Pinellas County Schools Win National Schools of Character Award
The Pinellas County School District recently received the National Schools of Character award from the Character Education Partnership (CEP). It is the only school district in the United States to win this honor. Annually, 10 schools and districts are selected for the prestigious award by CEP. For the full story, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/06-09.asp <https://fgcu-piranha.fgcu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/06-09.asp> .
Friday, June 29, 2007
Caught in the Middle: A Look at Middle School Perspectives
Caught in the Middle: A Look at Middle School Perspectives
To be in middle school is to be caught in between – between being a child and being a full-fledged teenager; between learning the fundamentals and embarking on more advanced studies. Middle school students are in the throes of adolescence, experiencing the physical, emotional and cognitive changes associated with this stage of development. Harris Interactive was commissioned to conduct A Voice From the Middle, a poll of middle school students, to give perspectives of 7th and 8th graders on such topics as current school experiences and expectations for high school and beyond.
"Disney Minnie Grants Support Youth-led Service Projects"
The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America, through Disney Minnie Grants, are supporting youth-led service projects that are planned and implemented in communities. Service can take place between October 1 and November 26, 2007, and projects can address the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, or any issue that youth identify as a community need. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations that engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementation. Deadline: August 30, 2007.
www.YSA.org/awards
www.YSA.org/awards
KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT SUCCESS
These are also consistent with the components of the ASCA National Model(tm).
KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT SUCCESS
How can districts organize and manage themselves to achieve excellence in every school and classroom, and not just a few? For the past four years, a joint project of Harvard University’s business school and its graduate school of education has been pressing that question in partnership with nine large school districts around the country. Coherence is key, reports Lynn Olsen in Education Week. Districts have to start by focusing on the "instructional core," the critical work of teaching and learning that goes on in classrooms. They have to set concrete performance objectives and intermediate milestones to determine if they're making progress. District leaders also have to bring the key organizational elements of the school system together in a way that is congruent with the improvement strategy. Those elements include the culture of the district, or expectations about "how things work around here"; formal and informal structures and systems, such as the way decisions get made;
KEY INGREDIENTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT SUCCESS
How can districts organize and manage themselves to achieve excellence in every school and classroom, and not just a few? For the past four years, a joint project of Harvard University’s business school and its graduate school of education has been pressing that question in partnership with nine large school districts around the country. Coherence is key, reports Lynn Olsen in Education Week. Districts have to start by focusing on the "instructional core," the critical work of teaching and learning that goes on in classrooms. They have to set concrete performance objectives and intermediate milestones to determine if they're making progress. District leaders also have to bring the key organizational elements of the school system together in a way that is congruent with the improvement strategy. Those elements include the culture of the district, or expectations about "how things work around here"; formal and informal structures and systems, such as the way decisions get made;
- accountability mechanisms;
- compensation arrangements and training programs;
- the allocation of resources, including people, technology, and data;
- the management of stakeholder relationships both inside and outside the organization;
- and the external environment, such as state rules and regulations, union contracts, and public and private funding sources.
INFORMATION UNDERLOAD: FLORIDA'S FLAWED SPECIAL-ED VOUCHER PROGRAM
INFORMATION UNDERLOAD: FLORIDA'S FLAWED SPECIAL-ED VOUCHER PROGRAM
Florida's popular McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program promises to give parents seeking private placements for their special needs children an alternative to the costly, complicated, and time-consuming federal process -- a voucher they can use at a public or private school of their choice. And school choice advocates promote the McKay program as a model for other states and the federal government. Four other states have programs modeled after McKay, and at least a half-dozen others are weighing whether to follow suit. But despite its promise and growing popularity, the McKay program has not yet proven that it works as either an adequate school choice or special education reform measure. In a new Education Sector report, Senior Policy Analyst Sara Mead identifies some serious flaws in the program, namely its lack of public accountability and dearth of information on student outcomes. Mead argues that under the current structure of the program, taxpayers have almost no knowledge of how their money is being spent, and neither taxpayers nor parents have access to solid information about the performance of McKay schools. Mead suggests that expanding school options for students with disabilities is a worthy objective. But she cautions against using McKay as a model and advises policymakers on steps to take as they seek to replicate the program in other states.
http://www.educationsector.org/research/research_show.htm?doc_id=506895
Florida's popular McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program promises to give parents seeking private placements for their special needs children an alternative to the costly, complicated, and time-consuming federal process -- a voucher they can use at a public or private school of their choice. And school choice advocates promote the McKay program as a model for other states and the federal government. Four other states have programs modeled after McKay, and at least a half-dozen others are weighing whether to follow suit. But despite its promise and growing popularity, the McKay program has not yet proven that it works as either an adequate school choice or special education reform measure. In a new Education Sector report, Senior Policy Analyst Sara Mead identifies some serious flaws in the program, namely its lack of public accountability and dearth of information on student outcomes. Mead argues that under the current structure of the program, taxpayers have almost no knowledge of how their money is being spent, and neither taxpayers nor parents have access to solid information about the performance of McKay schools. Mead suggests that expanding school options for students with disabilities is a worthy objective. But she cautions against using McKay as a model and advises policymakers on steps to take as they seek to replicate the program in other states.
