DID YOU BELIEVE IN JAVITS? The Senate committee charged with appropriating funds for its continuation didn't, according to their vote on July 29th -- but the battle may move now to the US House of Representatives. Find more information at the CEC website.
THE EFFECT OF GOOD TEACHERS, QUANTIFIED. Try $320,000 -- that's the estimated value of a stand-out kindergarten teacher, as measured by the increased earnings of a full class or his or her students. The New York Times reported on a longitudinal study of 12,000 children, in which some teachers were identified as being able to help their students learn much more than other teachers. The results? "Students who had learned much more in kindergarten were more likely to go to college than students with otherwise similar backgrounds. Students who learned more were also less likely to become single parents. As adults, they were more likely to be saving for retirement. Perhaps most striking, they were earning more." Read the article and give a raise to a standout teacher you know.
ON BULLYING. Also from The New York Times: An op-ed piece "There's Only One Way to Stop a Bully" (training teachers and staff how to recognize bullying and intervene), along with quite a few thoughtful responses to the article by readers. If bullying is an issue that you're concerned with, find the article and find the responses.
AD/HD AND DIET. An Australian study suggests that adolescents eating a "Western" diet have twice the risk of AD/HD than those eating a "Healthy" diet, one high in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and fish. The Western diet? It's heavy in takeaway foods, confectionery, processed, fried and refined foods, and higher in total fat, saturated fat, refined sugar, and sodium. The researchers speculate the difference in the levels of omega-3 fatty acids might be the culprit. Read more, then go harass your teenager.
INTELLIGENCE AND THE BRAIN is a new book by Dennis Garlick, Ph.D., who answers questions about it in an interview with Michael Shaughnessy. Topics covered include the nature of intelligence, IQ, and IQ testing. Find it.
TEACHING MICROBIOLOGY WITH A VIDEO GAME. It can be done successfully, according to a press release from Wake Forest University. CellCraft, a game developed there and available on popular gaming sites, was played more than a million times within 10 days of its release. Gamers made comments such as, "I wish this game would've come out earlier; maybe I wouldn't have received a D in Biology." The game is available for free download at www.cellcraftgame.com. For the school year, it will include a free, downloadable teacher's packet and a printable lab worksheet. Read more.
STUCK AT PROM CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED. One of our favorite contests, where high-school prom-goers make their outfits out of Duck brand duct tape, has announced this year's winners. You can see the winners here. (You've got to admit, winning this contest takes creativity, discipline, and artistic talent. It's not every kid that would spend up to 300 hours to craft, say, a Victorian-inspired gown -- even if the kids did get to spend the time in the company of their prom dates.)
BACK TO SCHOOL? It's not even August. But anyway, the American Optometric Association has issued its back-to-school recommendation for eye exams. The press release includes indicators of vision problems, for example performing below potential or struggling to complete homework. Find the release. Along those lines, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), members of which have been featured in 2e Newsletter, note that August is National Children's Vision and Learning Month. Find the COVD website.
DSM-V -- CONTINUING SAGA. An editorial in the Journal of Mental Health expresses concerns among experts that proposed guidelines in the new DSM would qualify almost everyone as having some sort of disorder. You can actually read the full editorial online, or you can read others' interpretations here or here.
NEUROFEEDBACK AND AD/HD. Dr. David Rabiner has posted his July issue of Attention Research Update, and it it he reviews a study of the effectiveness of neurofeedback -- a sometimes controversial treatment -- on AD/HD. The results of his analysis? Neurofeedback might be good for some children but not others. About half of the children observed had a significant positive effects six months later. Rabiner concludes that neurofeedback might have benefits for some children, and that its best use may be as part of a multimodal treatment. See his review.
EQUITY AND GIFTED KINDERGARTEN. More on the gifted wars in New York City. Is admission to gifted kindergarten fair, given that some parents evidently spend $1000 on "test prep for their 4-year-olds"? If this subject titillates you, read the New York Times article. In the Midwest, where we live, it's either not a problem or we're traveling in the wrong circles -- although, to be honest, kindergarten is a long time ago for our family.
GOODBYE, GIFTED PROGRAMS. We've posted about Javits, but individual states are looking for ways to save money, some by cutting gifted education programs. Nebraska, for example, may try to save more than $2 million by cutting funds available for programs for high-ability learners. Read more.
KID CAN'T SLEEP? MEDICATE. This month's edition of Sleep Medicine contains an article noting that "insomnia is a major problem among children in mental health treatment and at least a quarter of these patients are given sleep medication." Drugs recommended by clinicians to help sleep include antihistamines, clonidine (officially, a blood pressure medication), antidepressants -- and worse (value judgment). Read more.
WHAT WE WERE AND COULD BE. The Economist, an unlikely source for inspirational stories about human development and potential, published a story about a Micronesian who sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti -- without a map, compass, or instruments (except "a chunky watch"). Instead, he used the stars, the sun, the wind, ocean life, and the water itself to tell him where he was. This article is about the potential giftedness in us all, should we pay attention. Read it.
WHAT'S YOUR FAMILY "TYPE"? And how does it affect school success? A University of Notre Dame study says "the way a family interacts can have more of an impact on a child's predicted school success than reading, writing, or arithmetic." The three family types are cohesive, enmeshed, and detached. Find out which one is best for school success right here.
POLYFLUORALKYL CHEMICALS AND AD/HD. There's a link, says the Boston University School of Public Health. PFCs are used in food packagings, among other products, and they can take years to leave the body. Children with higher blood serum levels of PFC are more likely to have a diagnosis of AD/HD, although the researchers point out that it's not known if the link is causal. But what do you think? Read more.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT AD/HD. The stigma is gone -- that according to the Consumer Reports Health Blog. So if you feel embarrassed or guilty because your smart kid has AD/HD, read the blog and feel better. Find it.
JO FREITAG'S JULY NEWSLETTER contains items of interest. In one (Tony's story, page 8), read a note from a man with Asperger's, dyslexia, and AD/HD, but who has achieved a perfect score on an IQ test and now serves the gifted community in a variety of ways. In another (page 11) read an Australian mom's reaction to the PG Retreat, held annually in Colorado for profoundly gifted kids and their families; you'll also find her link to a newly established Facebook page about the Retreat. You'll probably find more items of interest, for example in Jo's regular list of interesting websites. Go Australian.
SENG GIFTS. In observance of National Gifted Parenting Week, SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) has been, as we've noted, publishing special newsletters each day. In Thursday's was an article titled "Existential Depression," an excerpt from the book Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis, by Dr. James Webb et al. Friday's feature article was "Advocating for Your Gifted Child," by Lori Comallie-Caplan. Find out more about SENG and their good works at their site.
EDUCATION RESOURCE COMING. The U.S. Secretary of Education has announced the creation of a National Learning Registry to "help organize digital educational resources for teachers and students," according to Education Week. The registry will pull together items from various sites and make the resources easier to find. Find out more.
TEMPLE GRANDIN SPOKE IN AUSTIN, Minnesota, and the local Daily Herald reported on her address to parents and educators. Read more about what Grandin said and the reaction of some of those in attendance, especially parents of autistic children.
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