Carol J. Carter

Carol’s summary:
Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital, gave a presentation this week at the ASCD annual conference on the Net Generation, encouraging educators to embrace a new pedagogy based on technlogy. His advice dovetails with President Obama’s objective to put a computing device in the hands of every student as part of the first National Educational Technology Plan, which includes the goal of boosting college graduation rates from 40 percent to 60 percent by 2020.

As we build online learning platforms for students, we need to create modules that weigh in what the data tells us about how students optimally learn. I agree with Tapscott’s philosophy: “We can’t just throw technology in a classroom and expect good things,” notes Tapscott. We need to move away from an outdated, broadcast-style of pedagogy (i.e., lecture and drilling) toward student-focused, multimodal learning, where “the teacher’s no longer in the transmission of data business; she’s in the customizing-learning-experiences-for-students business.” One of the new challenges for educators is to bridge the digital divide and embrace technology that transforms learning for a more competitive workforce.

ARTICLE
The Obama administration urged educators and policymakers today to embrace a host of digital-learning approaches it says will make K-12 schools better, including putting a computing device in the hands of every student.

Guided by an overarching goal set by President Barack Obama to raise national college-completion rates from 40 percent to 60 percent by 2020, the first National Educational Technology Plan issued by his administration outlines the big-picture approaches it says U.S. schools need to employ in the areas of classroom learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity to help meet that goal.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/9Es5Q5

Carol’s summary:
College applicants are facing one of the worst years ever to gain admission to the nation’s public colleges and universities as schools struggle with deep budget cuts and record numbers of applications, forcing many colleges to cap enrollment. College officials say the enrollment caps could threaten President Obama’s goal of making the U.S. the leader in college attainment by 2020 and undermine the nation’s economic competitiveness.

In USA Today, Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers said that “low-income, minority students could face the roughest road to admission because they often can’t afford private colleges and don’t have the resources or academic credentials to compete with students from wealthier families and better high schools.”

More than ever high school students need to cultivate the resilience and creative thinking skills to create every advantage for themselves in our global world. LifeBound’s student success and transition programs help students develop leadership and critical and creative thinking skills to plan for life after high school, and we also offer parents, teachers and counselors the tools they need to coach students on college and career success. The new edition of our best-seller, MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL, helps students create an 8-year plan starting their freshmen year of high school. To receive review copies of our books, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com .

How can we get student success and transition programs implemented at the k-12 level across the country to prepare students for the educational and economic challenges ahead?

Faced with our education system’s current restricted budgets, how can we ensure that all students receive a quality-education?

How can we lead the way in helping solve this crisis?

ARTICLE
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Anger over increasing tuition and school budget cuts boiled over as students across the country staged rowdy demonstrations that led to clashes with police and the rush-hour shutdown of a major freeway in California.
Students, teachers, parents and school employees rallied and marched Thursday at college campuses, public parks and government buildings in several U.S. cities what was called the March 4 Day of Action to Defend Public Education.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/c2AxK1

Carol’s summary:

Here’s some good news:  A national survey funded by the Department of Justice reports that the percentage of students being “physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008,”and anti-bullying programs are credited for the improvement.  To continue this trend, programs need to be put in place nationwide that not only intervene before problems begin, but proactively reduce bullying by giving kids the tools they need to manage strong emotions and learn conflict resolution skills. 

Right now my staff is in the process of tabulating results from schools using our PEOPLE SMARTS program, which helps students develop emotional intelligence. Our results show that schools have experienced a reduction in the number of children who say they’re being bullied, and equally encouraging, more students say they stand up for someone and themselves who is the victim or physical or verbal abuse. Our data also shows that students in the PEOPLE SMARTS program experience better relationships with their siblings after taking the class (on the pre-assessment, 35.3% reported they “get along well with their siblings;” and the POST-assessment 50.1% reported that they do), a finding which is significant since bullying behavior is often learned at home where many children report being bullied by their brothers or sisters. 

While anti-bullying programs play an important role in our nation’s goal to curb aggressive behavior, programs that help students build stronger communication, emotional, and social skills as a prevention strategy, can make the greatest impact. If you would like to receive a review copy of our PEOPLE SMARTS book, or any of our other resources, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

How can we do a better job of being preemptive so that students have the self-awareness and communication skills to stand up for respectful behavior? How can parents, teacher, and counselors get on the same page to use the language of emotional intelligence so that students are getting these principles reinforced in every sphere of life?

