Hobsons’ new online tool simplifies college searches

Carol’s Summary:

College Confidential is launching a new search engine that allows students and parents to select from optional criteria and in order to match them with specific higher education institutions that meet their direct criteria. Often, students choose a college based solely on location and tuition costs and miss out on other important opportunities. College Confidential is taking the next step in providing students with the skills necessary to pursue their dreams and reach towards success.

Not only is the search engine exceptional, they have also developed an online community that links parents and students with people of like mind. There are also parent forums to answer questions and several tools to assist students in figuring out which school is the best fit for them.

So many factors are in important in determining what career path to choose and what educational path t o follow to get there. Majoring in the Rest of Your Life is a resource that through self-discovery, explores students’ options and provides the skills necessary to follow them through. Students need to be prepared for success not only in college, but in the rest of their lives. To learn more about Majoring in the Rest of Your Life as well as other LifeBound books and materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

To learn more about College Confidential visit www.news.cincinnati.com

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College awareness: How much is too much?


Carol’s Summary:

A Michigan School district has recently started a program to inform children about college options from as early as preschool and kindergarten, which begs the question: How early is too early for children to start thinking about college? 

During the district’s week-long college awareness program, elementary school children write about what career they’d like to have and even take a walking tour of Eastern Michigan University. There are concerns that a program like this may put too much pressure on such young children.

In San Francisco schools, a program was announced to begin next fall that will provide a college savings fund for each child entering kindergarten in one of their public schools.  Between $50 and $100 in deposits will be put in each child’s account annually, and they will also be encouraged to start thinking about college at an early age.

While it is important for children to think about college and what they would like to do in the future, what age is an appropriate time to do so? At LifeBound, we believe it is important to discuss the importance of all stages of education in all stages of life.

Our book Success in Middle School introduces students to the possibility of going to college and what steps to take to succeed throughout middle school and beyond, in order to build and maintain a strong academic basis for attending college. For more information about Success in Middle School and other Lifebound books, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

Article:

The Washington Post

June 3, 2010

College awareness: How much is too much?

By Valerie Strauss

How old should children be before they are asked to start worrying about going to college? Eight years old? Ten? Thirteen? Fifteen?

How about 5?

Here’s part of a story in the Detroit News about an early awareness program in the Kalamazoo School district:

At age 5, Jeremiah Kagumba spoke often of playing professional basketball. But after his elementary school held a college awareness week, he decided he would become a doctor.

To read the full article:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/higher-education/college-awareness-in-kindergar.html



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Maybe Bullies Just Want to Be Loved

Recently, two studies conducted by George Mason University have concluded that children who bully others are likely doing so out of a desire for attention and acceptance by their peers. One study is based upon the patterns of aggression observed of 1,822 adults who suffer from social anxiety disorder. From the study it was found the one of five reported increased levels of aggressive behavior.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Like Facebook, but for learning

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Educational social-networking site, Grockit, discussed in the ESchool News article below, is part of a current trend to create “collaborative learning spaces online where students can help one another solve homework problems and study—all while building important 21st-century skills.” The social-networking study site currently offers 8-12 graders test-prep services and will eventually expand to include math, English, history and science.

According to the article, Grockit CEO Farb Nivi says “estimates point to a 25 to 27 percent learning loss during summer vacation…Logging onto Grockit just a few hours a week during the summer can help students bridge the gap between school years, so that come September they are ready to build upon last school year’s lessons with little review.”

Students using Grockit use live chat services to “practice with, learn from, and compete with millions of their peers on the subject of their choice.” The site gives students points and recognition for achievements such as how helpful they are to peers and are displayed to the social-network’s community and motivates students to excel.

“Because of that social factor, the power in it isn’t just answering a question—it’s that positive peer influence on learning,” says Jeramy Gatza, a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) innovation manager working with Grockit.

Creating a positive culture of learning to encourage and motivate students to succeed is the inspiration behind LifeBound’s student success and transition materials. We are currently working on a new title, LEADERSHIP FOR TEENAGERS, due out this summer to inspire students to find good role models and become an effective leader in school, career and life. To review a sample chapter or reserve a copy in advance, call our toll free number at 1-877-737-8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE:

Combining social networking with studying, Grockit encourages academic success through peer interaction
By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor
May 3rd, 2010
ESchool News

Aiming to engage students who are multitasking with different forms of technology, companies are creating collaborative learning spaces online where students can help one another solve homework problems and study—all while building important 21st-century skills.