http://www.educationsector.org/research/research_show.htm?doc_id=506895
REVIEW OF FRANK McCOURT’S "TEACHER MAN"
REVIEW OF FRANK McCOURT'S "TEACHER MAN"
The popular media often embrace teachers as protagonists who act as agents of change, often radical, within schools and children's lives. Frequently, these teachers are outsiders in some way, not bound by the conventional norms of school and so better able to resist traditional school practices. "To Sir with Love" "Stand and Deliver" and "Dangerous Minds" are examples of movies that suggest that an interesting teacher must be one who, against all odds, battles the forces of the status quo. Each of these examples, and there are many more, suggest that the life of an ordinary teacher, who struggles to do his or her job each day, does not make for an interesting story. In "Teacher Man", Frank McCourt writes a different sort of tale -- one that captures the complexity of teaching, while exposing the frailty of the teacher's identity that rests at the heart of the difficult work of teaching. And he does it in a way that portrays the daily life of a teacher as compelling, interesting, and realistically complicated. The opening paragraph captures perfectly the tone of the book -- sometimes hilarious, sometimes melancholy, and always filled with self-doubt: "On the first day of my teaching career, I was almost fired for eating the sandwich of a high school boy. On the second day I was almost fired for mentioning the possibility of friendship with a sheep. Otherwise, there was nothing remarkable about my 30 years in the high school classrooms of New York City. I often doubted if I should be there at all. At the end I wondered how I lasted that long." So begins the tale of his long career, intertwined with the stories of his life outside teaching, flashbacks to his childhood in Ireland, and his years in college preparing to be a teacher. One of the great strengths of this book is the way that it captures the complexity of schools and the work of teachers, writes Jeffrey J. Rozelle in this insightful book review.
http://edrev.asu.edu/reviews/rev572.htm
The popular media often embrace teachers as protagonists who act as agents of change, often radical, within schools and children's lives. Frequently, these teachers are outsiders in some way, not bound by the conventional norms of school and so better able to resist traditional school practices. "To Sir with Love" "Stand and Deliver" and "Dangerous Minds" are examples of movies that suggest that an interesting teacher must be one who, against all odds, battles the forces of the status quo. Each of these examples, and there are many more, suggest that the life of an ordinary teacher, who struggles to do his or her job each day, does not make for an interesting story. In "Teacher Man", Frank McCourt writes a different sort of tale -- one that captures the complexity of teaching, while exposing the frailty of the teacher's identity that rests at the heart of the difficult work of teaching. And he does it in a way that portrays the daily life of a teacher as compelling, interesting, and realistically complicated. The opening paragraph captures perfectly the tone of the book -- sometimes hilarious, sometimes melancholy, and always filled with self-doubt: "On the first day of my teaching career, I was almost fired for eating the sandwich of a high school boy. On the second day I was almost fired for mentioning the possibility of friendship with a sheep. Otherwise, there was nothing remarkable about my 30 years in the high school classrooms of New York City. I often doubted if I should be there at all. At the end I wondered how I lasted that long." So begins the tale of his long career, intertwined with the stories of his life outside teaching, flashbacks to his childhood in Ireland, and his years in college preparing to be a teacher. One of the great strengths of this book is the way that it captures the complexity of schools and the work of teachers, writes Jeffrey J. Rozelle in this insightful book review.
http://edrev.asu.edu/reviews/rev572.htm
TOO OFTEN, THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS IN TRAGEDY
TOO OFTEN, THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS IN TRAGEDY
The end of the school year is normally a time for celebration, but traffic-related deaths involving students around graduation time have parents, school officials and police mourning and concerned that careless behavior may prompt numerous tragedies. Authorities warn that some high school students are novice drivers, reports Jonathan Abrams and Sara Lin in the Los Angeles Times. Students and families don't realize that reckless celebrations at the end of the school year that include alcohol can have deadly consequences. "It is a large responsibility to go out there with a vehicle, especially as congested as Southern California is," said Arden Wiltshire, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (Calif.). "You have to pay attention and be on your toes, and kids can get distracted by a lot of things."They just don't have as much experience." Dr. Michele Roland, director of the teenage health center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said parents should make a pact with their teenagers so they can call and get a ride home if they are a passenger in a car with a reckless driver. "They need to talk to young people about the risks involved," Roland said. "Teens are more concerned about getting in trouble than riding with someone. They need to know it's OK if they need a ride home and that they can call someone."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teens15jun15,1,5799344.story?coll=la-headlines-california <https://fgcu-piranha.fgcu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teens15jun15,1,5799344.story?coll=la-headlines-california>
The end of the school year is normally a time for celebration, but traffic-related deaths involving students around graduation time have parents, school officials and police mourning and concerned that careless behavior may prompt numerous tragedies. Authorities warn that some high school students are novice drivers, reports Jonathan Abrams and Sara Lin in the Los Angeles Times. Students and families don't realize that reckless celebrations at the end of the school year that include alcohol can have deadly consequences. "It is a large responsibility to go out there with a vehicle, especially as congested as Southern California is," said Arden Wiltshire, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (Calif.). "You have to pay attention and be on your toes, and kids can get distracted by a lot of things."They just don't have as much experience." Dr. Michele Roland, director of the teenage health center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said parents should make a pact with their teenagers so they can call and get a ride home if they are a passenger in a car with a reckless driver. "They need to talk to young people about the risks involved," Roland said. "Teens are more concerned about getting in trouble than riding with someone. They need to know it's OK if they need a ride home and that they can call someone."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teens15jun15,1,5799344.story?coll=la-headlines-california <https://fgcu-piranha.fgcu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teens15jun15,1,5799344.story?coll=la-headlines-california>
Thursday, June 28, 2007
ASCA in Atlanta 2008: Setting New Standards
ASCA in Atlanta 2008: Setting New Standards
Keynote Speakers • Hotel • Exhibit/Sponsor • 2007 Sponsors • 2007 Virtual Exhibit Hall
ASCA's 2008 annual conference, "Setting New Standards," June 28–July 1, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The conference will bring together approximately 2,000 pre-kindergarten to post-secondary professional school counselors, counselor educators, supervisors and graduate students.
