A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
(October 2, 2000) David L. Marcus, in a U.S. News article entitled, “The Toughest Cases Find a Home Away: Therapeutic Boarding Schools are on the Rise,” gives a favorable report about the rising numbers of residential schools and programs that serve a sub-population of young people who are not doing well behaviorally, are getting into serious trouble and are jeopardizing their future.

SPECIAL EDUCATION CONFLICT
(November 5, 2000) The New York Times, New Jersey section, contained the article: “From the Classroom To the Trenches: Special Education Directors, on the Hot Seat, Are Hard to Find and Even Harder to Keep.” It discusses the increasing pressure on Special Education departments and public schools from parents who demand services required by the 1975 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. This act, which guarantees a “free and appropriate public education” for all disabled students, is causing considerable turnover in School Special Education Directors, due to parent demands and litigation. Directors are also plagued by tight budgets since funds that formerly were used for other educational purposes are now directed into special services for disabled students.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED…
(December 5, 2000) An article by David W. Kirkpatrick, Senior Fellow for Teacher Choice at the Alexis deTocqueville Institution in Arlington, VA, entitled, “Have you ever wondered…” can be found at http://www.educationnews.org/alexis_detocqueville_have_you_ev.htm. Kirkpatrick addresses some contradictions he sees in public education, for example, “WHY the public school establishment, which claims to ”teach critical thinking and problem solving,” is unable to think critically and solve its own problems? WHY is it only in education that those who are public employees feel the need to attack and denigrate those who are privately employed? WHY isn’t former NEA President Keith Geiger, who said that “inner- city schools are absolutely terrible—they ought to be blown up,” willing to at least let the students leave first?”

ONLINE ADVICE
(December 5, 2000) Laura Scott, 760-434-3481, is the contact for a new Web site called Cyber Family Network (CFN). The site, http://www.cyberfamilynetwork.com, provides daily wisdom and guidance for families via 3-minute streaming videos about topics such as communication, problem-solving, priority-setting, conflict resolution, time allocation, forgiveness, patience and more. The first month is free, and a modest subscription rate is charged thereafter.

RISKY BEHAVIOR CAUSES
(December 6, 2000) Education Week, in an article by Jessica Portner, titled “Teens’ Risky Behavior Tied to School Troubles” reported research suggesting a student’s academic performance and friends are better predictors of the causal factors of drinking, smoking, carrying weapons, etc. by than is race or family income.

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
(December 6, 2000) Education Week, in an article by Mark Stricherz, titled “Bricks And Mortarboards” questions the popular movement to put more money into school facility construction. He concludes, with the words of Eric A. Hanushek, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution Stanford University: “I think having reasonable schools is important. What I object to is putting money into gold-plated school facilities.”

PAY AND TEACHER EXODUS
(December 7, 2000) A survey by the Texas Public Policy Foundation indicates, “the problem of teacher recruitment and retention in Texas will not be solved by addressing pay or benefits.” Teacher attitudes suggest pay and benefits is their third ranked concern, behind student attitudes and behavior, and treatment by administrators.

JAILS WITHOUT MENTAL SERVICES
(December 7, 2000) The Star Tribune, Nandotimes.com reported the Coalition for Juvenile Justice study found that between 50 to 75 percent of jailed juveniles suffer from mental health problems, but there are few programs to help them.

THE MALE MINORITY
(December 7, 2000) Time Magazine, reports that as males slip to just 44 percent of the nation’s undergraduates, some colleges are actively recruiting them to keep a gender balance.

LOSERS IN HIGH-STAKES TESTING
(December 7, 2000) Peter Sacks, an independent education researcher, predicts that the current measurement obsession with state-imposed standards, more standardized testing and harsher sanctions will result in the losers being the children of the poor, the working class and undereducated. The winners will continue to be the children of the privileged, well educated and the affluent. This is similar to the obsession with mental tests throughout the 20th century. That were used to categorize. The article can be found at the American Association of School Administrators web site titled “Predictable Losers in Testing Schemes.”

PROTECTION FROM OTHER CHILDREN
(December 8, 2000) The Age, an Australian Online newspaper article stated: “Judge in plea on schoolyard conflict.” It further reported that “in the past year, 170 school children have gone to Victorian courts seeking intervention orders to protect them from other children, the president of the Victorian Childrens’ Court revealed yesterday.”

TUTORS BECOMING STATUS SYMBOLS?
(December 10, 2000) Laura Pappano, writing in the Boston Globe Online observes that students once were secretive that they had a tutor, but now are proud of it. Also, parents feel that having a tutor for their child makes a statement that the parents are helping their child as much as they can.

DRUG THERAPY ALTERNATIVES
(December 10, 2000) Hallie Levine, in the New York Post Online in an article “Drug Therapy for Kids Scares Parents” discusses many parents’ concerns about putting their children on Ritalin. Alternative approaches for attention deficit being used by some parents include neurobiofeedback, behavioral techniques, homeopathy, and alternative medications such as Dramamine andTomoxetine.

SCHOOL CHOICE ASSESSMENT
(December 10, 2000) The future of School Choice after the November electoral defeats in California and Michigan is assessed by supporters and can be found at Educationnews.com.

DENVER STREET SCHOOL
(December 14, 2000) The Denver Street School was featured in the Rocky Mountain News as a successful Christian-based alternative academy with the goal of personal growth for its students. The school was started in 1985, and is getting enough stability to make plans for building a permanent building.

