Monthly Archives: October 2007

In his column under the headline “Our Schools Must Do Better,” Bob Herbert of the New York (US) Times issued a clear and explicit call for greater effectiveness in education. Such calls are common, but Mr. Herbert goes further than many of them. He does not simply lament the situation, … Continue reading →

Police used a stun gun to subdue 15-year-old Taylor Karras, a young man who has Autism. According to reports, hours after Mr. Karras fled from a counseling session at a regional services center, police were alerted that he was on streets in traffic. Los Angeles (CA, US) Times reporter Jennifer … Continue reading →

I teach a class for people who want to be teachers. It’s about teaching teacher-wannabes how to teach their students appropriate classroom behavior. I don’t have the chance to coach them, so I search for means to make the ideas I present memorable to them.
I refer to songs that I hope emphasize and make [...] Continue reading →

Over on LD Blog there is a post about the absence of evidence favoring the Dore Achievement Center’s exercise-based treatment. This activity therapy is sometimes recommended for children with Aspergers Syndrome, so the entry may be of interest to some readers of EBD Blog. Continue reading →

Over on Marginal Revolution Alex Tabarrok has a nifty observation entitled “Heroes are not Replicable.” He argues that the popular images of super teachers does a disservice because societies can’t clone those folks. Instead, he advocates teaching effectively!

What we need to save inner-city schools, and poor schools everywhere, is … Continue reading →

Learning Disabilities Worldwide is an international organization that serves parents, individuals with Learning Disabilities, educators, clinicians, and researchers. Here are its goals:

Promote early intervention to prevent unnecessary failure and frustration.
Awareness of environmental issues that impact childhood development
Eliminate cultural bias and stereotypes
Advancement of learning disabilities (LD) knowledge utilizing [...] Continue reading →

Under the headline “Schools hope mental health screenings will help end stigma,” Heather Parker reported that Carlsbad (NM, US) High School will conduct screenings for mental illness among students. The school will use grant funds to help identify students who might be at risk for depression, suicide, or other problems … Continue reading →

Children’s Mental Health of Ontario (CA) issued a statement supporting efforts to reduce child poverty. Because the mental health of children and youths has often been found to be associated with poverty, this is an important part of comprehensive mental health policy.

One in five children in Ontario struggles with … Continue reading →

Over on Sound it Out, Joanne Meier of Reading Rockets had a nice piece about fluency that deserves to be read. She describes situations in which the usual assessment of fluency, words read per minute, trumped the sensible reason for promoting fluency in reading: comprehension. Professor Meier’s account aptly … Continue reading →

In a move that it hopes will encourage early assessment and identification where appropriate (a hope I share), Schwab Learning announced the availability of a new interactive tool for parents who suspect their child may have a learning problem. The Web site, which is supported by the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, focuses on helping [...] Continue reading →