From educational sessions to networking events, pre-conference workshops to inspiring keynote speakers, ASCA’s conference helps professional school counselors across the country meet their professional development needs.
Conference sessions allow attendees to take away solid, practical ideas they can put to work tomorrow, make valuable contacts in the school counseling field and discover the latest techniques in school counseling.
Proposals for 2008 Conference
Don't delay; submit your conference session proposals today for the 2008 ASCA Annual Conference, June 28–July 1, 2008, in Atlanta, Ga. Session proposals due Sept. 5, 2007.
(NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988
This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2005, and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades (1972-2005), including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years. Among other findings, the report shows that in students living in low-income families were approximately six times more likely to drop out of high school between 2004 and 2005 than of their peers from high-income families.
To browse this report, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/dropout05/
To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007059
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards - Prudential Financial
http://www.prudential.com/spirit/
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
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The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. Over the past 12 years, the program has honored more than 75,000 young volunteers at the local, state, and national level.Thursday, June 21, 2007
Kids Inhabiting Online Worlds in Record Numbers
Kids Inhabiting Online Worlds in Record Numbers
from Digital Smarts Blog by
"Make believe", a beloved part of childhood, is moving online in record numbers these days as particularly girls 7 to 17 gravitate to sites like Stardoll, Doppelganger, Club Penguin and Gaia Online. At Stardoll, for example, young girls can create their own online "MeDoll" identities from a template that allows the user to choose everything from skin tone to eyebrow shapes. Most important, it allows the user to dress up their avatar in the latest teen fashion. But, of course, it's not just about pleasing yourself. Popularity contests spring up even here. Stardoll users can measure their popularity by the number of "friends" they accumulate on their page, just as they might do on MySpace.com or Facebook--except the photos are not real. And as in real life, popularity has its benefits.One of the most obvious on Stardoll is that you can be a "cover girl" of the Stardoll fashion magazine by getting the most votes for your MeDoll. Most of these sites also have virtual economies with their own currencies, which users can earn or buy with their parents' credit cards and other online payment systems. The attraction is fairly obvious here and the chances for cyberbullying are somewhat minimal as users can only communicate using canned messages on most of these sites. But you have to wonder - do these MeDolls have any career aspirations? Wouldn't it be great if one of these sites let young girls try their hands at various careers or being a good parent without fashion being the guiding force? Whatever happened to dressing up in Mom's old clothes on a rainy day?
New video-based networking site worrying parents
New video-based networking site worrying parents
Last updated on: 6/21/2007 6:45:52 PM by Kara Kenney
FORT MYERS: Move over MySpace, the NBC2 Investigators uncovered a new website experts say could put your teen at risk. It's called Stickam.com and it's already captured the attention of Southwest Florida teens. Read more …
Free Diabetes Resource Available:
Free Diabetes Resource Available: To educate and inform school personnel about diabetes, how it is managed and how each school staff member can help meet the needs of diabetic students, the National Diabetes Education Program has developed "Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel." Order or download this free resource at www.ndep.nih.gov or call (800) 438-5383.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
U of Penn & ASCA Collaborate
U of Penn & ASCA Collaborate
Do you know someone who would be a great school counselor? ASCA and the University of Pennsylvania have designed a two-year, 60-credit master's degree program for working professionals. Classes meet one weekend each month and one week each summer. With a curriculum based on the ASCA National Model, the Executive Professional School Counseling program helps students develop the competencies necessary to design and implement a comprehensive school counseling program. The first cohort will meet in July 2007, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, go to www.gse.upenn.edu/psc. Tell all of your friends! Link to download brochure.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Sex, drugs and dating make teens feel older
Sex, drugs and dating make teens feel older
from EurekAlert! - Breaking News
A Canadian study has confirmed what parents have long suspected: dating, sexual activity and substance use seem to make teens feel older than they really are. And, as adolescents get older, the gap between their chronological age and their self-perceived age widens. Researchers at the University of Alberta surveyed a random sample of nearly 700 adolescents from a medium-sized North American city and asked them questions about dating, sexual experience, smoking, alcohol and drug use.
Teens, Drugs, and Violence
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Help Keep Teens Away From Gangs & Drugs
Help Keep Teens Away From Gangs & Drugs
Most adolescents seek acceptance or belonging, and many find it through positive family and peer relationships and extracurricular activities. Other teens are vulnerable to falling in with a dangerous crowd, which can lead to drug use, other risky behaviors, or even gang membership.
Read more>>
Verizon Foundation -- Grants for Nonprofits
Verizon Foundation -- Grants for Nonprofits (Deadline:11/30/07)
The Verizon Foundation supports projects by nonprofit organizations that focus on education, literacy, domestic violence prevention, or technology for healthcare and healthcare accessibility.
http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/ops1016.asp
Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health
The Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health is sponsored by the Center for School Mental Health Analysis and Action (CSMHA) in collaboration with the IDEA Partnership, housed at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). The Conference is the nation's premiere school mental health conference and offers numerous opportunities to network and learn more about best practice in school mental health. The 12th Annual Conference is slated for October 25-27, 2007, at the Omni Orlando Resort in sunny Champions Gate, Florida!
http://csmha.umaryland.edu/conf_meet/AnnualConference/index.html
Saturday, June 16, 2007
New Web Tool To Aid In Search For Next Florida Commissioner of Education
New Web Tool To Aid In Search For Next Florida Commissioner of Education
The Department of Education announced a new Web tool to aid in the search for the next Florida Commissioner of Education. Interested parties can visit www.proactsearchinc.com/florida to view a variety of documents related to the search. Information such as position requirements, applicant data, applicant search criteria and relevant deadlines are all available to the public through this new tool. The site will continually be updated as new applicants apply and new information is made available.