How can districts effectively collect and use the data to measure the results of these programs?  

ARTICLE

March 3, 2010

Associated Press

NEW YORK - There’s been a sharp drop in the percentage of America’s children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008. The percentage reporting they’d been assaulted by other youths, including their siblings, dropped from 45 percent to 38.4 percent.

The lead author of the study, Professor David Finkelhor, said he was “very encouraged.”

“Bullying is the foundation on which a lot of subsequent aggressive behavior gets built,” said Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center. “If it’s going down, we will reap benefits in the future in the form of lower rates of violent crime and spousal assault.”

To view the entire article visit

http://bit.ly/b0vyTj

Carol’s summary:

In spite of our country’s relative affluence worldwide, only about 70% of entering freshmen finish high school, and the numbers are even worse for African-American and Latino students, with only a 50-50 chance that they’ll graduate on time.  Big city schools fare worst:  Fourteen urban school districts have on-time graduation rates lower than 50%; they include Detroit, Baltimore, New York, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Denver and Houston, and compared to other developed countries, the United States ranks 13^th among 20 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Last year, 16 percent of all public high-school students left the system, up from 9.3 percent in 2006 (a 6.7 percent increase). Source: U.S. Department of Education.

This week President Barack Obama proposed $900 million in “School Turnaround Grants” at the nation’s 5,000 lowest performing schools over the next five years.  If we are to remain competitive relative to the new global competition for talent, schools and districts must commit to strategies that help students persist with their educational goals.  Some of the attitudes and behaviors that result in low achievement start all the way back in elementary school, and LifeBound offers programs starting in fifth grade. Specific to high school, schools need to adopt student success and transition programs designed to help students get off to the strongest start possible. The new second edition of our book for 9^th graders, MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL: Success Secrets for Freshmen, which is coming out in April of 2010, includes the following features:

• Exercises on financial literacy in every chapter
• Two new chapters are devoted to financial literacy and technology
• An 8-year academic plan for students that covers high school and college
• End of chapter exercises that that promote critical and creative thinking and ACT/SAT preparation
• A fully updated Appendices on activities for students both in high school and outside of high school to develop their leadership skills.

To reserve a copy of our new updated book for freshmen success, or any of our other resources, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com

How can we build better early-warning systems for struggling students?How can we effectively use the data to transform learning and reduce the drop out rate?

How can we connect classroom learning with real-world experiences to motivate more students to finish high school?

ARTICLE

USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday addressed the nation’s school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and school districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools.

Obama’s move comes as many schools continue to struggle to get children to graduation, a profound problem in a rich, powerful nation. Only about 70% of entering high school freshmen go on to graduate. The problem affects blacks and Latinos at particularly high rates.

To view the entire article visit

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-03-01-obama-dropouts_N.htm

Carol’s summary:
Over the next four years, more than a third of the nation’s 3.2 million teachers could retire, leaving schools bereft of experienced instructors. The problem is aggravated by high attrition among novice teachers, with one of every three new teachers leaving the profession within five years, a loss of talent that costs school districts millions in recruiting and training expenses, according to a 2009 report by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, a nonprofit research advocacy group. To help counter this predicament, the Obama administration is proposing competitive grants for teachers to recruit, train and evaluate teacher performance relative to student success. I applaud this emphasis for three main reasons:

1) Competition is valuable. When teachers have incentives to be and do their best work, they are incented to grow, to keep learning and keep their knowledge on the
cutting edge–all of which our students need to be competitive in the global world.
  2) Change. A lot has changed among students in the last eight years since No Child Left Behind
was created. The teachers who understand the impact and usefulness of technology in addition to their subject areas will drive the future of facilitated learning–active learning where students discover the learning through their own curiosity, initiative and leadership. Students who learn like this in class will have the inspiration and the motivation to make a difference outside of school–in their careers and personal lives–with the applications of what they have learned.
  3) Staying Ahead. Right now, American students after fifth grade are not toe to toe with their foreign counterparts in developed nations. The more that the best teachers are encouraged within our current system and new teachers are brought in from different walks of life which provide the experience through which students can value their learning, the more we will have purposeful,
self-directed and inspired graduates.

