
NEW ZEALANDER FEARS "BRAT CAMP" LABELING
(December 8, 2005) The Dominion Post reported that in opinion article, Jane Bowron said she feels the ABC Series "Brat Camp" labeled kids as losers, such as "Lexie, Hostile Outcast" and "Heather, Habitual Runaway." Bowron said, "Try erasing that first and lasting impression from your student file when you apply for a university position or a job." She pointed out that it was tough on the students to turn their chaotic lives around and make good in front of a jury of millions with only a 90 day experience at SageWalk. More…
BOY SUFFOCATES WHILE RESTRAINED
(December 8, 2005) MySa.com in San Antonio, TX, an online version of the Express-News, reported that the autopsy findings in the death of a 12-year-old boy placed by the state indicated that he was suffocated while being restrained at Star Ranch, a residential treatment center in Ingram, TX. More…
CHARACTER ED STUDY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
(December 11, 2005) On Blackenterprise.com, Michael H. Romanowski reports that he conducted in-depth interviews with several participating teachers in one school to research Character Education. He said he found that if parents and administrators allow school power considerations to dominate, and do not support teachers in developing accountability and other character traits, then the program is only surface and will not be taken seriously by the students. More…
NEW ZEALAND - GIRLS TOO DRUNK TO REMEMBER
(December 12, 2005) The Press reported that police are dealing with increasing numbers of alleged sexual assaults each month from teenagers who can't remember what took place. More…
2006 TAMPA RTC CONFERENCE
(December 12, 2005) RTCKids-News announced the 19th Annual Research Conference, "A System of Care for Children¹s Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base," takes place February 22-24, 2006 in Tampa, FL. Register online. More…
WHY STUDENTS CHEAT
(December 12, 2005) EducationNews.org, reported that educator Alan Haskvitz believes there are three factors as to why students cheat. The first is pressure to get good grades. The second is being unprepared, and the final is the challenge of trying to get away with it. Unfortunately, by cheating, the student is setting a pattern for life because instead of accepting the challenge of learning, they accept the challenge of not getting caught. More…
HYDE TAKES CHARACTER ED INTO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
(December 14, 2005) Education Week reported that Hyde Leadership Charter School, Washington, DC, 202-529-4400, email, is a K-12 school where educators, students and parents work together to build the student's academic capability, morals and values. The goal is to incorporate these components with the student's characteristics, personal habits and intellectual ability to help them become productive citizens. An arm of the Hyde Schools Foundation in Bath, ME, the school has an intensive parent-participation initiative and promotes a code of conduct for students and adults alike.
LAWS PROTECT UNRULY CONDUCT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
(December 13, 2005) A story on ArizonaCentral.com, reported that on November 15, 2005, an 8-year-old girl with a history of "out-of-control" behavior was restrained by police while school authorities forced her to take her prescription medication. This occurred after her mother called officers to the family home to restrain the child with handcuffs, and asked for a police escort of the still restrained child to the public elementary school. The mother insisted the school allow her child to attend under a 1975 court ruling that says students have a right to a hearing before suspension, and a 1969 federal law (Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District) that says children have "free expression" rights under the First Amendment. More…
YEARS IN SCHOOL INCREASE…LITERACY DECLINES
(December 16, 2005) Inside Higher Ed News reported the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, found that the average literacy of college educated Americans declined significantly from 1992 to 2003. Just 25 percent of college graduates scored high enough on the tests to be deemed "proficient" from a literacy standpoint." More…
ALASKA WOMEN LEAD NATION IN COLLEGE ENROLLMENT
(December 18, 2005) The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported a new study by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UA) showed that women now make up 61 percent (56 percent nationally) of the university's enrollment on the 16 Alaskan campuses. The gap widened significantly when researchers considered the number of women versus men who complete degree programs, especially among Alaska Natives. To bridge the gender gap at the university level, UA regents are looking into ways of increasing the number of job-skills training programs in industries most likely to attract males. More…
AUSTRALIA'S ED SYSTEM EQUALS "BRAVE NEW WORLD"
(December 18, 2005) The Weekend Australian reported that Aldous Huxley's, Brave New World, presents a future where life centers on comfort and happiness instead of beauty and truth. "Feelies" and "soma" keep the population passive, and high art, in the words of the Controller, is sacrificed on the altar of stability and control. In comparison, Australia's adoption of outcome-based education focuses on the world of the student and what is relevant and accessible. Thus, much of what students learn tends to focus on the here and now and what is of immediate use. More…
ONLINE SCHOOL HELPS AT-RISK YOUTH SUCCEED
(December 19, 2005) ESchool News Online reported that a program sponsored by the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) uses virtual schooling to reach students who are at-risk of failing or of dropping out of the traditional school system. More…
READ ACROSS AMERICA: MARCH 2
(December 19, 2005) The National Education Association (NEA) and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., announced that March 2, 2006 is set for the ninth annual Read Across America Day, a day when millions of readers will be in the company of a good book. To bring the gift of reading to children affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, Read Across America will launch a National Book Drive to replenish public school libraries in the Gulf Coast region. More…
TEEN ABUSE OF PAINKILLERS INCREASES
(December 20, 2005) The Washington Post reported that an annual survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that illicit drug use has declined among teenagers and teen cigarette smoking has dropped to its lowest level. However, the number of teens abusing prescription painkillers continues to remain high. More…
U.S. TEENS OUT OF SHAPE
(December 20, 2005) Msn.com Health News reported a new study found about one of every three American teens is so out of shape that even routine physical activities, such as climbing stairs, may make them winded. "What this really reflects is that individuals are becoming less physically active, and poor fitness is a consequence of the decline in activity," said study author Mercedes Carnethon, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. More…