Recruitment initiatives have begun and will follow the State Board of Education approved timeline. PROACT Search, Inc., the executive search firm hired by the State Board of Education, will facilitate the identification, screening, interviewing and selection of candidates matched to Florida’s needs and interests. More than 500 recruiting letters were sent by the search firm to a list of potential candidates. To view the latest news on the Commissioner search, visit www.fldoe.org/commissionersearch.
Friday, June 15, 2007
International Bullying Prevention Association
Best Practices in Bullying Prevention Conference
November 5th - 8th, 2007
http://www.stopbullyingworld.com/
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Nation, not schools, takes lousy care of our children
The nation, not schools, takes lousy care of our children
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, June 3, 2007
From the beginning of the educational “accountability” movement in the mid-1990s, the demand that schools “close the achievement gap” has set educators’ teeth on edge. The “gap” refers to the wide discrepancy between the test scores of middle-class white children and those who are low-income and non-white. >>>
Http://www.projo.com/opinion/columnists/content/se_educationwatch03_06-03-07_PT5QQFV.24c035f.html
Technology in Education
Secretary Spellings would like to hear your ideas on the integration of technology in education.
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/roundtable.html
New study shows exposure to smokers in movies increases likelihood of smoking in the future
Watching an actor smoke on the big screen may make smokers more likely to continue smoking in the future, and make nonsmokers more favorably disposed toward smoking.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
ASCA Announces 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
ASCA Announces 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
For immediate release – May 31, 2007
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is proud to announce the two recipients of its Mary E. Gehrke Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented by the ASCA Governing Board to school counseling professionals who've made a significant contribution to the profession over the course of their careers. The 2007 recipients are Trish Hatch, Ph.D., and Judy Bowers, Ed.D. They will be recognized during a special gala at ASCA's annual conference in Denver, June 23-26, 2007.
Trish Hatch, Ph.D. is co-author of "The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs." Now in its second edition, it has sold more than 43,000 copies. Currently the director of the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership (CESCaL) and the director of the School Counseling Program at San Diego State University, Hatch is a former school counselor, site level and central office administrator over school counseling programs. She received her doctorate degree in Education: Institutional Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of California at Riverside in 2002.
Hatch is one of five appointed members of the National Panel for Evidenced-Based School Counseling Practices and has served as supervisor/postsecondary level vice president on ASCA's Governing Board. She is past president of the California state school counseling association. She was invited to serve a member of the assessment design team for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' (NBPTS) new school counseling certification and as a national trainer for the Education Trust's Transforming School Counselor Initiative. A frequent author, keynote speaker and trainer, Hatch was awarded Administrator of the Year by the ASCA; the Jim Saum Government Relations Award inrecognition of her efforts to implement school counseling legislation in California; and the HB McDaniel Foundation Hall of Fame Award at Stanford University for exceptional contribution to the profession of counseling and guidance.
Judy Bowers, Ed.D., is co-author of "The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs." Now in its second edition, it has sold more than 43,000 copies. After a long career with Tucson Unified School District as the director of school counseling programs, following 16 years as a site school counselor, Bowers retired last year. She continues to serve as a trainer and speaker for organizations across the country.
Bowers served as president on the 2004–2005 ASCA Governing Board and has also served as ASCA's Western regional vice president and supervisor/postsecondary level vice president. Additionally, she served as president of the Arizona School Counselor Association. In 1995, she received the Administrator of the Year award from the Arizona School Counselor Association, and in 1997 received Administrator of the Year from ASCA. She received her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arizona.
ASCA is a worldwide nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Va. Founded in 1952, ASCA supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development so they not only achieve success in school but are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. The association provides professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to nearly 21,000 professional school counselors around the globe.
ASCA Contact: Jill Cook, Assistant Director, ASCA, (703) 683-ASCA, jcook@schoolcounselor.org
Inspirational and Motivational Speakers – 3 Tips All Greats Agree On
Inspirational and Motivational Speakers – 3 Tips All Greats Agree On
When it comes to delinquency boys are exposed to more risk, less protection
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/uow-wic061107.php
Public release date: 12-Jun-2007
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
When it comes to delinquency boys are exposed to more risk, less protection
Researchers trying to understand why high school-age boys are involved in serious delinquency more often than girls have found that males are exposed to higher levels of risk factors and lower amounts of protective factors.
A new study of more than 7,800 high school sophomores from 40 suburban and rural communities in seven states examined 22 risk and protective factors associated with serious delinquency. It found that boys reported higher levels of risk and lower levels of protection for 18 of the factors than did girls. In addition, boys were twice as likely to engage in seven of the eight serious delinquent behaviors that were measured.
“Boys come into contact with risk factors in their families, school, peers and in their personal attributes more frequently and are sometimes influenced by them more strongly than are girls,” said Abigail Fagan, lead author of the study and an intervention specialist with the University of Washington’s Social Development Research Group.
All of the risk and protective factors examined were significantly related to serious delinquency for both boys and girls, according to Fagan.
The students in the study came from communities with populations ranging from 1,600 to 106,000 in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Slightly more than half of the students were girls, and 79 percent were white.
