When my son started kindergarten last year, I was astonished at how little of his lunch he actually ate. I would pack a nutritious meal displayed in a cute, compartmentalized tray, and often he only took a small bite of each item I packed. [Read more…]
Recess before lunch to improve eating habits?
January 30, 2015 By 2 Comments
Should kids wear seat belts on the school bus?
December 11, 2014 By 3 Comments
The town where I live – Ithaca, NY – had six inches of snowfall this week during a school day. The snow storm prompted a vigorous debate among a group of moms about whether children should wear safety belts on school buses. [Read more…]
An evidence-based education resource
November 20, 2014 By Leave a Comment
This year, I have a child in first grade and another in preschool. As I become more entrenched in school life every year, I have more and more questions about whether our schools are using evidence in making decisions and developing policies. [Read more…]
What we know about homework
October 7, 2014 By 1 Comment
Now that the school year is back in full swing, I find that our family needs to make time for homework almost every night of the week. And it’s got me wondering how much homework impacts children’s achievement in school. [Read more…]
How important is breakfast, Part 2
September 5, 2014 By 4 Comments
Earlier this week, we wrote about the body of evidence that shows eating breakfast does not lead to weight loss. But does eating breakfast impact cognitive function and learning? As my kids head back to school this week, it’s certainly a question on my mind.
New data on kids’ well-being
August 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Ensuring our youth grow up in healthy supportive environments is an important part of building a strong future for any society. Even here in the United States, there are significant disparities in child well-being. [Read more…]
Evidenced-based learning: Play, play, play
August 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment
My two oldest children received letters in the mail this week from their teachers – a sure sign that “back-to-school” is creeping closer. As I start wrapping my head around school supplies and book schedules, I thought back to this post about the importance of play in learning. I’m hoping that my kids’ teachers keep in mind the importance of play in the classroom this year.
Myth-busting evidence: Childhood vaccines
July 29, 2014 By 1 Comment
When my son was born, I spent a lot of time reading and thinking about whether he should have the routine childhood vaccinations. I had heard about the potential link between vaccines and autism and some anecdotal reports from other moms about adverse reactions to vaccines. But I wanted to consider all of the evidence on vaccines. [Read more…]
Do girls perform better in school?
May 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
When you think about an elementary school classroom, do any gender stereotypes pop into your mind? Most of us have opinions about how boys and girls perform at school. Maybe you subscribe to some commonly held beliefs that girls are better at reading and writing, or boys are more successful in math. But what does the evidence say?
What we know about newborn brain injuries
May 7, 2014 By Leave a Comment
About three in 1,000 babies born in the U.S. have brain injuries, a devastating occurrence for families and medical professionals. For decades, the medical community believed that most newborn brain injuries occurred when a baby suffered oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery. But now there is new evidence about the cause of newborn brain trauma. [Read more…]
Mentoring works for troubled, but how?
March 18, 2014 By 1 Comment
When young people are struggling – with school, addiction, criminal behavior or a number of other problems – help often comes through a mentor. Thousands of organizations across the country pair at-risk young people with a role model to help them get back on track. But does mentoring work?
A new way to help mistreated children
February 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Each year in the U.S., more than 600,000 children suffer abuse or neglect that warrants the intervention of Child Protective Services. Often times, these children need support for emotional and behavioral difficulties. It’s a heart-breaking problem, but there is evidence that some treatments can help. [Read more…]