One such social-networking study site is Grockit, which currently offers test-prep services and is expanding its focus to include math and English for students in grades 8-12, with history and science soon to follow. Grockit has opened enrollment for a free Summer Enrichment Academy, which is designed to keep students from falling behind during summer vacation as they participate in collaborative group study forums online.

Grockit’s appeal lies not only in the fact that academic support from peers is free, but also because students are motivated to learn through the company’s social-networking and gaming platform, said Grockit CEO Farb Nivi. As online social networking becomes a ubiquitous aspect of youth culture, sites such as Grockit could represent the future of education technology.

To view this entire article visit www.eschoolnews.com

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More Pre-K Pupils Qualify for Gifted Programs

Carol’s Summary:

Experts claim that only 2.5 % of students are truly gifted, but many students’ talents don’t show up in school. Moreover, some children are both gifted and learning disabled, exhibiting characteristics of both, a combination that makes their gifted identification and childhood learning much more challenging than either their gifted or average peers. I know a highly gifted student who is now in college who was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school and had difficulty with reading, but who was a whiz at working with animals, particularly reptiles. When he was in middle school he made $200 a week at birthday parties showing his collection of reptiles and sharing facts that he researched about them. Like this student, every child deserves to have their area of inherent interests and talents developed, as Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences confirms.

Many districts are struggling financially right now to serve this population of students (TAG), but we are working with the Thompson school district in Colorado (and other districts) to creatively offer programs to students and their parents. One of our books and curriculum for middle grades titled, GIFTS AND TAKENTS FOR TEENAGERS, is designed to help students discover and capitalize on their unique strengths. For a review copy, please call our national toll free # at 877.737.8520 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE:

More Pre-K Pupils Qualify for Gifted Programs
New York Times
By SHARON OTTERMAN
April 30, 2010

The number of students qualifying for gifted kindergarten programs in New York City public school districts rose by 10 percent this year, and those qualifying for the elite citywide program jumped by a third, raising the possibility that parents and their children have begun to master an admission process that was retooled three years ago.

According to figures released Friday by the Department of Education, the spike in students eligible for gifted programs occurred despite a 16 percent drop in the number who took the exams. The city described the decrease as a “leveling off” after an increase in test-takers last year, which they attributed to a publicity campaign.

Of the 12,454 in New York City who took the test this winter, 3,542 (or 26 percent) scored at or above the national 90th percentile, up from 3,231 the year before, qualifying them for one of the 70 gifted kindergarten programs spread through the city’s school districts. But the most striking increase occurred in the number of children scoring at or above the national 97th percentile: 1,788, up from 1,345 last year. Those students qualify for one of the five citywide gifted programs, which have only about 300 seats in all, meaning the competition for them this year will be even fiercer.

To view this entire article visit www.nytimes.com

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How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Bullies have a large impact on the people they taunt and torment, but how do you as a parent or teacher encourage children to not become one? In the Time article below it states that “Increasingly, neuroscientists, psychologists and educators believe that bullying and other kinds of violence can indeed be reduced by encouraging empathy at an early age. Over the past decade, research in empathy — the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes — has suggested that it is key, if not the key, to all human social interaction and morality.” According to the article, “The first stirrings of human empathy typically appear in babyhood: newborns cry when hearing another infant’s cry, and studies have shown that children as young as 14 months offer unsolicited help to adults who appear to be struggling to reach something. Babies have also shown a distinct preference for adults who help rather than hinder others.”

Instilling empathy into children is part of making them emotionally intelligent. LifeBound’s title PEOPLE SMARTS FOR TEEANAGERS: Becoming Emotionally Intelligent has been used with sixth graders to effectively create a positive classroom culture. To receive a free review copy call 1-877-737-8510 or email cynthianordberg@lifebound.com

ARTICLE:

How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy
By Maia Szalavitz
April 17, 2010
Time

Since the Jan. 14 death of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old in South Hadley, Mass., who committed suicide after being bullied by fellow students, many onlookers have meditated on whether the circumstances that led to her after-school hanging might have been avoided.

Could teachers have stepped in and stopped the bullying? Could parents have done more to curtail bad behavior? Or could preventive measures have been started years ago, in early childhood, long before bullies emerged and started heaping abuse on their peers?