Data were collected from surveys administered in school, including questions about participation in eight behaviors in the past year that are indicative of serious delinquency – being arrested, carrying a handgun, bringing a handgun to school, attacking someone with the intent to do harm, stealing a motor vehicle, selling illegal drugs, being suspended or expelled from school, and being drunk or high at school.
Being drunk or high at school was the most common self-reported offense with nearly 20 percent of the girls and 26 percent of the boys reporting such behavior. Attacking someone was the second-most-common behavior, with 11 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys reporting it. However, the overwhelming majority of teenagers said they did not engage in delinquent acts.
The 22 protective factors measured included the teens’ attachment to each of their parents, rewards for good behavior in school and social skills in dealing with other people. Risks included family conflict, low commitment to school, peer drug use and sensation seeking.
While boys experience higher levels of risk and lower protection for 18 of these factors, girls only reported higher risk for family conflict and less protection from attachment to their fathers. There were no gender differences for exposure to peer drug use and for peer rewards for delinquency.
“There are no unique risk or protective factors for either sex in this study,” said Fagan. “But when teens are exposed to a risk situation it sometimes has a greater impact on boys than girls. One of our questions asked if your friends would think you are cool if you beat up someone else. Although boys and girls reported about the same level of exposure to this situation, it was more likely to be related to boys’ involvement in delinquency. Boys and girls can experience situations differently and boys might be more likely than girls to do something delinquent when exposed to risk factors. It’s not just coming into contact with bad influences, but how you deal with them.”
Fagan added that there are many similarities in what leads boys and girls to engage in delinquency, which a is good reason to include both genders in prevention programs.
“There are many effective programs that lower rates of delinquency and they also reduce drug use. It makes sense to implement these programs to get more bang for our buck because the same risk and protective factors are involved in drug use. However, we do need to develop more programs because there are not a lot of prevention programs directed at high school students.”
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The paper appears in the June issue of the journal Prevention Science. Co-authors of the study are J. David Hawkins and Michael Arthur of the UW’s Social Development Research Group in the School of Social Work and M. Lee Van Horn, a psychologist at the University of South Carolina. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Child Health and Development, National Institute on Mental Health and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention supported the research.
For more information, contact Fagan at (206) 616-6247 or fagana@u.washington.edu
Monday, June 11, 2007
High self-esteem may be culturally universal, international study shows
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/uow-hsm060607.php
Public release date: 7-Jun-2007
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
High self-esteem may be culturally universal, international study shows
The notion that East Asians, Japanese in particular, are self-effacing and have low self-esteem compared to Americans may well describe the surface view of East Asian personality, but misses the picture revealed by recently developed measures of self-esteem, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the United States, China and Japan.
For the first time psychologists used those new measures in exactly parallel fashion to compare samples of university students from the three countries. Surveying more than 500 students, they found that implicit, or automatic, self-esteem was strongly positive among students from each of the nations. The consistency of the findings across cultures was so clearly apparent that the researchers conclude in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science that high implicit self-esteem may be culturally universal.
The researchers used the Implicit Association Test (IAT) created by University of Washington psychologist Anthony Greenwald and a co-author of the study, to probe the students’ positive associations with themselves. Different versions of the test have been widely used to investigate automatic attitudes and evaluations such as racial bias, and gender and age stereotypes. In this study it was used to provide an index of self-esteem. Psychologists previously equated self-esteem with the extent to which people describe themselves as having positive characteristics. These self-descriptions are called explicit self-esteem and are measured by asking for agreement with statements such as “I feel that I have a number of good qualities.” No questions are asked to measure implicit self-esteem. Instead the test measures how rapidly a person can give the same response to words that are pleasant and words that refer to one’s self.
To ensure that their sample was geographically diverse, the researchers recruited students from seven universities – the University of Tokyo, Osaka University and Shinshu University in Japan; East China Normal University and Northwest Normal University in China and the UW and Harvard University – to take the test, which was administered by computer.
Although East Asians are perceived by both others and themselves to be modest and self-effacing, the test results painted a different picture. Students from all three countries had highly positive implicit self-esteem, with the Japanese students showing especially higher self-esteem than their Chinese and American counterparts. “Ordinary East Asians are aware that they hold strongly positive self-views. But the prevalent modesty norm prevents them from expressing it publicly,” said Susumu Yamaguchi of Tokyo University and lead author of the study. “The IAT successfully unraveled East Asians’ unexpressed self-esteem in our study.” The authors speculate that cross-cultural similarities in positive implicit self-esteem may arise from cross-cultural similarities in child-rearing.
“It may be that parents in all societies, especially mothers, adore their children and put them on a pedestal so that children worldwide absorb a highly positive self-concept,” Greenwald said. “In Japan the culture explicitly tells you that you are not better than others. But this culturally approved explicit self-concept doesn’t remove the base of adoration created by parents and other relatives since childhood. In China, where there is pressure for having smaller families, children are perhaps more precious than they were years ago.”
Mahzarin Banaji, a Harvard psychologist, co-developer of the test and co-author of the study said: “When we see cultural variation in human behavior, we understand that societies and cultures mold their members in different ways. When we see cultural invariance, as we do here in East-West self esteem, we understand that we are also all the same.”
###
The Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science and the National Institute of Mental Health funded the research. Other authors of the papers are Fumio Murakami of the University of Tokyo, Kimihiro Shiomura of Shinshu University and Chihiro Kobayashi of Osaka University in Japan; Huajian Cai, a former UW post-doctoral researcher now at Sun Yat-sen University in China; Daniel Chen, a UW doctoral student; and Anne Krendl of Dartmouth University.
