Researchers Look for Ways to Curb "Mean Girls" and Gossip

This article focuses on the increasing need to recognize and diminish "relational aggression" in schools.  I was actually quite surprised that this is a "new" idea, since to me it seems obvious that the majority of bullying begins with "relational" aggression - in other words, the interwoven psychological effect of gossip, ostracizing, and cliques on the victims, bullies and bystanders.  While the more physically violent bullying is extremely obvious, this more subtle form of aggression (I believe) is what leads up to the violence - especially in girls, who tend to be just a vicious but in a sneaky way that is harder to detect.  What was bothersome to me is when a group of researchers and teachers in Seattle observed students on the playground, while the researchers were able to easily identify "semi-public relational bullying", the teachers could not.  As a victim of this type of aggression myself in seventh grade, I can attest to how frightening and depressing it can be, and as a prospective teacher I believe having training on how to recognize the signs and immediately diffuse the situation is paramount to the well being of the student body.  Children need to learn empathy for one another, and I think with the desensitizing that goes on between violent video games, graphic reality television, and the wide range of images readily available on the Internet this is becoming a greater challenge for parents and educators alike.  To me it seems more than worth the class time to require social consciousness courses in early adolescence (fifth and sixth grade, just when hormones and peer pressure begin to kick into gear), in the hopes that we can head off some of these behavior patterns later on. 

No-Pass, No-Drive Laws Spreading

This is a GREAT idea!  Apparently over the last twenty years, several states are implementing policies that restrict driving privileges for students that are having attendance, behavior or academic issues.  For some reason researchers have been skeptical about the results, stating that there is little evidence pointing in favor of this practice.  I'd personally like to review the raw data, since I can't imagine how this wouldn't be a massive motivator for truant teens; unless of course they just drive without a license.  However, I would hope that there would be parental involvement in this instance - maybe I'm being optimistic, but most parents I know are rather loathe to place their children on their insurance in the first place, and are even less likely to allow them out the door with car keys when they are completely illegal to do so. 
To date, twenty-seven states have some variety of this policy in place, and I would applaud the rest jumping on board.  Professor Russell Rumberger at the University of California disagrees, stating that just because the students are in class doesn't mean they are learning anything.  But how then are they to learn when they aren't there at all?  At least this gets butts in seats (and teachers can't be dragging them kicking and screaming to strap them in); it is obviously up to the teachers at that point to get them engaged.

Mentor Program Provides STEM Options

I greatly enjoyed this article, which details the ACE (architecture, construciton and engineering) Mentor Program and how it gives high school students an opportunity for career exposure, mentoring and scholarships to enter one of their fields.  I've spoken before on this blog about my feelings regarding preparation for the work force, and to provide this type of on site knowledge is invaluable to students who may never have considered these careers prior to the program.  The majority of this service takes place as an extra-curricular activity after school, which does take initiative from the student and parents to utilize, but even if the child decides these careers are not for them, they at least are making a more informed decision.  I know my high school didn't have much in the way of work mentoring programs, unless it involved shop class, but it would have been extremely eye-opening for me to have had a peek into the "real world" as a workforce.  I may still have chosen music as my undergraduate degree, but many students enter college simply because that is part of the American Way, not because they have any idea as to what they are going for, or what they will be doing afterwards to pay off all the loans they've accrued.  While my idea of what the purpose of education is and should be is evolving as I myself become further educated, there is still the unavoidable fact that one must work in order to live, no matter how well they can theorize on Plato's cave allegory or recite the dates of each battle in the Civil War.  Unfortunately Taco Bell pays by the hour, not test score. 

Experts Zero In on Nonacademic Skills Needed for Success

I found this article quite interesting.  It focuses on the need for students to be socially and emotionally prepared as well as academically to succeed in a college setting.  This is especially true for students who didn't take AP courses in high school; attempting to switch into the higher gear needed for the quicker paced courses, longer and more detailed papers, and more frequent testing without this type of preperation can easily be overwhelming.  While I've ranted on this blog previously regarding the necessity for all students to attend college, I certainly believe that those who wish to should be given the tools and psychological preperation to do so.  This article mentions several ways to connect the data from local high schools to colleges so students can be tracked and trends noticed, which would hopefully lead to an early warning system of sorts to identify the students who may have issues in college before they even get there.  Then high school teachers and conselors can provide them with additional academic and psychological assitance that would then boost their success rate. 

Simulations Helping Novices Hone Skills

This article detailed the use of classroom simulators, TeachME and simSchool, to help train pre-service teachers in the art of classroom management.  I love this idea, since, as the article points out, real children don't forget when you make a mistake, and this type of environment allows a budding educator to work out some of the kinks in their lesson plan before presenting it to an often tough crowd.  While I agree that it can't replace the student teaching experience, I know I'd feel much better going into the field with several hours in this type of simulator.  The simSchool is fully programmed children avatars, with complex emotional, perceptional and cognitive profiles that have two million combinations to work with; TeachME, on the other hand, utilizes avatars of five actors in a separate room to react in character, live, to the teacher's lesson.  Either option seems to work well, giving the student teacher an opportunity to fall on their face a few times without being laughed out of the building, and I believe this is definitely a viable option for future teachers.  The uses for technology are endless, and this proves that gaming technology can be fitted for educational purposes with little stretching needed.  What I found extremely interesting is that a middle school class took a field trip to the TeachME lab at the University of Central Florida to give it a shot, and many left with their minds changed about how to treat their teachers.  Empathy is a strong medicine, one our "me first" society could use a whole lot more of, and I applaud this foray into role reversal.  That may even be a good idea in a live classroom; something to ponder, surely.

Court Seen Balky on Religous Cases

This article highlights several cases where the Supreme Court seems cautious to move forward on several cases of religion and the school system going head to head.  There are several religious-liberty groups that have asked the justices to hear appeals on around a half-dozen cases involving religious expression in the public school system.  Several of these include including religious music in holiday concerts, students distributing religious material to their classmates, and religious themed graduation speeches.  I feel strongly that religion needs to be kept at arms length from school, simply because there are so many variances in belief systems, and to acknowledge one is to the detriment of the rest.  While I feel each student has their right to some expression of their belief, it must be done in a respectful, non-proselytizing manner, yet unfortunately the very nature of many religions demand this type of approach.  I personally am not a religious person, but do find the study of religion to be very interesting, and would support a factual, equal-opportunity approach to religion in an educational fashion.  In fact I would love the opportunity to teach a class on religions of the world, if only to dispel the fantasy and mysticism that believers strive to maintain around their "faith."  But the attempts by religious groups to shove their belief system down the throats of the public school systems are simply another political battle to be waged in the name of God - which to me sounds a bit contradictory to the precepts their very faith preaches.  It is all very interesting, to say the least.

Parenting: The Key to America's Future

I completely agree with the stance of this commentary regarding the importance of parent involvement in their childrens' educations.  If there is little to no support at home, how can teachers be expected to turn a child's attitude around?  Not everything can fall on the school system's shoulders.  I do understand that socioeconomic status has a large role in this, as parents who are overworked and underpaid have little energy to be reading to children, or have less access to extra-curricular activities.  But there are many free programs available, and libraries are always a vast educational resource with little to no cost to the parents.  Since no parent wants their children to fail, teachers can play a role in encouraging and providing a support system to families in need.  Providing opportunities for good early childhood education is extremely valuable as well, as is parenting classes and parent support groups that are available through local charities, churches, and hospitals.  Sometimes the toughest battle is against ignorance, but information can be given when the effort is put out.