The focus on raising the bar for teachers comes at a time when the administration is calling for more parents to set up a culture of learning in their homes–through turning off the TV, modeling reading and and doing homework with their children. Other frontiers are: exploring what it
takes for principals and school districts to be effective as leaders and analyzing how the community, AARP and other organizations from the community can support school performance and outcomes.
####

ARTICLE
In its fiscal 2011 budget request , the Obama administration has laid out its intention of carrying forward key teacher-effectiveness policies within the economic-stimulus law into the next edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

In doing so, the budget proposal would invest heavily in competitive grants for new ways of recruiting, training, evaluating, and compensating teachers and principals, dramatically shrink the amount of teacher-quality funding doled out by formula, and consolidate a handful of smaller teacher programs that have fierce congressional defenders.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/9QLUCb

Carol’s summary:
The Obama administration is proposing competitive grants for teachers to recruit, train and evaluate teacher performance relative to student success. I applaud this emphasis for three main reasons:

1) Competition is valuable. When teachers have incentives to be and do their best work, they are incented to grow, to keep learning and keep their knowledge on the
cutting edge–all of which our students need to be competitive in the global world.
  2) Change. A lot has changed among students in the last eight years since No Child Left Behind
was created. The teachers who understand the impact and usefulness of technology in addition to their subject areas will drive the future of facilitated learning–active learning where students discover the learning through their own curiosity, initiative and leadership. Students who learn like this in class will have the inspiration and the motivation to make a difference outside of school–in their careers and personal lives–with the applications of what they have learned.
  3) Staying Ahead. Right now, American students after fifth grade are not toe to toe with their foreign counterparts in developed nations. The more that the best teachers are encouraged within our current system and new teachers are brought in from different walks of life which provide the experience through which students can value their learning, the more we will have purposeful,
self-directed and inspired graduates.

The focus on raising the bar for teachers comes at a time when the administration is calling for more parents to set up a culture of learning in their homes–through turning off the TV, modeling reading and and doing homework with their children. Other frontiers are: exploring what it
takes for principals and school districts to be effective as leaders and analyzing how the community, AARP and other organizations from the community can support school performance and outcomes.
####

ARTICLE
In its fiscal 2011 budget request , the Obama administration has laid out its intention of carrying forward key teacher-effectiveness policies within the economic-stimulus law into the next edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

In doing so, the budget proposal would invest heavily in competitive grants for new ways of recruiting, training, evaluating, and compensating teachers and principals, dramatically shrink the amount of teacher-quality funding doled out by formula, and consolidate a handful of smaller teacher programs that have fierce congressional defenders.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/9QLUCb

Carol’s summary:
There is a new plan based on the educational systems of Denmark, England, Finland and Singapore—for public schools to offer 10th graders an early diploma if they bass a battery of tests and enroll immediately at a community college. While I applaud the effort to retain many of the students currently at college-age who are remediated for poor math and English skills, I have concerns about this plan for three reasons along with strategies which can help:

1) In America, many high school freshmen aren’t ready for college or high school academically, emotionally and socially. I am sure that the countries on which this model is based have far more rigor in the early grades levels which gradually prepares students for success in their studies, their careers and in their lives.

Solution: More rigor for ninth graders for success throughout high school.

If ninth graders are encouraged to read at home at night, study at least two to three hours a night and really learn to love challenge, they can expand their world through work, volunteer activities and school involvement. These “soft skills” are key to building lifelong habits of success and a quality mindset which creates quality in work, society and one’s personal decisions. Reinforcing a culture of learning with low-income, first-generation families needs to be a parallel strategy.

2) Many at-risk students start high school with no sense of who they are, what they like or dislike, or how high school and college can benefit them later. They start out in an uncommitted, undetermined frame of mind. So, even if they test well, they often don’t have the maturity, critical thinking or problem-solving abilities to make good decisions and manage themselves effectively. Putting them into a more complex environment when they haven’t mastered the high school environment, allows students to skip a step and can set them up for emotional and social setbacks.

Solution: More clear expectations and preparation for eighth graders BEFORE they get to high school.