For more information, contact Greenwald at (206) 543-7227 or agg@u.washington.edu; Banaji at banaji@fas.harvard.edu; or Yamaguchi at susumy@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp
PG-13 films not safe for kids
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/uoc--pfn060807.php
Public release date: 8-Jun-2007
Contact: Mark Wheeler
mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2265
University of California - Los Angeles
PG-13 films not safe for kids
Violence permeates 90 percent of such rated films say UCLA researchers
PG-13 films have lots of “happy violence,” say UCLA researchers. Borrowing from the late communications theorist George Gerbner, happy violence is that which is “cool, swift, and painless.” PG-13 films don’t consider the consequences of violent acts, such as injury, death, and the shattered lives of the people involved.
Any why this matters, says Theresa Webb, a researcher in the department of epidemiology and the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center at UCLA's School of Public Health, is simple: youth violence is a commonplace occurrence in American society. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds overall. And media depictions of violence help teach such acts to children, leading to three effects—increased aggression, fear for their own safety, and a desensitization toward the pain and suffering of others.
In a study published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics, Webb and colleagues report that in a sample of 77 PG-13 rated films, a total of 2,251 violent actions were recorded, with almost half resulting in death. Although only a small subset of this content contained violence that was associated with negative effects such as pain and suffering, only one film—“Pay it Forward”—in which the young hero is stabbed to death, contained violence that would demonstrate to youthful viewers how horrific violence can be.
“Violence permeated nearly 90 percent of the films in this study,” said Webb. “And while the explanations and causes of youth violence are very complex, the evidence is clear that media depictions of violence contribute to the teaching of violence.
“This is especially true in our society, where the average young person’s engagement with visual media in all its forms can run to as many as eight hours a day.”
The researchers sampled all PG-13 rated films from the 100 top-grossing movies of 1999 and 2000 as established by the Hollywood Reporter. To obtain their results, the researchers coded each act of violence and the context it was presented in based on features known to put violence in a good or bad light. Such features include the motivation for violence, presence of weapons, consequences, and degree of realism—cartoonish, fantasy violence is less influential than a hero punching the villain in the face to resolve a problem. Thus, the violence in “The Mummy” is less influential than that shown in the James Bond flic “The World is not Enough.”
The research follows up on a 2005 study they conducted that looked at movie violence in all the ratings categories established by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). In that study, they found that parents using the ratings system to gauge movie content receive little meaningful guidance related to violent content.
This time around the researchers selected the PG-13 category because it has become a repository for action films. “These films,” said Webb, “are often the largest budgeted ones made by the Hollywood film industry and have also been found to be equally, if not more, violent than R-rated films.”
Webb faults Hollywood, which disavows any relationship to education and insists that its only commitment is to transport and entertain its viewers but in no way to edify or transform them. “That’s a cop-out,” said Webb, “the science is clear that viewers do, in fact, learn from entertainment media. Indeed, popular films can act as powerful teachers engaging children and youths emotionally, even physiologically, in ways that teachers in classrooms could only hope.” Worse, she notes the MPAA rating system, which runs from “G” for general audiences to NC-17 (under 17 not admitted), has in recent years been subject to “ratings creep.” “Meaning that ten years ago a film that would have been rated R is now being rated PG-13,” she said.
So what is a parent to do" Webb notes there are several websites that give more comprehensive reviews of violence (and sex) in the movies than the MPAA ratings. These include Kids-in-Mind (http://www.kids-in-mind.com/), PSVratings (http://www.familymediaguide.com/index.html), and Screen It! (http://www.screenit.com/subscribers/movies/2007/subscriber_sample2.asp). She and her colleagues caution parents against allowing unsupervised viewing of films, calls on pediatricians and public health professionals to continue their advocacy role for a more child-friendly media environment, and most of all, for the film industry and its rating board to recognize their medium does indeed have an influence on young viewers. (The MPAA does not define its rating system as scientific or objective, but rather as a collective judgment from a group of parents.)
###
Funding for the study was provided by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other authors included Lucille Jenkins, Nickolas Browne, Abdelmonen A. Afifi, and Jess Kraus, all of UCLA.
The UCLA School of Public Health is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals, translating research into policy and practice, and serving local, national and international communities. For more information, see http://www.ph.ucla.edu/ .
Healthy children of a lower socioeconomic class sleep worse than those of middle class
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/aaos-hco053007.php
Public release date: 11-Jun-2007
[ Print Article | E-mail Article | Close Window ]
Contact: Jim Arcuri
jarcuri@aasmnet.org
708-492-0930
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Healthy children of a lower socioeconomic class sleep worse than those of middle class
WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Children from a lower socioeconomic environment have worse sleeping patterns than children from middle class status. Excessive daytime sleepiness due to poor sleep the night before may have a negative impact on a child’s academic performance and also put them at risk for developing health problems, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by Sanjeev V. Kothare, MD, of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, was focused on a total of 64 children, who were brought in by their parents for either an acute illness or well child visit. The parents were asked to fill out a standardized 35-item Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, which examines various sleeping behaviors including bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, sleep anxiety, night awakenings, parasomnias, sleep disordered breathing and daytime sleepiness. Each category is scored, with higher scores indicating poorer sleeping patterns.
When compared to middle-class children, healthy children from a lower socioeconomic class had significantly higher values for bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, sleep anxiety, night awakenings, parasomnias, sleep disordered breathing and daytime sleepiness.
"This study highlights the importance of screening for sleeping problems in children from an inner city population," said Dr. Kothare. "Many of these problems are under-recognized, and may impact the health and performance of these children at school. Timely and appropriate intervention strategies may help in ameliorating some of these problems. Additional multi-centric studies need to be performed to validate results and provide further understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these sleeping problems."