ABSTINENCE PLEDGES HELP
(January 4, 2001) “Virginity pledges, in which teenagers promise to refrain from sex until marriage, may help to delay intercourse, according to a recent study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.” Public Agenda Alert

STUDENT CONVICTED FOR DRAWING A PICTURE
(January 6, 2001) The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, in an unanimous opinion, upheld the conviction of a 12-year-old boy “who drew pictures of himself pointing a gun at and shooting his teacher.” State Attorney-General Tom Reilly said this was an important case and “helps to re-establish the respect that should exist in the school setting. Children in that environment are there to learn, and part of that learning involves respect toward their teacher and toward each other.” The boy’s attorney, Kathleen M. Kelly, said she was disappointed about what might lead to prosecution when suspension would be more appropriate, and that “the juvenile’s conduct did not constitute a threat, as defined by law.”

BOY’S STORY LANDS HIM IN JAIL
(January 7, 2001) Ottawa Citizen Online reported a 15-year-old boy living in Crysler landed in jail for completing a writing assignment that was interpreted as death threats. The assignment was to create a dramatic monologue, which became interpreted as death threats; “the threat of an unnamed character to bomb an unnamed school in a fictional story.” “His story resulted in the police storming his family’s home in this village east of Ottawa, arresting him, strip-searching him and locking him away in a youth detention center.” He was there for his birthday, Christmas and New Year’s. His hero was Stephen King.

TEENAGE DAY TRADERS
(January 14, 2001) The New York Times reported interest in the stock market has become common among many teens, and an online broker reports “the rise in trading by teenagers appears to continue unabated.”

SF PRIVATE APPLICATIONS UP
(January 14, 2001) The San Francisco Chronicle reports, “Since 1990, the number of private and parochial high schools in the Bay Area has increased only slightly while applications have more than doubled, admissions directors said.”

ERRORS IN SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS
(January 14, 2001) CNN.com News reported a study conducted by John Hubisz, a North Carolina State University physics instructor, of 12 common science textbooks, concluding they are riddled with errors. He estimates that about 85 percent of the children in the US use the textbooks examined, and says, “These are terrible books, and they’re probably a strong component of why we do so poorly in science.”

ONLINE ASPERGER SYNDROME INFORMATION
(January 17, 2001) This is an Information and Support web site for parents of children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

ANOREXIA A DISABILITY?
(January 18, 2001) According to The Washington Times Keri Krissik, a 20-year old, is suing Stonehill College “for refusing to let her register on the grounds of her anorexia,” claiming she is protected by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The school is defending itself by pointing out they do not have the facilities for treating eating disorders like anorexia.

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING ON YOUTH VIOLENCE
(January 18, 2001) A report by Surgeon General David Satcher warns that despite the decreasing incidence of violence by young people, arrests for violent crime surged between 1983 and 1993. It was “driven largely by rapid proliferation of firearms use by adolescents,” and according to confidential surveys, “30 percent to 40 percent of boys and 15 percent to 30 percent of girls admit to committing a serious violent offense – defined as one causing bodily harm – by age 17.”

AUTISM LINKED TO VACCINE?
(January 21, 2001) An article entitled “MMR doctor links 170 cases of autism to vaccine,” in the Electronic Telegraph, United Kingdom states: “Andrew Wakefield, a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London reports evidence in 170 children that they developed autism and/or bowel disease after being given the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. In a reaction to this controversial report, the government continues to claim the MMR vaccine is safe.

LOS ANGELES STUDENTS ARMING THEMSELVES
(January 22, 2001) The San Francisco Chronicle, in an article titled “Crimes Surge Around L.A. School Sites – Fearful students start carrying knives,” reported “The Los Angeles Unified School District has been hit with a surge in crime in six of the 10 categories it tracks, including violent, property and sex crimes.” School Police Chief Wesley Mitchell said “Students reported to us they were arming themselves for fear of their own safety.”

SURVIVORS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
(January 22, 2001) The Providence Journal Company article, “A map for learning when learning doesn’t come easy,” discusses Jonathan Mooney and David Cole’s new book, Learning Outside the Lines. “Mooney, who is dyslexic and still tests at a fourth-grade reading level, and Cole, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, graduated from Brown University last May, each of them with a 4.0 average.” They consider themselves “survivors” of special education, which they say puts down the very children it is supposed to help. Much of the book is set up as a study guide.

YOUTH SPORTS BROKEN?
(January 22, 2001) The Christian Science Monitor contained an essay claiming “Youth sports are broken and need to be fixed. The problem is that too often the kids just aren’t having fun. The children themselves are voting with their feet: by the age of 12, more than 75 percent of all kids who have played organized sports have dropped out.” The major cause of this, according to the article, is the behaviors and attitudes of coaches and parents.

STRIP SEARCH PROTESTED
(January 27, 2001) The Dallas Morning News reported several parents of third-graders in Westwego, Louisiana’s Joshua Butler Elementary School complained about the strip search of eight students by a school administrator after another student reported $20 missing.

THE PARENT TRAP
(January 29, 2001) An article in Newsweek compares modern parenting as “competing in a triathion with no finish line in sight. We only want what’s best for them, but our kids may not be better off.”

WORKING MOTHERS
(February 4, 2001) The Electronic Telegraph reported recent research by Essex University in the United Kingdom concluding “Children under five whose mothers work go on to achieve exam results inferior to those whose mothers stay at home.”