If eighth graders are given the chance to explore the benefits of high school, learn what they might do once they get there, take an inventory of their weaknesses so they can find ways through extra work, tutors and other resources to get help, they will anticipate and be prepared for the new world they will enter. Without these skills of looking ahead, preparing adequately and learning how to advocate for what one needs, students are in a “middle school” mindset when they are asked to do high school level work.

3) America goes toe-to-toe with foreign counterparts until middle school. Research shows that fewer than 2 in 10 of the nation’s eighth graders are on track to be academically prepared for college and high school may be too late to bring them up to speed.

What happens in middle school that causes our nation’s test scores to drop?

What can be done to bring America’s middle school students up to speed with their counterparts in Finland, Denmark, England and Singapore?

Solution: Success and Transition Programs for 5/6th graders.

We’ve been working with districts who emphasize both an emotional intelligence program and a transition success program for their fifth graders. Not only have the schools had fewer referrals to the principal’s office, parents, teachers and counselors report that students are observing their behaviors, asking themselves about their options, connecting more with other students, and solving their own problems more effectively. And an unexpected outcome: these schools had a boost in their state test scores. All of learning is based on emotion. When students understand their emotions, they can calm down, focus, learn and have the motivation to study on their own.

I’m all for trying the early college program if we can implement these three steps to better prepare students for college, career and personal success when they are so immature and emotionally unready for life’s adult decisions. Employers complain frequently that today’s graduates often lack the communication, thinking skills and maturity to contribute in real ways in their first few years out of college. Let’s be realistic about the preparation which low-income students and all students need and let’s give them the perspective, the tools, the resources and the experience to excel in today’s complex global world where they will be working toe-to-toe with their colleagues in Denmark, England, Finland, and Singapore once they do graduate from college.

ARTICLE
By SAM DILLON
Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college.

Students who pass but aspire to attend a selective college may continue with college preparatory courses in their junior and senior years, organizers of the new effort said. Students who fail the 10th-grade tests, known as board exams, can try again at the end of their 11th and 12th grades. The tests would cover not only English and math but also subjects like science and history.

To view the entire article visit
http://nyti.ms/aylDDv

CAROL’S SUMMARY:
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about two-thirds of Americans are counted as either overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is a serious health crisis, and Michelle Obama is launching a campaign addressing this issue, as cited in a Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

Ms. Obama’s objectives are to:
o improve nutrition and physical education in schools;
o promote activity such as walking and biking in community planning;
o make healthy food more available, particularly in poor areas;
o and make nutrition information on food packages clearer.

Today’s article from AOL News cites a related study that links children’s preference for sweets to a family history of alcoholism or depression. Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the research was conducted by scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and published online in the journal Addiction. As the article iterates:

“The findings suggest that a preference for sweets might not be solely about taste buds, but instead could have to do with the child’s chemical makeup and family history. However, an outside expert at the U.K.’s Cardiff University, professor Tim Jacob, told the BBC the Monell study’s findings were interesting, but that it’s tough to make firm conclusions from one study alone. The results could reveal something about children’s brain chemistry, but also might be explained by behavior and upbringing, he said.

“While it is true that sweet things activate reward circuits in the brain, the problem is that sweets and sugar are addictive, because the activation of these reward circuits causes opioid release, and with time more is needed to achieve the same effect,” Jacob said. “But the taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption.”

Helping students make healthy choices starts at an early age by offering them develop strong decision-making skills. As educators, we can help to make a difference by fostering critical thinking skills and life skills that promote delayed gratification and how to manage strong emotions. All of LifeBound’s student success programs aim to equip students with the skills they need for school, career and life, and our PEOPLE SMARTS book empowers them to make informed decisions. In addition to content that challenges students to assess the outcomes of their behavior, each chapter contains a true story courageous teens who have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles through personal action. We also offer sessions for parents that teach coaching skills to support them in their role as leaders at home. For more information or for a review copy or to receive a curriculum sample of the PEOPLE SMARTS text, please call the LifeBound office toll free 1.877.737.8510 or email at contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE
AOL News
by Lauren Frayer
(Feb. 10) – A new study finds that children are more likely to have an intense sweet tooth if they have a family history of alcoholism, or if they’ve suffered from depression themselves.

The research was conducted by scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and published online in the journal Addiction.