Recent studies associate lack of sleep with serious health problems such as an increased risk of depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Experts recommend that children in pre-school sleep between 11-13 hours a night, and school-aged children between 10-11 hours of sleep a night.
A child should follow these steps to get a good night’s sleep:
- Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
- Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
- Get a full night’s sleep every night.
- Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
- Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
- The bedroom should be quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
- Get up at the same time every morning.
Parents who suspect that their child might be suffering from a sleep disorder are encouraged to consult with their child’s pediatrician, who will refer them to a sleep specialist.
###
The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at the SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The four-day scientific meeting will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
Children with sleep disorder symptoms are more likely to have trouble academically
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-06/aaos-cws053007.php
Public release date: 11-Jun-2007
Contact: Jim Arcuri
jarcuri@aasmnet.org
708-492-0930
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Children with sleep disorder symptoms are more likely to have trouble academically
WESTCHESTER, Ill. -- Students with symptoms of sleep disorders are more likely to receive bad grades in classes such as math, reading and writing than peers without symptoms of sleep disorders, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by Alyssa Bachmann, of Chappaqua Public Schools in New York, was focused on the parents of 218 second and third graders, who completed Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students – Child Form, a brief screening tool validated for use in the schools.
According to the results, students with reported symptoms of sleep disorders received significantly worse grades than students without symptoms of sleep disorders. Specifically, there were differences in math, reading and writing grades.
"This study, which identified the relationship between the prevalence of symptoms of sleep disorders and academic performance in second and third graders, found that screening students at school with a validated school-based instrument may identify students to be referred for appropriate medical and/or behavioral treatment," said Bachmann.
Experts recommend that children in pre-school sleep between 11-13 hours a night, and school-aged children between 10-11 hours of sleep a night.
Your child should follow these steps to get a good night’s sleep:
- Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
- Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
- Get a full night’s sleep every night.
- Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
- Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
- The bedroom should be quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
- Get up at the same time every morning.
Parents who suspect that their child might be suffering from a sleep disorder are encouraged to consult with their child’s pediatrician, who will refer them to a sleep specialist.
###
The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at the SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The four-day scientific meeting will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Federal Resources for Missing and Exploited Children
Directory Provides Information on Federal Resources for Missing and Exploited Children
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announces the availability of "Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies."
Developed by the Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and Exploited Children, the directory, currently in its fifth edition, describes federal services, programs, publications, and training sessions that address child sexual exploitation issues, child pornography, child abduction, Internet crime, and missing children cases.
Resources:
"Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies" (NCJ 216857) is available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=238478.
Print copies may be ordered at http://ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/AlphaList.aspx. For quick access, search by document number.
-----------------------------------------------------
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Update!
From American School Counselor Association
Subject: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Update!
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROVES LARGEST INCREASE EVER TO ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of ASCA members’ calls, letters, face-to-face meetings with congressional staff and testimony on Capitol Hill provided by ASCA's President-Elect, Eric Sparks, and ASCA member, Lesli Myers, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS-Ed) rejected President Bush’s recommendation to eliminate the program and instead approved a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2008 that included the largest increase ever to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million. This is an increase of 77.5 percent over Fiscal Year 2007! In fact, this is the largest percentage increase to any education program found in the House LHHS-Ed FY 2008 Appropriations bill!
What Happens Next?
The LHHS-Ed appropriations bill next goes to the full House Appropriations Committee on June 14 and then to the floor of the House of Representatives for debate and votes the following week. The Senate will go through the same process later this month, and then the different House and Senate bills must be rectified into one final bill that is passed by Congress and signed by the President.
If the increase in funding to the ESSCP reaches above $40 million, the funding “trigger” will go into effect making the monies above $40 million available to secondary school counseling programs as well as elementary school programs. This will be the first time in the history of the program that the funding level will be large enough put trigger into effect making funds available for secondary school programs.
Next Step for ASCA Members
We want to make sure that Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), Chair of the LHHS-Ed Appropriations Subcommittee and Chair of the full Appropriations Committee, knows how much we appreciate his efforts on behalf of school counselors and thank him for acknowledging the important role we play in schools by increasing ESSCP funding. To help in this effort, we have drafted the attached letter template thanking Rep. Obey for his efforts and for and for his continued support. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO PERSONALIZE THIS LETTER AND FAX IT TO REP. OBEY’S OFFICE AT (715)842-4488 OR EMAIL IT DIRECTLY TO CONNOLLY.KEIGHER@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV.
Also, spread the word and share this good news with other school counselors in your school and state.
<<Insert Date>>
Chairman David R. Obey
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee
2314 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Obey:
On behalf of the <<INSERT YOUR SCHOOL NAME OR STATE SCHOOL COUNSELING ASSOCIATION>>, I want to thank you for your support to increase funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million in the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill for FY 2008. We commend you for your continued leadership and acknowledgement of the school counseling profession and your willingness to increase funding for the ESSCP by over 77% despite the President’s recommendation to cut the program altogether.
The need for school counseling services at both the elementary and secondary school levels is clear. As you well know, school counselors take the lead in efforts to help students cope with the effects of bullying, school violence, and natural disasters. School counselors also help students with academic, personal and social and career development to enable them to become contributing members of society. <<INSERT DETAILS ABOUT YOUR COUNSELING PROGRAM IN YOUR SCHOOL>>.
Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in America’s public schools is 479 to 1. The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and other organizations recommend a maximum ratio of 250 to 1 to adequately meet students’ needs. Funding from the ESSCP has provided grants to hundreds of counseling programs, helping many communities improve these critical student services. With funding now reaching above the $40 million trigger, ESSCP grants will now be available to fund secondary school activities which is very exciting. <<INSERT ANY PLANS YOU MAY HAVE FOR HOW THIS FUNDING COULD BE USED>>
We are so thankful you saw the importance of the Elementary and Secondary School program even in light of the current tough fiscal climate. We greatly appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to continuing to work with you on this important initiative.
Sincerely,
Dropout Diplomacy | Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/node/4332
Dropout Diplomacy
The scramble to get kids to return to high school is on.
published 5/29/2007
GETTY
It's public education's dirty little secret: Three out of ten students who start high school don't finish it four years later. Among African American and Hispanic teens, on-time graduation rates can be less than 50 percent.
THE NATION, NOT SCHOOLS, TAKES LOUSY CARE OF OUR CHILDREN
THE NATION, NOT SCHOOLS, TAKES LOUSY CARE OF OUR CHILDREN Educators know firsthand that less-privileged students -- an ever-growing number, seemingly -- enter school at a significant disadvantage compared to their more privileged peers. That gap opened up long before the school bell tolled. Even in schools where low-income children have made strong gains, the gap persists. Schools have little impact on poverty or the lack of good health care, decent jobs for parents, affordable housing and other social factors that contribute to a child’s readiness to learn. Educators who voiced these concerns were often chastised as racist, class-biased or indulging in the "soft bigotry of low expectations." Schools may exacerbate the achievement gap, but they didn't create it in the first place. As a nation, writes Julia Steiny in The Providence Journal, we are shockingly content to tolerate widespread poverty among our fellow citizens. We are the richest country in the world, but one in five children is brought up in a family living at the federal poverty line. The quintile above them is not much better off. In short, we take lousy care of our kids, but find it convenient to blame the schools.
http://www.projo.com/opinion/columnists/content/se_educationwatch03_06-03-07_PT5QQFV.24c035f.html
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Divorce increases risk of Ritalin use
Divorce increases risk of Ritalin use
Divorce puts children at higher risk of Ritalin use compared to kids whose parents stay together, says new research by a University of Alberta sociologist, who cautions that this doesn't necessarily mean that divorce is harmful to a child. The study appears in this week's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Kids As Researchers and Online Troubleshooters
Kids As Researchers and Online Troubleshooters
from Digital Smarts Blog by Power to Learn
An article published in USA Today by Marilyn Gardner, Christian Science Monitor, says that parents are turning to their kids to help them with finding map directions, comparison shopping, locating online information, and email attachments. It notes that kids' jobs in the home are changing from things like taking out the garbage to doing online research for their families. For some time schools and families called in the kids to help with tech equipment, but this emerging role of kids, even in elementary school, leading the way into online developments will be an interesting one to watch. Will the adults be able to catch up or doesn't it matter?
Useful Evaluation of Career Development Programs
The America's Career Resource Network/National Training Support Center invites you to view Useful Evaluation of Career Development Programs, a taped Web cast as part of the 2006-2007 ACRN Web cast series.
Web casts Panelists include:
Dr. Janet Wall, President, Sage Solutions, Maryland
Dr. Carey Dimmitt, Associate Director of the School Counseling Outcomes Center, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Walt Wong, Washington Career Resource Network Director
Louisa Fuller, National Training Support Center/America's Career Resource Network
This Web cast provides practical resources, tips, and insight on the topic of evaluation of career development programs. Topics covered include:
· ACRN 9-step evaluation process and resource ,
· What is evaluation, and the difference between research
· How do you conduct an evaluation?
· What do you do with your evaluation results?
· Impact of evaluation of career development programs on policy and funding
We encourage all career development professionals interested in learn about practical tips, resources, and strategies for conducting evaluations of career development programs and initiatives to view this free Web cast!
Resources
· To access the Web cast, please go to: http://www.acrnetwork.org/webcast_eval.htm
Web casts Panelists include:
Dr. Janet Wall, President, Sage Solutions, Maryland
Dr. Carey Dimmitt, Associate Director of the School Counseling Outcomes Center, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Walt Wong, Washington Career Resource Network Director
Louisa Fuller, National Training Support Center/America's Career Resource Network
This Web cast provides practical resources, tips, and insight on the topic of evaluation of career development programs. Topics covered include:
· ACRN 9-step evaluation process and resource ,
· What is evaluation, and the difference between research
· How do you conduct an evaluation?
· What do you do with your evaluation results?
· Impact of evaluation of career development programs on policy and funding
We encourage all career development professionals interested in learn about practical tips, resources, and strategies for conducting evaluations of career development programs and initiatives to view this free Web cast!
Resources
· To access the Web cast, please go to: http://www.acrnetwork.org/webcast_eval.htm
RUCKUS NATION - AN IDEA COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS
RUCKUS NATION – AN IDEA COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS
HopeLab (www.hopelab.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness, is sponsoring an online competition called “Ruckus Nation”. Ruckus Nation challenges participants to imagine innovative products that will increase physical activity among kids ages 11 to 14. The competition is open to people of all ages. Students are especially encouraged to join in, as individuals or in teams.
Students who participate in Ruckus Nation may have the opportunity to see their ideas come to life; the best product ideas will be prototyped, tested, and broadly distributed to young people. Up to $300,000 in cash and prizes will also be awarded for the best product ideas, including $2,500 prizes to teachers/advisors who inspire winning entries.
For more information, or to sign up for email updates about contest registration, materials for teachers, and other news, please visit us at: www.ruckusnation.com/info!
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