This reflective essay is written based on the author's experience as a study abroad program visiting resident director in Japan during the 2019-2020 academic year. As the resident director, the author served as the front line of communication and support for the international students on this program during an unprecedented crisis that impacted…

Does the current drive to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) into the K-12 curriculum represent a positive reform that will lead schools to educate the "whole student" and ultimately boost young people's academic success? Or is it a distracting fad that comes with high opportunity costs? Common sense and considerable…

Reviews of the effects of noise on performance carried out in the 1980s suggested that results depended on the type of noise, nature of the task, and characteristics of the person performing in noise. This general view has been confirmed in the recent meta-analysis and synthesis by Szalma and Hancock (2011). There are, however, some notable…

This commentary looks at the contributions and future research implications of the four articles in this Special Issue of "Thinking Skills and Creativity" to the fields of creativity and creativity education, both in culture-specific and culture-general terms. The articles included in this Special Issue draw attention to issues of…

Over the past decade, the Gurian Institute has trained more than forty thousand teachers in more than two thousand schools and districts, both coed and single-sex. The institute's trainers have worked with public and private schools, Montessori schools, and a variety of charter and independent schools in fifteen countries; it has therefore been…

This document provides a transcript of one of three panels held at a Manhattan Institute conference in June 2006. In this panel, the issue of reconnecting a certain segment of disadvantaged men into the workforce is discussed. John McWhorter explains that the Manhattan Institute has been instrumental in forging the reform of welfare legislation,…

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism awarded contracts to assemble information about practices which identify, refer, and treat employed women alcoholics. In Phase I data were collected on the frequency of use of employee assistance programs by women alcoholics. Findings indicated no great differences between men and women.…

Discusses the relationship between research and social and political policies, and proposes three major topics which need systematic and in-depth study: cultural and linguistic differences among children that impact their school experiences, the effectiveness of programs/interventions with children with exceptionalities, and long-term consequences…

This article critically appraises the success of the Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) in removing barriers to participation in 3rd level education for welfare recipients in Ireland. The paper is based on empirical data from focus group and in-depth qualitative interviews with 3rd level students on the BTEA. This study argues that it is…

The article looks at issues in the education of gifted disadvantaged students especially in developing nations. Discussed are the question of defining intelligence, identification of intellectual giftedness in this group, specific educational needs of the gifted disadvantaged at various age levels, and the positive effects of most educational…

Recognizes that, although advocates of experiential learning feel that participation has a profound effect on one's life, concrete evidence to support this contention is lacking. Suggests that lack of such evidence may be due to the fact that the effects of experiential education do not become apparent until later in life. (Author/GC)

Focuses on one of the key measures used in evaluating foster care programs, i.e., length of time in foster care. Examines several variables that affect length of time in foster care and offers suggestions for avoiding data misinterpretations on this measure. (RC)

Proposes using a developmentally appropriate practice framework to determine if a sexual abuse prevention program takes into consideration the unique learning abilities of preschool children. Reviews definition of and statistics related to sexual abuse. Compares appropriate and inappropriate teaching practices in child sexual abuse prevention…

A case study of a child not developmentally ready to handle the linguistic demands of a second language in an academic setting is presented as representative of a subgroup of students. It is suggested that new paradigms for researching suitability of early French immersion for all students are needed. (21 references) (Author/MSE)

Extra-year school readiness programs, which serve as "developmental kindergartens" or "junior first grades," are well-intentioned transition programs between kindergarten and first grade that are intended to serve children judged to be at risk for early school failure. Despite their good intentions, these programs are…