Sugary foods and alcohol trigger many of the same reward circuits in the brain, so scientists in this case decided to test the sweet tooth of children with a family history of alcohol dependence. They also hypothesized that children who suffer from depression might be more likely to crave sweets, because they make them feel better.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/9sfGXk

CAROL’S SUMMARY
Today’s article from the Chronicle of Higher Education describes a new method of improving study habits called “self-regulated learning” proposed by Barry J. Zimmerman of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, who purports that “explicitly coaching students to think about their study processes and to monitor their learning can pay large dividends.” As the article below notes:

“Mr. Zimmerman has spent most of his career examining what can go wrong when people try to learn new facts and skills. His work centers on two common follies: First, students are often overconfident about their knowledge, assuming that they understand material just because they sat through a few lectures or read a few chapters. Second, students tend to attribute their failures to outside forces (”the teacher didn’t like me,” “the textbook wasn’t clear enough”) rather than taking a hard look at their own study habits.”

LifeBound’s student success programs are designed to help students improve academically, socially and emotionally, and our teacher training centers around coaching skills to help students be their best. Our most widely-used book by middle schools and high schools across the country is titled, Study Skills for Teenagers, which encourages students to notice how they study and to discover their learning preferences. The book also outlines data-proven techniques to help students sharpen their study skills before they get to college. Our innovative book, Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers, is coordinated to 21st century skills and helps students think about thinking. To request review copies of these books, please call the LifeBound office toll free at 877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

How can we better inform curriculum directors at the k-12 district level to adopt learning models that help students be their own best mentors?

How can we help teachers learn coaching techniques that foster best practices across the disciplines?

What can we do to promote deeper learning among our students—learning that focuses not only about subject matter but about themselves and the world at large—which is the cornerstone of critical and creative thinking?

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
by David Glenn

“OK, how many of you were overconfident about this question? I want to see someone who wrote down a 4 or 5 for confidence.”

Grazyna Niezgoda, a veteran instructor at New York City College of Technology, is reviewing an algebra quiz in front of a crowded section of developmental mathematics—a noncredit course for students who have failed the City University of New York’s mathematics entrance test. If these students want to stay at City Tech, they need to pass that test.

Across the country, many students trip on obstacles like this. But after a decade of trial and error, Ms. Niezgoda and her colleagues believe they have found an effective way to help people through. The technique is “self-regulated learning,” a series of steps that encourage students to evaluate how they study and notice where they are going wrong.

To view the entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/article/Struggling-Students-Can/64004/

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

A new study sponsored by the University of Arizona titled:  “Wave 1.5 Economic Impact Study: Financial Well-Being, Coping Behaviors and Trust Among Young Adults,” cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education, reveals how the recession has affected students’ financial attitudes and behaviors.  More students reported engaging in what the researchers term “typical” financial coping strategies, like cutting back unnecessary spending. For example, 31 percent said they cut back on communication expenses. However, the report also revealed there was a large jump in the use of “risky” coping strategies, like dropping a class, postponing health care, or using one credit card to pay off another, though relatively few students reported these behaviors.

Even though the number of students engaging in risky behaviors remains small, the researchers predict that habits formed in the college years will stay with the students over their lives, said Joyce Serido, assistant research scientist and co-principal investigator of the study. That means the impact of choices made in college could be magnified over a lifetime. Therefore, it is important for educators to help students make better financial decisions, like borrowing a reasonable amount to stay in school rather than dropping out because of the expense, said Soyeon Shim, professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona and principal investigator of the study.

 LifeBound’s updated version of MAJORING IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (fifth edition), teaches students about personal finance and is relevant for seniors in high school or freshmen in college. Additionally, LifeBound’s ninth grade success book, MAKING THE MOST OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, will be revised this spring and will include a whole chapter on financial planning and exercises at the end of each chapter to build financial literacy skills well before college. To receive a review copy of either or both books, please call the office toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com, and we will ship a copy to you.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By Beckie SupianoThe economic downturn has had many negative effects, but for one group of researchers, it came with a silver lining: the chance to see how young adults respond to financial upheaval. Their findings, which show a rise in risky financial behaviors and a drop in self-reported well-being, were released Monday.
The researchers were working on a longitudinal study of college students’ financial attitudes and behaviors when the recession unexpectedly provided a “natural laboratory” for measuring the students’ response to tight times.To view entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/article/Recession-Affected-Students/64053/