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DAVIDSON ACADEMY. EducationNext published an article profiling the Davidson Academy, the Reno public school for kids with IQs of 145 and higher. In the article, you can meet a couple of students, get background on the academy, and read about issues in educating the highly gifted. Find it. Separately, the Davidson Institute eNews Update is out, featuring information about summer programs for gifted students. DITD maintains a database of summer programs. Find the newsletter.
NYC 2e ONLINE PARENT GROUP. The Yahoo group Twice_Exceptional_Kids_NYC is for parents of 2e children in the New York City area. Find the main page here.
COMPETITION. Google has launched a Science Fair YouTube Channel and will host a global online science competition, in partnership with CERN, LEGO, National Geographic, and Scientific American. Read about it, or visit Google's home page for the fair. 
PRUFROCK PRESS has announced its acquisition of Cottonwood Press, developer of products for teaching gifted and creative young people. See the announcement.
EDUCATOR'S AUTISM WEBINAR. The organization Rethink Autism is offering a free webinar for educators in early February. According to the organization: "This webinar will hone in on seven key structural components that research and practitioners have identified as necessary to effectively support students with autism. It will provide a framework for district leaders to allocate resources, for teachers to coordinate direct services, and for parents to advocate, all in an effort to improve supports for students on the autism spectrum." Find out more. 
STRESSED COLLEGE FRESHMEN. Want more to worry about as you send that gifted or twice-exceptional kid off to college? Read this article about the record-low level of emotional health in today's college freshmen.   
TEACHING CHILDREN PHILOSOPHY. We missed this when it was published last week, but The New York Times' obituary of philosopher and educator Matthew Lipman noted how in 1974 he began a program to encourage critical thinking in young school children. According to the article, "more than 3,000 middle-school students in New Jersey who took the course demonstrated almost twice as much academic progress in a year as the students who did not take the course." Find out more.

EARLY SELF-CONTROL. The results of a long-term study published yesterday indicate that "Children with the most self-control at 3 years old become the healthiest, wealthiest and most successful adults," according to US News and World Report. The study followed about 1,000 children until they were 32, measuring self-control at various points. Who had the greatest self-control? Kids with high IQs from well-off families. The article also addresses what constitutes poor self-control. We remember one of our children as an-out-of control toddler in the check-out line of the supermarket, loudly declaring one of his parents to be a "butt-head."  You can find out from the article if that single incident doomed our child to dropping out of school, breaking the law, and financial ruin.
HANDWRITING VERSUS TYPING. There is some evidence that the physical act of handwriting may strengthen the learning process, when compared to keyboarding. According to a report of a study, "different parts of the brain are activated when we read letters we have learned by handwriting, from those activated when we recognise letters we have learned through typing on a keyboard..." The research is in the field of haptics, the part touch plays in our communications and perceptions. Find out more.
EXERCISE AS A TREATMENT FOR AD/HD is the title of David Rabiner's December, 2010, Attention Research Update, now posted. The study he reviewed indicates that exercise may be beneficial for behavior and neuropsychological functioning -- and, of course, for fitness. Find Rabiner's review.
WRIGHTSLAW treats the topic of advocacy in its current edition of Special Ed Advocate. The issue includes "10 Tips for Good Advocates" and "What Parent Advocates Should and Should Not Do." Read the issue.
THE NATION'S REPORT CARD has been updated, and education wonks can read about results and trends in a variety of academic areas. Also available: state profiles, state-to-state comparisons, and some district summaries for large cities. Find out more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Are you a procrastinator? Do you have one in your house? Wisconsin Public Radio's program "To the Best of Our Knowledge" recently did an in-depth examination of the topic. The program is not available for download, but you can order a copy. Plus, there is a free procrastination survey for you to take to find out if you procrastinate -- but don't put it off too long!

2e ACHIEVER. The newly-elected governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, recalls that he was a "floppy kid," with developmental delays in gross and fine motor skills, coordination issues, and reading problems. Although he was able to move beyond most of those issues, reading is still hard because of his dyslexia, according to an article in the Connecticut Post. He spoke of his LDs during his inauguration speech. Read more.
KNOW A DESERVING TEACHER for that 2e child? Students in grades 1-12 can write an essay nominating a teacher for a Disney vacation in Orlando through the "A+ for Teachers at Downtown Disney" contest, which runs until April 15. The essay should explain how the teacher has made a difference in the student's life and will be judged on its relevance to theme, creativity, originality, and the merit of the teacher's accomplishments as outlined in the essay. Find out more.
TIGER MOTHERING. Scientific American weighs in on the currently raging discussion of rigor in bringing up children. The magazine interviews developmental psychologist Laurence Steinberg, who has written about ethnic differences in parenting in the US. Find it. 
EDUCATORS GUILD NEWSLETTER. The January issue is out, focusing on acceleration. The Guild is sponsored by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Find the issue.
TESTING HELPS LEARNING, according to research described today in The New York Times. Immediate testing led students to recall more information than two other learning methods -- repeated studying, and diagramming what is being learned. The article says that the latter two methods "give students the illusion that they know the material better than they do." The more successful learning method is called "retrieval testing." Find out more.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. Deborah Ruf, in her "Talent Igniter" newsletter, shares a variety of resources for enhancing the education of that gifted learner you know. The resources include The Bard Online, online lessons from the Khan Academy, and others. Find it.
TREATMENT RATES FOR MENTAL DISORDERS. A study reported by Science Daily found that only half of adolescents with severely impairing mental disorders ever receive treatment. The treatment rate is highest for AD/HD -- 60% -- lower for ODD and conduct disorders -- 45% -- and lower still for other disorders like anxiety, eating, or substance abuse. Read about the study. Separately, an NPR report indicates that depression is "on the rise" in college students. Find the report.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Do you know a kid with a pierced tongue? A study indicates that plastic studs are a better choice than metal because they reduce the risk of infection. Chipped teeth and receding gums are also more of a problem with metal studs, according to the article. Read it.