To view this entire article visit www.time.com

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$3.5 Billion in Turnaround Aid Flowing to States

The federal government is making $3.5 billion in stimulus money available to some of the nation’s lowest performing schools. This pro-active step can help us to close the achievement which starts to nose-dive when students hit fifth grade. Taking measures to help students with academic, emotional and social help will allow students to understand themselves, focus better in class, and learn to have a vision for their future success based on specific goals.

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Crackdown on campus drinking draws backlash

Carol’s Summary:

Charles Sorenson, President of the University of Wisconsin, Stout, has decided to take a sharp measure to curtail on-campus binge drinking after the sixth student in a few years died of alcohol poisoning. He has instated more Friday classes in an effort to have students study more on Friday nights than party before what some have as a three-day weekend.

While I applaud Sorenson’s desire to intervene, I feel that the measures he is taking are too little too late and may be as ineffective among students as the D.A.R.E. campaign from the last decade. Students who binge drink don’t have the basic skills of emotional intelligence (EQ) which they need for their own survival as well as their ability to interact in the world with others.

If we can begin to work with middle school students on EQ skills, more students will enter high school with a sense of purpose and direction. Of course, this purpose and direction can be taken too far and many “stressed out” students use alcohol to blow off steam. Still, we can teach people on the under and the over-achieving end of the spectrum about boundaries, moderation, healthy choices and self-control. Are we going to prevent college drinking? No. But can we help students to respect themselves and others at the deepest level so that they can party without going crazy. Then we will be teaching them the basics of moderation which is a key ingredient for success in life.

Schools and colleges need to have an honest dialogue with parents about these issues as well. Sometimes the strictest parents are the ones whose kids act out the most in college as a way of retaliating against such harsh rules. There is a balance to all of our behaviors and if we can strike that, fewer students will die from binge drinking, fewer students will engage in risky and unhealthy behaviors and more students overall will know how to have fun, drink moderately, and go home with people they can trust in the safest way possible.

ARTICLE:

Crackdown on campus drinking draws backlash
By Steve Kolowich
USA Today
Inside Higher Ed
April 13, 2010

After the sixth alcohol-connected student death in two years, Charles Sorensen had had enough.

Sorensen, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Stout, penned a memo to the entire campus on March 30, informing students that he planned to redouble efforts to curb alcohol abuse on and around the campus: The university would increase the number of classes held on Fridays in order to discourage Thursday drinking; empower the dean of students to deal more harshly with underage drinking (and its abettors) as well as other alcohol-related offenses; and step up its efforts with local law enforcement to crack down on off-campus house parties, which he considers havens for underage students looking for access to booze.

To view this entire article visit www.usatoday.com

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It takes a village of dads

Carol’s Summary:

Life threatening illnesses often force us to take stock of what matters and the legacy we want to leave behind. USA Weekend’s article, “It takes a village of dads,” (April 9-11, 2010) cites author Bruce Feiler who found out last year he had cancer and has since formed an advisory of dads to help him keep perspective and pass along lessons to his twin daughters in the future. His new book, The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness and the Men Who Could Be Me, documents advice from different men in his life and what they have contributed to him as a person and as a father.

In addition to my work with students and faculty, LifeBound helps parents develop coaching skills for the purpose of staying connected to their kids and to spark what we call “courageous conversations.” As important as the skills they learn, are the relationships that can form in these parenting sessions. These classes enable participants to form a network of support in their journeys and to learn from each other. For more information about LifeBound’s parenting sessions and/or a free copy of Stop Parenting Start Coaching call our toll free # at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE:

USA Weekend
It takes a village of dads
Dennis McCafferty
April 9, 2010

On July 2, 2008, best-selling author Bruce Feiler was walking the streets of Manhattan when he got a phone call from his doctor’s office. After a routine checkup, a growth had been found in his left leg. Tests were run. Now, it was time for the news:
“The growth in your leg,” he was told, “is not consistent with a benign tumor.”

Which meant Feiler, now 45, had cancer, with a 7-inch tumor in his femur now spreading.

A flood of questions overwhelmed him:

Why me? Why now?

He quickly comforted himself. “I realized I had lived a full, good life,” says Feiler, author of Walking the Bible. “If I were to die, I’d have no regrets.”

What will happen to my wife, Linda?

Again, there was reassurance. “I knew that she’d take care of herself and continue to live with passion,” Feiler says.

Then, a question with no quick answer:

How will my little girls get by without me?

To view this entire article visit www.usaweekend.com

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Sharp drop seen in children’s bullying

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

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