The Whole Child: What's New(s)

Whole Child Blogwatch: Summer Bummer?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:33:00 PDT

Today's New York Times story on cutbacks to summer school programs across the country has provoked a broad range of reactions in the blogosphere...

Upcoming Whole Child Podcast Available July 17

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:23:00 PDT

July's Whole Child Podcast will be recorded live at the Healthy School Communitys' Conference. Join us to hear how you can use data to create systemic and sustainable changes.

Whole Child in the News: Supreme Court Affirms Student Rights

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:51:00 PDT

Today's Supreme Court decision that the strip search of student Savana Redding was a violation of the Fourth Amendment is a clear affirmation of student rights and a stirring lesson about civics, law, and students' constitutional protections.

ISTE and ASCD to Present Joint, Free Webinar

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:14:00 PDT

On Wednesday, July 1, from 10–11 a.m. eastern time, join a live and virtual showcasing of the School 2.0 website with more than 500 technology resources available to help transform your school's or district's strategic planning...

Parental Involvement: What Makes the Most Impact?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:56:00 PDT

The May issue of the journal Developmental Psychology features a fascinating meta-analysis of the research on parental involvement with early adolescent students...

Whole Child Blogwatch: Are arts holding steady?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:56:00 PDT

Public School Insights, the blog of the Learning First Alliance, continues to be an excellent source of analysis when it comes to looking at news through a whole child lens...

Whole Child in the News: The Importance of Freshman Year

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:29:00 PDT

A Portland, Ore., study of the city's high school class of 2004 found that 47 percent of the students dropped out before earning their diplomas and just 21 percent of the city's students who finished 9th grade with five credits or fewer eventually earned a diploma. As a result, Portland spent $1.25 million during the 2007–08 school year on extra help for the 9th graders identified as most likely to struggle.

Communicating About the Stimulus

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:20:00 PDT

Last month, I attended the Education Writers Association annual conference, and it was clear that reporters and the public have a lot of questions about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or stimulus package, and its implications for education. In particular, they want to know how local schools and districts will spend the money to support student achievement...

How community policy affects kids' health

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:43:00 PDT

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new policy statement in its journal, Pediatrics, "The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children" (hat tip: The Atlantic's Richard Florida). The statement reviews the research base on the impact various community aspects—such as the ability to walk to school, the decisions of where to build schools, and the prevalence of parks—have on students' physical activity...

Whole Child Blogwatch: Is civics "the most boring word in America"?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:17:00 PDT

As part of an initiative to promote civics in K-12 schools, actor Richard Dreyfuss is ... eschewing the word civics? "Call it what it is: political power," says Dreyfuss...

June's Whole Child Podcast: Schools + Communities = Success for the Whole Child

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:54:00 PDT

On this month's Whole Child Podcast: Changing the Conversation About Education, we'll learn how schools and communities can partner together to meet the needs of the whole child. Download the Whole Child Podcast today to hear from Jane Quinn, assistant executive director for community schools at the Children's Aid Society (CAS). And Eileen Santiago, principal of Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, N.Y...

Attention Interventions: A Case for School-Based Mental Health Supports

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:23:00 PDT

A new study analyzes data on approximately 700 children followed from kindergarten through the end of high school and finds a clear link between attention problems in early grades and lower high school test scores. Researchers say these findings underscore the need for school-based mental health professionals able to dispatch a variety of interventions.

Classroom Earth to Award 20 Professional Development Grants

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:43:00 PDT

Calling all U.S.-based high school teachers! Apply by Friday, June 12, to win two online courses in environmental education offered by the University of Wisconsin...

Whole Child In the News: Great Teaching and Community Support Is the Answer

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:07:00 PDT

In Jay Mathews's Washington Post column published earlier this week, he describes the national debate over how best to improve schools, with some saying the focus should be on improving teaching and others countering that teachers cannot possibly reach kids who are hungry, sick, or without the necessary supports at home...

Upcoming Whole Child Podcast: Schools + Communities = Success for the Whole Child

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:50:00 PDT

Join us Thursday, June 4, to hear how schools and communities can partner together to meet the needs of the whole child. We know that children grow physically, socially, emotionally, ethically, expressively, and intellectually within networks of families, schools, neighborhoods, communities, and our larger society....

Parents in Support of the Whole Child

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:32:00 PDT

The National PTA recently signed on as a Whole Child Partner, joining more than 40 other partner organizations that represent a broad swath of the education, arts, and health and wellness fields.